Television schedule system with access control

• US 8,245,250 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starsight Telecast Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Casement, Marcy, Burgess, Andrew, Folker, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/898,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,944 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/28, 725/30, 725/50
• US Class Current: 725/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a television schedule system with a user interface which allows a user to control access to television programs by time, rating, content, and/or channel. Furthermore, the user may set a limit on pay-per-view (PPV) spending to limit the purchase of PPV programs.

Claims

1. A method of exercising access control over programs comprising:

receiving a user request, with an input device, to schedule a program for recording at a future time;

entering, with the input device, a criterion for blocking programs; and

determining, with a processor, that the program scheduled for recording meets the blocking criterion;

wherein;

if a program that meets the blocking criterion has been scheduled for recording before the entering of the blocking criterion, the program that meets the blocking criterion is not blocked; and

if a program is to be scheduled for recording after the entering of the blocking criterion and meets the blocking criterion, the program to be scheduled that meets the blocking criterion is blocked.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises:

displaying on a display screen a list of criteria; and

selecting, with the input device, the criterion to enter from the list of criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises:

storing, in the processor, a first password;

displaying on a display screen a prompt to the viewer to enter a password;

displaying on the display screen a list of criteria if the viewer inputs a password that matches the first password responsive to the prompt;

selecting, with the input device, the criterion to enter from the list of criteria;

removing the list of criteria from the display screen after the criterion has been entered; and

preventing selection of another criterion until a matching password is input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises entering, with the input device, a program rating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises entering, with the input device, a channel identification.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying a lock symbol next to the channel identification in program listings.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises entering, with the input device, a time period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a criterion comprises entering, with the input device, a spending limit for pay-per-view programs.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, with the processor, a password;

receiving, with the input device, a viewer request to schedule a second program for recording, wherein the second program meets the blocking criterion;

prompting, with the display processor, the viewer to enter a password in response to receiving the viewer request to schedule the second program for recording;

receiving, with the input device, a viewer input in response to the prompting; and

scheduling, with the processor, the second program for recording if the viewer input matches the defined password.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising blocking, with the processor, programs that meet the blocking criterion in response to the entering of the criterion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the blocking does not block the recording of the program scheduled for recording.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the blocking occurs after the warning has been displayed for a predetermined period of time.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein blocking a program that meets the blocking criterion and is scheduled for recording after the blocking criterion is entered comprises requesting a viewer to input a password before recording the program.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein blocking a program that meets the blocking criterion and is scheduled for recording after the blocking criterion is entered comprises requesting a viewer to input a password before displaying the program.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, with a display processor, a warning to warn a viewer that the program scheduled for recording meets the blocking criterion.

9. A parental control system comprising:

a display screen;

an input device for receiving a user request to schedule a program for recording and for entering a criterion for blocking programs; and

a processor for determining that the program scheduled for recording meets the blocking criterion;

wherein;

if a program that meets the blocking criterion has been scheduled for recording before the entering of the blocking criterion, the program that meets the blocking criterion is not blocked; and

if a program is to be scheduled for recording after the entering of the blocking criterion and meets the blocking criterion, the program to be scheduled that meets the blocking criterion is blocked.

10. The system of claim 9, in which a display processor displays on the display screen a list of criteria and the processor processes a selected criterion from the list of criteria.

11. The system of claim 9, in which:

a display processor displays on the display screen a list of criteria; and

the processor stores a first password, processes a selected criterion from the list of criteria, and prevents selection of another criterion until a password matching the first password is entered.

12. The system of claim 9, in which the input device enters a program rating as a criterion.

13. The system of claim 9, in which the input device enters a channel identification as a criterion.

14. The system of claim 13, in which a display processor displays a lock symbol next to the channel identification in program listings.

15. The system of claim 9, in which the input device enters a time period as a criterion.

16. The system of claim 9, in which the input device enters a spending limit for pay-per-view programs as a criterion.

21. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the processor further defines a password;

the input device further receives a viewer request to schedule a second program for recording, wherein the second program meets the blocking criterion;

a display processor displays a prompt to the viewer to enter a password in response to receiving the viewer request to schedule the second program for recording; and

the processor further receives a viewer input in response to the prompting and schedules the second program for recording if the viewer input matches the defined password.

22. The system of claim 9, in which the processor blocks programs that meet the blocking criterion in response to the entering of the criterion.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the blocking does not block the recording of the program scheduled for recording.

24. The system of claim 22, in which the processor blocks the programs after the warning has been displayed for a predetermined period of time.

25. A method of exercising access control over television programs comprising:

receiving a user request, with an input device, to schedule a program for recording at a future time;

receiving, with the input device, a criterion for blocking programs; and

determining, with a processor, that the program scheduled for recording meets the blocking criterion;

wherein;

if a program that meets the blocking criterion has been scheduled for recording before the entering of the blocking criterion, the program that meets the blocking criterion is not blocked; and

if a program is to be scheduled for recording after the entering of the blocking criterion and meets the blocking criterion, the program to be scheduled that meets the blocking criterion is blocked.

26. A parental control system comprising:

a display screen;

an input device for receiving a user request to schedule a program for recording at a future time and for receiving a criterion for blocking programs; and

a processor for determining that the program scheduled for recording meets the blocking criterion;

wherein;

if a program that meets the blocking criterion has been scheduled for recording before the entering of the blocking criterion, the program that meets the blocking criterion is not blocked; and

if a program is to be scheduled for recording after the entering of the blocking criterion and meets the blocking criterion, the program to be scheduled that meets the blocking criterion is blocked.