Methods systems, and products for providing substitute content

• US 8,762,850 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wantage Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wantage Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Matz, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US11/827,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20070256015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 725/28, 725/32, 600/300, 715/715, 715/723, 715/867, 715/972, 715/745, 715/234, 715/760
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for providing substitute content. Tagged content is received and compared to a user profile. When a determination is made that the tagged content should be blocked, substitute content is retrieved that replaces the tagged content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining that received tagged content should be blocked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting art initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, for all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score satisfies a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing a tag to a user profile, and if a match is found, then indicating that the tagged content should be blocked.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an audio selection that selects a source location and filename of an audio file that replaces the blocked content.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving from a user profile at least one of a manual designation indicating that blocking the tagged content will manually occur, or an automatic designation indicating that blocking the tagged content will automatically occur.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving streaming audio as the substitute content.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing presentation of a server content element that selects file location and a filename of server content as the source for the substitute content.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing presentation of an automatic substitution element in which the blocked content is automatically replaced.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substitute co tent comprises locally stored content.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing presentation of a user interface in which a user may designate the substitute content.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising causing presentation of:

a substitute source area in which the user is enabled to designate a source of the substitute content;

a screen saver element in which the user is enabled to select a screen saver as the source of the substitute content;

a prestored content element in which the user is enabled to select prestored content as the source for the substitute content; and

a server content element in which the user is enabled to select server content as the source for the substitute content.

8. The method according to clam 1, wherein the substitute content comprises a blank screen or a screen saver file.

12. A computer readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, if executed, result in the implementation of operations comprising:

determining that received tagged content should be blocked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, for all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score meets a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content.

13. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise comparing a tag to a user profile, and if a match is found, then indicating that the tagged content should be blocked.

14. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a check box to permit the selection of playing audio associated with the tagged content but blocking video associated with the tagged content.

15. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise displaying an automatic designation in a graphical user interface to indicate that blocking the tagged content will automatically occur.

16. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise causing display of a blank screen or a screen saver file.

17. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving from the user profile at least one of a manual designation indicating that blocking tagged content will manually occur, or an automatic designation indicating that blocking tagged content will automatically occur.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the processor and configured to store code that, if executed by the processor, results in the implementation of operations comprising;

determining that received tagged content should he blocked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, for all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by the processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score meets a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content.

19. A method, comprising:

determining that received tagged content should be locked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score satisfies a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content, wherein the score corresponds to a weighted average.

20. A computer readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, if executed, result in the implementation of operations comprising:

determining that received tagged content should be blocked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with referred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, for all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score meets a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content, wherein the score corresponds to a weighted average.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the processor and configured to store code that, if executed by the processor, results in the implementation of operations comprising;

determining that received tagged content should be blocked by;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, for all of the multiple fields;

incrementing the score by the processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a predetermined non-zero threshold value;

blocking the tagged content if the score meets a criterion selected from the group consisting of exceeding the threshold value and failing to exceed the threshold value; and

retrieving and causing presentation of substitute content to replace the blocked content, wherein the score corresponds to a weighted average.