Parental controls for entertainment content

• US 7,472,424 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, C. Shane, Toll, Roderick M., Hildebrandt, Jonathan D., Choudhry, Kareem A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, YIN CHEN
• Application Number:
  US10/683,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726 26- 27, 726/28, 713182-184, 705 50- 51, 725/25, 725/28
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

Parental controls for entertainment digital media are provided that allow a parent to restrict multiple user'"'"'s access to entertainment content. One or more updatable rating definition files with dynamic data are used to define rating levels and content descriptors for a regional rating system. Entertainment content definition files define the rating level and content descriptors for entertainment content. User permission settings define a particular user'"'"'s access rating level and content descriptors. The rating definition file can be used to compare the entertainment content definition file and user permission settings in determining if a user is allowed access to particular entertainment content.

Claims

1. In an entertainment system for playing entertainment content, a method of controlling a user'"'"'s access to a directory associated with particular entertainment content using a security group particular to the particular entertainment content, the method comprising acts of:

executing the particular entertainment content on the entertainment system;

in response to the execution of the particular entertainment content;

creating a security group for the particular entertainment content;

storing the security group in association with the particular entertainment content;

applying a full access deny to a directory associated with the particular entertainment content, wherein the full access deny is associated with the security group;

reading an entertainment content definition file that defines a rating level and one or more content descriptors for the particular entertainment content;

reading user access settings for a particular user that define a rating level and one or more content descriptors for the user, the particular user belonging to the group of users having access controls;

reading an updatable rating definition file that defines a rating hierarchy and content descriptors for one or more levels within the rating hierarchy;

based on the hierarchy defined in the rating definition file, executing instructions that compare the rating level and content descriptors for the particular entertainment content to the rating level and content descriptors for the particular user in determining if the user is authorized access to the particular entertainment content; and

adding the particular user as a member of the security group if the particular user is not authorized to access the particular entertainment content; and

denying access to the directory associated with the particular entertainment content based on the security group created for the particular entertainment content and the full access deny permission applied to the directory;

wherein the entertainment content comprises a game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rating levels defined by the entertainment content definition file, user access settings and updatable rating definition file are age-based rating levels, and wherein the content descriptors defined by the entertainment content definition file, user access settings and updatable rating definition file are specific types of subject matter for the particular entertainment content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular entertainment content is titled and a if the user is not authorized to access the particular entertainment content, the act of adding the particular user as a member of the security group is overridden by including the title in the user access settings.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the particular user is added as a member of the security group the particular user is denied access is further denied access to a child directory associated with the particular entertainment content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular entertainment content is titled and, if it the particular user is authorized access to the particular entertainment content, the method further includes the act of:

recording the title and duration of access to the particular entertainment content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rating definition file selected is an XML file.

7. A computer readable storage media carrying stored computer executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method recited in claim 1.

8. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the updatable rating definition file further defines one or more content descriptors for one or more levels within the rating hierarchy, the entertainment content definition file further defines one or more content descriptors for the particular entertainment content and the user access settings further define user content descriptors for the user, and wherein the act of executing instructions that compare the rating level for the particular entertainment content to the rating level for the user further includes the act of:

executing instructions that compare the one or more content descriptors for the particular entertainment content with the user content descriptors in determining if the user is authorized access to the particular entertainment content.

9. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the rating levels defined by the entertainment content definition file, user access settings and updatable rating definition file are age-based rating levels, and wherein the content descriptors defined by the entertainment content definition file, user access settings and updatable rating definition file are specific types of subject matter for the particular entertainment content.

10. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the particular entertainment content is titled and a if the user is not authorized to access the particular entertainment content, the act of adding the particular user as a member of the security group is overridden by including the title in the user access settings.

11. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein if the particular user is added as a member of the security group the particular user is denied access is further denied access to a child directory associated with the particular entertainment content.

12. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the entertainment content is titled and, if it the particular user is authorized access to the entertainment content, the method further includes the act of:

recording the title and duration of access to the particular entertainment content.

13. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the rating definition file selected is an XML file.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the entertainment content comprises installing the game on the entertainment system.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the entertainment content comprises running the game previously stored on the entertainment system.