Content display controls based on environmental factors

• US 9,596,568 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keller, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Amy
• Application Number:
  US14/983,375
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Approaches are described for controlling and filtering the display of content by computing devices. In particular, a mobile computing device can adjust the playing of media content (e.g., audio, video, images, games, ringtones) according to situational appropriateness and other environmental factors occurring around the device. For example, a mobile computing device such as a smart phone could use image and audio information captured by its sensors to determine that minors are present within the vicinity of the mobile phone, and filter certain portions of media content that would be deemed inappropriate for those minors. The environmental information can be determined based on data gathered by various sensors of the mobile device, including but not limited to cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) devices, light sensors and others.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling content presentation, the method comprising:

under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving an instruction to present media content by a computing device;

receiving environment data by one or more sensors associated with the computing device, the environment data includes communication data representing communications by one or more devices associated with a person in proximity of the computing device;

analyzing the environment data to determine a location of the computing device and an identity of the person in proximity of the computing device;

determining adjusted content based at least in part on the media content and a profile associated with the identity; and

causing presentation of the adjusted content on a display screen.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing presentation of at least a portion of the media content on the display screen.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing presentation of at least one of video content, audio content, or image content.

4. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under the control of a computing device configured with executable instructions,

receiving environment data by one or more sensors associated with the computing device, the environment data includes communication data by one or more devices associated with a person in proximity of the computing device;

analyzing the environment data received by the one or more sensors to determine a location of the computing device and an identity of the person in proximity of the computing device;

determining adjusted content based at least in part on a profile associated with the identity; and

causing presentation of the adjusted content on a display screen.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to present media content;

determining a portion of the media content is inappropriate based at least in part on the location of the computing device and the profile associated with the identity.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the identity of the person in proximity of the location based at least in part on one or more of an image, a sound, or Global Positioning System coordinates (GPS).

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining adjusted content based at least in part on one or more restrictions for the media content indicated by the profile associated with the identity.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

preventing presentation of at least a portion of media content on the display screen.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining adjusted content based at least in part on at least one of an age of the person in proximity of the location or a disability of the person in proximity of the location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an update to the profile associated with the identity; and

determining adjusted content based at least in part on the update to the profile associated with the identity.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

causing presentation of at least one of video content, audio content, or image content.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the person is no longer in proximity of the location of the computing device; and

causing presentation of default content on the display screen when the person is no longer in proximity of the location of the computing device.

13. A computing device, comprising:

one or more sensors capable of obtaining environment data;

at least one processor; and

memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

receive the environment data by the one or more sensors, the environment data includes communication data representing communications by one or more devices associated with a person in proximity of the computing device;

analyze the environment data from the one or more sensors to determine a location of the computing device and an identity of the person in proximity of the computing device;

determine adjusted content based at least in part on a profile associated with the identity; and

cause presentation of the adjusted content on a display screen.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:

determine a portion of media content is inappropriate based at least in part on the location of the computing device and the profile associated with the identity.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors include a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:

receive GPS sensor data including coordinates for the location of the computing device, wherein the environment data includes at least a portion of the GPS sensor data.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive environment data from one or more sensors associated with the computing device, the environment data includes communication data representing communications by one or more devices associated with a person in proximity of the computing device;

analyze the environment data from the one or more sensors to determine a location of the computing device and an identity of the person in proximity of the location;

determine adjusted content based at least in part on a profile associated with the identity; and

cause presentation of the adjusted content on a display screen.