System and method for content access control through default profiles and metadata pointers

• US 8,082,563 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gabriel, Michael, Probst, Bruce, DiBartolomeo, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US10/627,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20050022229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,070 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725 26- 30, 725/112, 726/21, 726/27, 726/30, 713/182, 713/183, 705/67
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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 21/4751 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 21/8405 represented by keywords
• 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

The control of access to content via a player system accessible by a plurality of users is described. A default profile is provided including filtering criteria, the filtering criteria describing at least one of characteristic of content permitted for all of the plurality of users and a characteristic of content prohibited for all of the plurality of users. Metadata associated with a selected content and the filtering criteria are compared, and access to the content is permitted or denied based on the comparison. Also, content is selected, the selected content having metadata linked thereto via a pointer. The metadata is obtained using the pointer. The metadata and filtering criteria are compared, the filtering criteria describing characteristics of at least one of permitted or prohibited content. Access to the content is permitted or denied based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method to control access to content via a player system accessible by a plurality of users, the method comprising:

providing a default profile including at least one filtering criterion, the filtering criterion describing at least one of a characteristic of content permitted for all of the plurality of users and characteristic of content prohibited for all of the plurality of users;

comparing metadata associated with a selected content and the filtering criterion of the default profile, the metadata including information related to the selected content;

permitting or denying access to the content based on the comparison with the filtering criterion of the default profile;

providing a user profile associated with a particular one of the plurality of the users, the user profile including at least one filtering criterion describing at least one of a characteristic of content permitted to be accessed by the particular one of the users and a characteristic of content prohibited from being accessed by the particular one of the users;

comparing the filtering criterion of the user profile and the metadata;

permitting access to the selected content if the content meets the filtering criterion of the user profile; and

reverting back to the filtering criterion of the default profile in connection with accessing subsequent content responsive to at least one of;

passage of a predetermined length of time;

a predetermined number of content being accessed;

an attempt to access content prohibited by the user profile; and

viewing of content accessed in accordance with the user profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access to the selected content is permitted if the comparison indicates that the selected content meets the filtering criterion of the default profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content includes at least one of audio and video data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information of the metadata includes at least one of an MPAA rating, a content advisory, a name of an actor associated with the selected content, a name of a director of the selected content, a genre and a synopsis.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filtering criterion includes at least one of identification of acceptable ratings, identification of acceptable content advisories, identification of prohibited synopsis information, identification of prohibited directors, identification of prohibited actors, and identification of prohibited genres.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metadata is coded in XML.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing the selected content on a removable medium.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the medium includes at least one of a CD, DVD, magnetic tape, and flash memory.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a URL used in connection with the selected content, associates the metadata with the selected content; and

the method further comprises obtaining the metadata using the URL.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a pointer to the metadata is encoded in a Vertical Blanking Interval of a signal of the selected content; and

the method further comprises obtaining the metadata using the pointer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the pointer is a URL.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user profile associated with a particular one of the plurality of the users, the user profile including at least one filtering criterion describing at least one of a characteristic of content permitted to be accessed by the particular one of the users and a characteristic of content prohibited from being accessed by the particular one of the users;

comparing the filtering criterion of the user profile and the metadata; and

permitting access to the selected content if the content meets the filtering criterion.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

requiring the user to provide user information if the selected content does not meet the filtering criterion of the default profile.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the user information includes a username and a password, the user profile being associated with the username.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing step includes comparing the metadata and the filtering criterion of the default profile without requiring a user to provide user information.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected content includes metadata linked thereto via a pointer, the method further comprising:

obtaining the metadata using the pointer.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pointer is embedded in a Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) of a signal of the selected content, and wherein the method further comprises:

extracting the pointer from the VBI.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pointer is a URL, and the step of obtaining the metadata of the selected content includes obtaining the metadata over the Internet using the URL.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected content is stored on a memory device, the method further comprising:

reading metadata associated with the content.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the metadata includes ratings information.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the filtering criterion further includes a description of a characteristic of content for use as an exception to the characteristic of prohibited content.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one filtering criterion includes a plurality of filtering criteria, a first one of the plurality of filtering criteria overriding a second one of the plurality of filtering criteria.

23. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface having fields for logging into the user profile in response to an attempt to access content prohibited according to the default profile.

24. A content player accessible to a plurality of users, comprising:

a memory device storing a default profile and a user profile associated with a particular one of the plurality of users, the default profile and the user profile including at least one filtering criterion, the filtering criterion of the default profile describing at least one of a characteristic of content permitted for all of the plurality of users and a characteristic of content prohibited for all of the plurality of users, the filtering criterion of the user profile describing at least one of a characteristic of content permitted to be accessed by the particular one of the users and a characteristic of content prohibited from being accessed by the particular one of the users; and

a processor configured to compare metadata associated with selected content and at least one of the filtering criterion of the default profile and the filtering criterion of the user profile, the processor configured to permit or deny rendering of the selected content based on the comparison, the processor configured to, subsequent to the comparison with the filtering criterion of the user profile, revert back to the filtering criterion of the default profile in connection with rendering subsequent content responsive to at least one of;

passage of a predetermined length of time;

a predetermined number of content being accessed;

an attempt to access content prohibited by the user profile; and

viewing of content accessed in accordance with the user profile.

25. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the selected content is provided on a removable media.

26. The content player according to claim 24, wherein a pointer to the metadata is associated with the selected content, and wherein the processor is configured to obtain the metadata for the comparison using the pointer.

27. The content player according to claim 26, wherein the pointer is a URL.

28. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the processor is provided in a settop box, and wherein the processor controls rendering of the content on a television.

29. The content player according to claim 28, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a pointer to the metadata, the pointer being encoded in a vertical blanking interval of a signal of the selected content;

and wherein the processor obtains the metadata for the comparison using the pointer.

30. The content player according to claim 29, wherein the pointer is a URL.

31. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to manage the default profile and a plurality of user profiles, each of the user profiles being associated with a respective one of the users.

32. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the filtering criterion includes at least one of identification of acceptable ratings, identification of acceptable content advisories, identification of prohibited synopsis information, identification of prohibited directors, identification of prohibited actors, and identification of prohibited genres.

33. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the metadata is coded in XML.

34. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a pointer to metadata associated with selected content, and to obtain the metadata using the pointer.

35. The content player according to claim 34, wherein the pointer is a URL, and the processor is further configured to obtain the metadata over the Internet using the URL.

36. The content player according to claim 34, wherein the processor is configured to extract the pointer from a vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a signal of the selected content.

37. The content player according to claim 24, wherein the processor is provided in one of a computer, a settop box, and a Web-based content player.