Method for setting a watching level for an audiovisual content

• US 9,247,296 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Botta, Franck, Gallardo, Patrick, Penet, Cedric, Demarty, Claire-Helene
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERORAZIO, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/846,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 725/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for setting a watching level to an audiovisual content which some frames are already annotated with watching levels. Upon the reception of the audiovisual content, frames annotated with watching levels are extracted and displayed in a single view. One of the displayed frames is selected by the user, the watching level of the selected frame being set as watching level to the audiovisual content.

Claims

1. A method for setting a watching level for an audiovisual content, wherein the audiovisual content contains a plurality of frames respectively associated with a plurality of watching levels, the method comprising:

displaying pictorial expressions in two or more frames of the plurality of frames, the displayed pictorial expression of each said frame being representative of the watching level associated with the respective frame;

selecting one of said plurality of displayed frames; and

setting the watching level for the audiovisual content to the watching level associated with the selected frame to control display of the audiovisual content by preventing reproduction of audiovisual content having a watching level above the set watching level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the displayed frames is respectively associated with an audiovisual segment of the audiovisual content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising playing back one audiovisual segment upon selection of the displayed frame associated therewith.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising simultaneously playing back the audiovisual segments with which the displayed frames are associated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein playing back the audiovisual segments is upon an introduction of a command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the watching levels associated with the frames are determined automatically.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the watching levels associated with the frames are determined manually.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting an initial watching level for the audiovisual content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more frames are displayed in an increasing watching level order.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the frame associated with a watching level higher than the initial watching level is displayed blurred.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein selling the watching level includes setting parental controls for the audiovisual content.

11. A system configured to set a watching level for an audiovisual content, wherein the audiovisual content contains a plurality of frames respectively associated with a plurality of watching levels, the system comprising:

a rendering unit configured to display pictorial expressions in two or more frames of the plurality of frames, the displayed pictorial expression of each said frame being representative of the watching level associated with the respective frame; and

a processor configured to select one of said plurality of displayed frames and to set the watching level for the audiovisual content to the watching level associated with the selected frame to control display of the audiovisual content by preventing reproduction of audiovisual content having a watching level above the set watching level.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the displayed frames is respectively associated with an audiovisual segment of the audiovisual content, and the rendering unit is configured to play back one audiovisual segment upon selection of the displayed frame associated therewith.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the displayed frames is respectively associated with an audiovisual segment of the audiovisual content, and the rendering unit is configured to simultaneously play back the audiovisual segments with which the displayed frames are associated.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to set an initial watching level for the audiovisual content.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the rendering unit is configured to display blurrily the frames associated with a watching level higher than the initial watching level.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to set parental controls for the audiovisual content.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions for setting a watching level for an audiovisual content, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

display pictorial expressions in two or more frames of the audiovisual content, each frame being respectively associated with a watching level, the displayed pictorial expression of each said frame being representative of the watching level associated with the respective frame;

select one of said plurality of displayed frames; and

set the watching level for the audiovisual content to the watching level associated with the selected frame to control display of the audiovisual content by preventing reproduction of audiovisual content having a watching level above the set watching level.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer further sets parental controls for the audiovisual content.