Parental media palettes

• US 8,984,550 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Craner, Michael, Peterson, Tia D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US12/911,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 725 27- 29
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods for viewing media content are provided. Sets of permitted media content and/or channels that have been screened in advance by parents are created. Content suggestions may also be made. In response to media set creation and activation, permitted programming in the media set may be tuned and presented to a viewer, while access to other media content is restricted.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the presentation of media content on user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving, using control circuitry, a plurality of media descriptors for inclusion in a set of media descriptors, wherein each media descriptor of the plurality of media descriptors represents an individual permitted media content accessible by a user between a user-defined start time and a user-defined stop time;

selecting an attribute of a media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

searching for a suggested media descriptor based on the selected attribute, wherein the suggested media descriptor is not already included in the set of media descriptors, and wherein the suggested media descriptor represents an individual permitted media content accessible by the user between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time;

generating for display an option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

receiving user input selecting the option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

subsequent to the suggested media descriptor being included in the set of media descriptors, receiving a user request for media content between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time; and

generating for display a media identifier for at least one of the individual permitted media content accessible by the user between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time in response to receiving the user request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user request is made via a user equipment tuning sequence.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user request is made via a selection from a content listing.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content listing comprises the media descriptors included in the set of media descriptors.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the content listing comprises all the media content accessible by the user equipment, the method further comprising:

determining whether the user request is a request for at least one of the individual permitted media content; and

restricting access to the requested media content in response to determining that the user request is not a request for at least one of the individual permitted media content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the suggested media descriptor is based on third-party data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the suggested media content has the lowest program content rating information accessible by the user equipment.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the permitted media content is selected from a group consisting of broadcast channels, broadcast programs, recorded programs, video-on-demand programs, interactive applications, games, Internet websites, Internet newsgroups, and Internet chat rooms.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the permitted media content is automatically tuned and presented in a default order.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the default order is user-defined.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether at least one permitted media content is available prior to the user-defined start time; and

recording the at least one permitted media content prior to the user-defined start time, when it is determined that the at least one permitted media content is available prior to the user-defined start time.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of media descriptors is received from the user at the user equipment.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of media descriptors is received from a third-party that is remote to the user equipment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of media descriptors comprises receiving a user input identifying the plurality of media descriptors for inclusion in the set.

15. An apparatus for controlling the presentation of media content on user equipment, the apparatus comprising:

memory for storing at least one set of media descriptors; and

control circuitry for presenting media content, wherein the control circuitry is configured to;

receive a plurality of media descriptors for inclusion in the at least one set of media descriptors, wherein each media descriptor of the plurality of media descriptors represents an individual permitted media content accessible by a user between a user-defined start time and a user-defined stop time;

select an attribute of a media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

search for a suggested media descriptor based on the selected attribute, wherein the suggested media descriptor is not already included in the set of media descriptors, and wherein the suggested media descriptor represents an individual permitted media content accessible by the user between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time;

generate for display an option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

receive user input selecting the option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

subsequent to the suggested media descriptor being included in the set of media descriptors, receive a user request for media content between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time; and

generate for display a media identifier for at least one of the individual permitted media content accessible by the user between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time in response to receiving the user request.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the user request is made via a user equipment tuning sequence.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the user request is made via a selection from a content listing.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the content listing comprises the media descriptors included in the at least one set of media descriptors.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the content listing comprises all the media content accessible by the user equipment, and the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether the user request is a request for at least one of the individual permitted media content; and

restrict access to the requested media content in response to determining that the user request is not a request for at least one of the individual permitted media content.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the suggested media descriptor is based on third-party data.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the permitted media content is selected from a group consisting of broadcast channels, broadcast programs, recorded programs, video-on-demand programs, interactive applications, games, Internet websites, Internet newsgroups, and Internet chat rooms.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

automatically tune and present the permitted media content in a default order.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the default order is user-defined.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether at least one permitted media content is available prior to the user-defined start time; and

record the at least one permitted media content prior to the user-defined start time, when it is determined that the at least one permitted media content is available prior to the user-defined start time.

25. A method for controlling the presentation of media content on user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving, using control circuitry, a plurality of media descriptors for inclusion in a set of media descriptors, wherein each media descriptor of the plurality of media descriptors represents an individual permitted media content accessible by a user between a user-defined start time and a user-defined stop time;

selecting an attribute of a media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

searching for a suggested media descriptor based on the selected attribute, wherein the suggested media descriptor is not already included in the set of media descriptors, and wherein the suggested media descriptor represents an individual permitted media content accessible by the user between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time;

generating for display an option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

receiving user input selecting the option to include the suggested media descriptor in the set of media descriptors;

subsequent to the suggested media descriptor being included in the set of media descriptors, generating for display a media identifier for at least one of the individual permitted media content in response to receiving a user request for media content between the user-defined start time and the user-defined stop time; and

generating for display a media identifier for the individual permitted media content in a default content sequence if the user request is not received.