Restricting mature content

• US 8,359,642 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Wurtenberger, Andrew Mark, Hyde, Caleb Sisson, Halferty, Clark Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US12/823,435
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/7, 382/275, 715/752, 709/206, 455/466
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

Methods, devices, and products provide for restricting access to mature content by individuals for whom access to the mature content is designated as inappropriate. A content filter receives a communication, determines that the communication includes an image, and extracts the image. The image is scanned for mature content. A content restrictor component restricts access by various classes of users to the mature content.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of controlling access to mature content, said mature content comprising content that has been designated as inappropriate for viewing by a designated class of people, the method comprising:

receiving a communication at a user'"'"'s device;

determining that the communication includes an image;

determining whether the image has been previously flagged as containing mature content;

when the image has been previously flagged as containing mature content, then restricting access to the mature content;

when the image has not been previously flagged as containing mature content, then

A) scanning the communication at the user'"'"'s device,

B) determining that the image includes mature content,

C) based on the determination that the image includes mature content, flagging the image with an indication that the image has been scanned and with an indication that the image includes mature content,

D) storing the flagged image at the user'"'"'s device, and

E) restricting access to the mature content;

said scanning comprising;

A) referencing a plurality of feature templates, each feature template comprising a representation of a known feature,

B) determining that a first portion of the image is consistent with a first feature template, wherein the first feature template corresponds to a first type of mature content, the viewing of which is designated as inappropriate for a first class of people, and

C) determining that a second portion of the image is consistent with a second feature template, wherein the second feature template corresponds to a second type of mature content, the viewing of which is designated as inappropriate for a second class of people; and

said restricting access to the mature content comprising;

A) receiving an access request initiated by a user, wherein the access request includes a request to display the image,

B) determining that the user belongs to the first class of people and that the user does not belong to the second class of people, and

C) displaying the image, wherein the displayed image includes the first portion but not the second portion.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the communication is an email, a short-messaging service (SMS) message, a multi-media messaging service (MMS) message, or an instant message.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein restricting access to the mature content includes requiring a user to input a login credential before allowing the user access to the mature content.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein restricting access to the mature content includes replacing the mature content with alternate content, wherein a user is allowed access to the alternate content.