Method and apparatus for managing viewing of media content

• US 9,693,097 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy, Kosseifi, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US15/062,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, generating parental control information for each of a plurality of users according to options selected from a plurality of media program tags retrieved from a library, detecting a first user of the plurality of users according to biometric information of the first user, identifying the parental control information associated with the first user, tuning to a first media channel responsive to receiving a first request, receiving in the first media channel a first media program tag associated with a first media program, and enabling presentation of the first media program at a presentation device responsive to detecting from the parental control information associated with the first user that the first media program tag is included in a first list of unrestricted media program presentations. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

receiving a library comprising a plurality of media programs associated with a plurality of media program tags;

detecting, for each of the plurality of media programs, whether the associated media program tag is unrecognized;

determining a rating for the library based on a number of instances an unrecognized media program tag is detected;

monitoring a viewing area associated with a presentation device that presents a media program of the plurality of media programs;

detecting a first user in the viewing area responsive to the monitoring, the first user being associated with first parental control information;

enabling presentation of the media program at the presentation device responsive to a request from the first user and responsive to determining from the first parental control information that the media program is included in a first list of unrestricted media program presentations;

detecting that a second user has entered the viewing area, the second user being associated with second parental control information;

disabling presentation of the media program at the presentation device responsive to determining from the second parental control information that the media program is included in a second list of restricted media program presentations; and

re-enabling presentation of the media program responsive to detecting that the second user has departed the viewing area.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise enabling recording of the media program responsive to the disabling of the presentation.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the media program comprises a video image, and wherein the disabling further comprises darkening the video image.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the disabling further comprises presenting a message via the presentation device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the message includes an identifier of the second user and an instruction to depart the viewing area.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the media program tag associated with the media program with the first parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the first list; and

comparing the media program tag associated with the media program with the second parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the second list.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise presenting information related to a plurality of libraries of media program tags associated with media programs.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of libraries comprises an aggregate rating determined from feedback via a social network of users.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a media processor communicating with a content provider system over a network, and wherein the plurality of media programs and associated media program tags is received from the content provider system.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the second parental control information specifies a period of time, and wherein the disabling is performed responsive to determining that the second user is in the viewing area during the specified period.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving biometric information to identify the first user and the second user.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a library comprising a plurality of media programs associated with a plurality of media program tags;

detecting, by the processing system, for each of the plurality of media programs whether the associated media program tag is unrecognized;

determining, by the processing system, a rating for the library based on a number of instances an unrecognized media program tag is detected;

monitoring, by the processing system, a viewing area associated with a presentation device that presents a media program of the plurality of media programs;

detecting, by the processing system, a first user in the viewing area responsive to the monitoring, the first user being associated with first parental control information;

enabling, by the processing system, presentation of the media program at the presentation device responsive to determining from the first parental control information that the media program is included in a first list of unrestricted media program presentations;

detecting, by the processing system, that a second user has entered the viewing area, the second user being associated with second parental control information;

disabling, by the processing system, presentation of the media program at the presentation device to prevent viewing of the media program, responsive to determining from the second parental control information that the media program is included in a second list of restricted media program presentations;

enabling, by the processing system, recording of the media program responsive to the disabling; and

re-enabling, by the processing system, presentation of the media program responsive to detecting that the second user has departed the viewing area.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the media program comprises a video image, and wherein the disabling further comprises darkening the video image, presenting a message via the presentation device, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the media program is associated with a media program tag, and further comprising:

comparing, by the processing system, the media program tag with the first parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the first list; and

comparing, by the processing system, the media program tag with the second parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the second list.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising presenting, by the processing system, information related to a plurality of libraries of media program tags associated with media programs.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, by the processing system, biometric information to identify the first user and the second user.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving a library comprising a plurality of media programs associated with a plurality of media program tags;

detecting, for each of the plurality of media programs, whether the associated media program tag is unrecognized;

determining a rating for the library based on a number of instances an unrecognized media program tag is detected;

monitoring a viewing area associated with a presentation device that presents a media program of the plurality of media programs;

detecting a first user in the viewing area responsive to the monitoring, the first user being associated with first parental control information;

enabling presentation of the media program at the presentation device responsive to determining from the first parental control information that the media program is included in a first list of unrestricted media program presentations;

detecting that a second user has entered the viewing area, the second user being associated with second parental control information;

disabling presentation of the media program at the presentation device responsive to determining from the second parental control information that the media program is included in a second list of restricted media program presentations;

enabling recording of the media program responsive to the disabling of the presentation; and

re-enabling presentation of the media program responsive to detecting that the second user has departed the viewing area.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the media program comprises a video image, and wherein the disabling further comprises darkening the video image, presenting a message via the presentation device, or a combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the media program is associated with a media program tag, and wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the media program tag with the first parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the first list; and

comparing the media program tag with the second parental control information to determine that the media program is included in the second list.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise presenting information related to a plurality of libraries of media program tags associated with media programs, and wherein each of the plurality of libraries comprises an aggregate rating determined from feedback via a social network of users.