Television schedule system with access control

• US 9,414,119 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Casement, Marcy, Burgess, Andrew, Folker, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESA, JOSE M
• Application Number:
  US13/281,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20120039583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 386/261
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a television schedule system with a user interface which allows a user to control access to television programs by time, rating, content, and/or channel. Furthermore, the user may set a limit on pay-per-view (PPV) spending to limit the purchase of PPV programs.

Claims

1. A method of limiting a number of times viewers must enter passwords when applying parental controls that control access to television programs, the method comprising:

receiving, via a data stream, television schedule information for a plurality of television programs;

generating for display, on a television, television program listings based on the television schedule information for the plurality of television programs;

receiving, via an input device, a viewer request to schedule a television program for automatic, unattended recording, wherein the television program is scheduled for transmission on a channel;

after receiving the viewer request to schedule the television program for automatic, unattended recording, receiving, via the input device, a viewer request to block the channel;

in response to receiving the viewer request to block the channel, storing a record of a block on the channel;

without further user input, comparing the record to television schedule information for the television program to determine that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked; and

without requiring a viewer to enter a password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the television program, not blocking the scheduled recording of the television program.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating for display a warning, wherein the warning warns the viewer that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a viewer request to view the recording of the television program; and

prompting the viewer to enter the password in response to receiving the viewer request to view the recording of the television program.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a viewer input establishing the password.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a viewer request to schedule a different television program for automatic, unattended recording on the channel after the viewer request to block the channel;

requiring the viewer to enter the password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the different television program; and

denying the viewer request to schedule the different television program for automatic, unattended recording if the password is not entered.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions recorded thereon for limiting a number of times viewers must enter passwords when applying parental controls that control access to television programs, the instructions comprising:

an instruction for receiving, via a data stream, television schedule information for a plurality of television programs;

an instruction for generating for display, on a television, television program listings based on the television schedule information for the plurality of television programs;

an instruction for receiving, via an input device, a viewer request to schedule a television program for automatic, unattended recording, wherein the television program is scheduled for transmission on a channel;

an instruction for receiving, via the input device, a viewer request to block the channel after receiving the viewer request to schedule the television program for automatic, unattended recording;

an instruction for storing a record of a block on the channel in response to receiving the viewer request to block the channel;

an instruction for comparing, without viewer input, the record to television schedule information for the television program to determine that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked; and

an instruction for not blocking the scheduled recording of the television program without requiring a viewer to enter a password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the television program.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, further comprising an instruction for generating for display a warning, wherein the warning warns the viewer that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, further comprising:

an instruction for receiving a viewer request to view the recording of the television program; and

an instruction for prompting the viewer to enter the password in response to receiving the viewer request to view the recording of the television program.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, further comprising an instruction for receiving a viewer input establishing the password.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, further comprising:

an instruction for receiving a viewer request to schedule a different television program for automatic, unattended recording on the channel after the viewer request to block the channel;

an instruction for requiring the viewer to enter the password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the different television program; and

an instruction for denying the viewer request to schedule the different television program for automatic, unattended recording if the password is not entered.

3. A system for limiting a number of times viewers must enter passwords when applying parental controls that control access to television programs, the system comprising:

memory configured to store records of blocks on channels; and

a processor configured to;

receive, via a data stream, television schedule information for a plurality of television programs;

generate for display, on a television, television program listings based on the television schedule information for the plurality of television programs;

receive, via an input device, a viewer request to schedule a television program for automatic, unattended recording, wherein the television program is scheduled for transmission on a channel;

receive, via the input device, a viewer request to block the channel after receiving the viewer request to schedule the television program for automatic, unattended recording;

storing, in the memory, a record of a block on the channel in response to receiving the viewer request to block the channel;

compare, without further user input, the record to television schedule information for the television program to determine that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked; and

not block the scheduled recording of the television program without requiring a viewer to enter a password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the television program.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to generate for display a warning, wherein the warning warns the viewer that the channel on which the television program is scheduled for automatic, unattended recording is blocked.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a viewer request to view the recording of the television program; and

prompt the viewer to enter the password in response to receiving the viewer request to view the recording of the television program.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a viewer input establishing the password.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a viewer request to schedule a different television program for automatic, unattended recording on the channel after the viewer request to block the channel;

require the viewer to enter the password to confirm the automatic, unattended recording of the different television program; and

deny the viewer request to schedule the different television program for automatic, unattended recording if the password is not entered.