Presence-based content control

• US 9,661,091 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dawoud Shenouda Dawoud, Peter, Porter, Nelly, Krum, Kyle James, Soni, Himanshu, Ingalls, Dustin Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORTHY, ARAVIND K
• Application Number:
  US14/485,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2, 726 4, 726 5, 713166, 713168, 713182, 713186, 382115, 382118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes

Abstract

Presence based content access control techniques are described in which presence of users is used as a basis for enforcing content restrictions. In an implementation, applications are registered to receive feedback regarding users'"'"' presence in relation to a presentation of content via a computing device. The presence of users is recognized independently of authentication of the users to access user accounts. For example, an imaging sensor such as camera may be employed for recognition of multiple users engaged with the computing device. In addition or alternatively, presence devices associated with users such as badges, key fobs, or access cards may be detected to ascertain the presence of users. Feedback indicative of the one or more users that are recognized may then be supplied to the registered applications. The feedback enables the applications to control the presentation of content by enforcing content restrictions and/or taking other presence based actions.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device comprising:

registering at least one application, registered applications being configured to receive feedback regarding presence of users in relation to the computing device;

recognizing a presence of one or more users in relation to the computing device independently of authentication of the users to access user accounts associated with the computing device;

supplying feedback indicative of the one or more users who are recognized to the at least one registered application, the feedback including content restrictions associated with at least one recognized user who is not logged in via the computing device during a presentation of content authorized for an account that is logged-in via the computing device;

initiating a transition from an account-based content control to a presence-based content control; and

performing actions to control the presentation of the content, based on the presence-based content control, in accordance with the content restrictions associated with the at least one recognized user who is not logged in via the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the account-based content control includes control actions that control the presentation of the content via the computing device based on a logged-in user account; and

the presence-based content control includes control actions that control the presentation of the content via the computing device based on said recognizing the presence of the one or more users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback includes an indication corresponding to an age of the one or more users who are recognized.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback includes control data indicative of authorizations and restrictions associated with the one or more users who are recognized.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing the presence of the one or more users comprises interpreting image data obtained via a camera associated with the computing device to detect the one or more users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognition of the presence of the one or more users occurs based at least in part upon indications obtained from presence devices associated with the one or more users configured to the provide the indications.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining the content restrictions associated with the at least one recognized user, wherein the actions to control the presentation of the content are performed responsive to the ascertaining.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content restrictions include parental restrictions established for the computing device for the at least one recognized user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the actions to control the presentation of the content include interrupting the presentation responsive to determining that the content restrictions restrict the at least one recognized user and outputting a notification regarding the presence of the at least one recognized user who is restricted.

10. A method implemented by a computing device comprising:

recognizing a presence of a user in relation to the computing device who is not logged-in via the computing device during a presentation of content authorized for an account that is logged-in via the computing device;

ascertaining content restrictions associated with the recognized user; and

performing one or more operations to control the presentation of the content responsive to the ascertaining, the one or more operations being performed in accordance with the content restrictions associated with the recognized user and independent of user-input from the recognized user;

detecting that the recognized user is no longer present; and

responsive to the detecting, restoring the presentation of the content to a previous state without the content restrictions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the presence of the user is recognized via a camera associated with the computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the content restrictions associated with the recognized user are ascertained without authentication of the user to access a corresponding user account.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the ascertaining the content restrictions comprises identifying an age of the recognized user and determining age-based restrictions established for the computing device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more operations to control the presentation of the content include one or more of:

interrupting the presentation, outputting a notification regarding the presence of the recognized user, blacking-out a display screen on which the content is presented, switching to presentation of unrestricted content, providing suggestions for alternate content, or filtering the content.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, based on the content restrictions associated with the recognized user, whether the recognized user is restricted from viewing the presentation of the content; and

in response to the determining that the recognized user is restricted from viewing the presentation of the content, performing the one or more operations to control the presentation of content while the recognized user is present.

16. A computing device comprising:

a display device;

a processing system operable to render a presentation of content for display via the display device;

an access manager configured to;

recognize a presence of multiple users in relation to the computing device;

obtain content permissions for each of the multiple users that are recognized with respect to the presentation of the content;

initiate a transition from an account-based content control to a presence-based content control; and

control the presentation of the content using the presence-based content control in accordance with the content permissions obtained for each of the multiple users independent of which of the multiple users are currently logged in via the computing device and independent of user-input from the multiple users.

17. A computing device as recited in claim 16, wherein the access manager is implemented as a component of an operating system of the computing device.

18. A computing device as recited in claim 16, wherein the access manager is further configured to register applications to obtain feedback regarding the presence of the multiple users and to supply feedback indicative of the multiple users that are recognized to the registered applications.

19. A computing device as recited in claim 16, further comprising a camera, wherein recognition of the presence of the multiple users occurs based at least in part upon image data obtained via the camera.

20. A computing device as recited in claim 16, wherein the access manager is further configured to:

detect that a recognized user, who is not logged-in via the computing device, is no longer present; and

responsive to the detection, restore the presentation of the content to a previous state without content restrictions.