Modified media conforming to user-established levels of media censorship

• US 9,213,986 B1
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brian K. Buchheit, Scott M. Garrett
• Original Assignee: Brian K. Buchheit
• Inventors: Buchheit, Brian K., Garrett, Scott M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams, Eileen
• Application Number:
  US14/060,183
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

User defined controls for media censorship may define values for content of the media for a user. Controls can be specific to nudity in the media, sexuality of the media, language offensiveness of the media, and/or violence in the media. When a user requests a media instance, a default version can be checked for default artifacts that violate the controls. Replacement artifacts can be created for each violating default artifact. Modified media can be created that replaces the default artifacts with the replacement ones. The modified media can be provided to the user in response to the user request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing on a non-transitory storage medium a user-specific set of preferences for media, said user-specific set of media preferences comprising a plurality of user defined controls for media censorship, each of the user defined controls being a defined value for content of the media, wherein the user defined controls enumerate a user specified set of types of nudity to be excluded for media provided to the user, wherein in the user defined controls the user explicitly specifies each of a set of types of nudity, which include different settings by gender, age, and body region;

responsive to a user request from a user to play a media instance, a computing device detecting a default version of the media instance, wherein said default version fails to conform to the user-specific set of media preferences for the user in that the default version violates at least one value of the user defined controls for media censorship;

the computing device detecting within the default version a set of default artifacts that fail to conform to the user defined controls;

the computing device determining a set of replacement artifacts for the default artifacts, wherein the replacement artifacts conform to the user defined controls, wherein each default artifact and each replacement artifact is an audio or video artifact of the media instance;

the computing device creating a modified version of the media instance, wherein in the modified version the set of replacement artifacts has replaced the set of default artifacts; and

the computing device providing the modified version of the media instance to a device of the user responsive to the user request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defined controls enumerate a user specified set of violent actions to be excluded for media provided to the user, wherein in the user defined controls the user explicitly specifies each of the violent actions to be excluded and is able to select whether each of a plurality of different types of violent action is excluded or included per the user defined controls.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defined controls establish a limit on nudity, wherein the default artifacts comprise images exceeding the limit on nudity, wherein the replacement artifacts comprise images substituting or obscuring images of the default artifacts, wherein the substitute or obscuring images do not exceed the limit on nudity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defined controls establish a limit on sexuality, wherein the default artifacts comprise images or language exceeding the limit on sexuality, wherein the replacement artifacts comprise images or language substituting for the default artifacts, wherein the images or language of the replacement artifacts do not exceed the limit on sexuality.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defined controls enumerate a user specified set of types of sexuality to be excluded for media provided to the user, wherein in the user defined controls the user explicitly specifies each of a set of types of sexuality, which include different settings for same-sex sexuality, pre-adult sexuality, and violence in sexual situations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified version of the media instance has a censorship level greater than the default version.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified version of the media instance has a censorship level less than the default version.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a song, an audio book, or a sound production.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the media instance is a textual document or e-book.

11. A method comprising:

storing on a non-transitory storage medium a user-specific set of preferences for media, said user-specific set of media preferences comprising a plurality of user defined controls for media censorship, each of the user defined controls being a defined value for content of the media, wherein the user defined controls enumerate a user specified set of types of sexuality to be excluded for media provided to the user, wherein in the user defined controls the user explicitly specifies each of a set of types of sexuality, which include different settings for same-sex sexuality, pre-adult sexuality, and violence in sexual situations;

responsive to a user request from a user to play a media instance, a computing device detecting a default version of the media instance, wherein said default version fails to conform to the user-specific set of media preferences for the user in that the default version violates at least one value of the user defined controls for media censorship;

the computing device detecting within the default version a set of default artifacts that fail to conform to the user defined controls;

the computing device determining a set of replacement artifacts for the default artifacts, wherein the replacement artifacts conform to the user defined controls, wherein each default artifact and each replacement artifact is an audio or video artifact of the media instance;

the computing device creating a modified version of the media instance, wherein in the modified version the set of replacement artifacts has replaced the set of default artifacts; and

the computing device providing the modified version of the media instance to a device of the user responsive to the user request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user defined controls establish a limit on violence, wherein the default artifacts comprise actions exceeding the limit on violence, wherein the replacement artifacts utilize substitute or obscuring actions for that of the default artifacts, wherein the substitute or obscuring actions do not exceed the limit on violence.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user defined controls enumerate a user specified set of violent actions to be excluded for media provided to the user, wherein in the user defined controls the user explicitly specifies each of the violent actions to be excluded and is able to select whether each of a plurality of different types of violent action is excluded or included per the user defined controls.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user defined controls establish a limit on nudity, wherein the default artifacts comprise images exceeding the limit on nudity, wherein the replacement artifacts comprise images substituting or obscuring images of the default artifacts, wherein the substitute or obscuring images do not exceed the limit on nudity.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the modified version of the media instance has a censorship level greater than the default version.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the modified version of the media instance has a censorship level less than the default version.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the media instance is a video.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the media instance is a song, an audio book, or a sound production.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the media instance is a textual document or e-book.