MXPA00006000A - Program signal blocking system - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for preventing a user from bypassing a viewer blocking system that uses program related information, such as content ratings, included in a program signal. The present invention prevents the user from exploiting the time delay associated with detecting, decoding and comparing the program related information by switching channels to observe portions of objectionable programs before the blocking system can react. The present apparatus comprises a processor (110) which provides an output signal (RGB OUT) derived from a selected program signal (VIDEO, VIDEO IN, AUDIO IN) of a selected signal channel and prevents or allows user access to the output signal in response to a determination of whether a user selected program blocking criteria is met. The processor modifies the output of a selected program signal upon user selection of a new signal channel if a default blocking mode is selected by the user, then continues to modify the program signal associated with the newly selected signal channel at least until the program related information is determined.

Description

PROGRAM SIGNAL LOCK SYSTEM The present invention relates to a system for processing and producing a program signal, such as a television or radio program signal, or more particularly with a system for processing and producing a program signal according to auxiliary information included with the program signal. In addition to the portions of video and / or audio programs of a particular television or radio program, the program signals may include auxiliary information. The program and auxiliary information may comprise analog and / or digital signals. An analog signal, such as a standard NTSC television signal, may include auxiliary data during the horizontal line intervals within the vertical blanking interval (VBI). For example, the titration data is included in line 21, field 1 of the vertical blanking interval and extended data services information (XDS) are included in line 21, field 2 of the vertical blanking interval. In digital systems, video signals are usually transmitted in packets, or groups, or data words. Each packet includes identification information and represents a particular type of information, such as video, audio or auxiliary information. An example of a digital television system that processes a digital television signal in a packet is the digital satellite system receiver (DSS®) manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc., of Indianapolis, Indiana. An auxiliary information application is related to the technology called "V-chip" that allows users to automatically block objectionable material from their television receivers. In systems that use this technology, the information related to the program included with the program signals provides advisory information about the respective programs. The consultative information of programs can take several forms; including, but not limited to, ratings of programs that indicate the recommended age for the observer and / or content ratings that indicate the presence and / or level of objectionable material, such as sex, violence, language, etc., in the program. For example, a proposed program rating system is described and proposed in the EIA-744 specification entitled "Transport of Content Advisory Information using Extended Data Service (XDS)". The V-chip technology examines the advisory information of the program associated with each selected program signal against a blocking criterion selected by the user, such as a selected blocking level of qualification, and blocks the signal of the program if the advisory information of the program satisfies the blocking criteria selected by the user. For example, if the blocking level is set to "PG", all programs that have a "PG" rating and higher, such as "R", "NC-17" and "X", will be blocked. Blocking the program signal refers to preventing the user from accessing an objectionable program by, for example, rendering the video black or otherwise indecipherable, muting the audio and disabling the display of subtitling related to the program. When the advisory information indicates that the objectionable material is no longer being received, the V-chip system unlocks the program channel by displaying the video, unmute the audio and / or enabling the display of the subtitle related to the program. Examples of known systems for controlling access to program information are described in WO 97/42759, EP 0777385A2, and Patent of the United States of America number 5,550,575. The V-chip technology described above differs from previous channel blocking methods where a user is able to designate certain television channels to block them continuously unless they overlap, for example, by entering a valid overlay code. In contrast to the V-chip system, these methods are completely dependent on the user's designation of channels that are to be blocked instead of information related to the program included in the program signal.

One difficulty associated with the V-chip technology described above is the delay time required for a television receiver to receive and decode information related to the program, included with the program signal. Since information related to a program is transmitted periodically, between video, audio and other information, a television receiver may experience a delay before receiving and decoding new information related to the program when a user selects a new channel. For example, the proposed technical specification ANSI / EIA-608A for the transmission of the XDS program classification package states that the program classification package should be repeated at intervals not exceeding three seconds unless delayed by subtitling data. Subtitling data always take priority as required by law. So if subtitles of field 2 are present, the transitions of the program's classification pack can be delayed up to three seconds. Therefore, when a user selects a new channel, the television receiver may take several seconds to detect and decode information related to the new program and take the appropriate blocking action. The delay is a notable period during which a probably objectionable program remains unblocked and can be viewed by audiences unintentionally. In this way, a user may be able to bypass the blocking feature and see and / or hear portions of an objectionable program when the television receiver is tuned to a new channel. Therefore, what is needed is a system to prevent a user from exploiting the delay associated with detecting, decoding and examining information related to programs, in order to bypass the blocking feature. The present invention overcomes the difficulties noted above by providing a system that prevents a user from taking advantage of the previously noted time delay by providing a default signal lock mode selectable by the user. The present invention is particularly suitable for use in signal output devices that can be tuned to one of a plurality of signal channels and provide video and / or audio signal outputs. These devices include, but are not limited to, television receivers, digital satellite receivers, video tape recorders, video disc players and audio signal receivers. The present system comprises a signal processor that provides an output signal associated with a program signal of a selected signal channel and controls the user's access to the program signal in response to a determination of whether the information related to the program , included in the program signal, satisfies a blocking criterion selected by the user. The blocking criteria selected by the user can take many forms including, but not limited to a particular blocking level of qualification, in which case the system avoids user access to the output signal if the information related to the program received equals or exceeds the level of blocking rating selected by the user. Information related to the program may include, but is not limited to, viewer's recommended age ratings, program content ratings, program title, and program summary. After activation of a default signal blocking mode, the signal processor automatically controls the output signal associated with a newly selected channel to reduce user access to the program associated with the newly selected signal channel and thereafter this control continues at least until the processor determines whether the blocking criterion is satisfied with respect to the program on the newly selected channel. Preferably, the signal processor continues this control of the output signal at least until the information related to the program is determined and compared to a blocking level selected by the user. The output signal is controlled in a predetermined manner to reduce user access to the signal of the particular program. It will be understood that controlling the output signal to reduce user access includes any process or modifications to the program signal that make the program or portions of the program visually and / or auditory incomprehensible to the user, including, but not limited to, interrupting the signal path, replace the normal program signal with a blocking level, mix the output signal and / or replace the output signal of the normal program with an on-screen display (OSD) signal representing a message displayed that indicates the activation of the blocking characteristic. These control methods advantageously result in, for example, erasing the video portion, mute the audio portion and disabling the subtitles associated with the program. It can be seen that the present invention overcomes attempts to bypass the delay problem discussed above by automatically reducing access to a program signal associated with a new channel selection for a predetermined period whenever the user selects a blocking mode of default signal. The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a television system embodying the principles of the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow chart showing the steps for changing a channel in a television system that does not provide a default signal blocking mode selected by the user; Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing the steps for changing a channel in a television system according to the present invention which provides a default signal lock mode selectable by the user. An exemplary television receiver system 10 shown in Figure 1 includes an input terminal 100 that receives radio frequency (RF) television signals, for example, from an antenna or cable, and applies the television signals to the tuner assembly 105. The tuner assembly 105 selects and amplifies a particular radio frequency signal associated with the selected television channel in response to control signals from the controller 110. As used herein, the terms "controller", "control processor", "microprocessor" (or μP), and "microcomputer" (or μC) are equivalent and refer to devices that may or may not be in the form of an integrated circuit (IC) and are capable of performing control functions. As shown in Figure 1, the controller 110 includes the central processing unit (CPU) 112, the read-only memory 114 (ROM) and the direct access memory 116 (RAM) interconnected via the bus bar 111 (bus) and which operate in the manner typical of microcomputers such as the integrated circuit ST9 (IC) manufactured by SGS Thomson, Inc. Central processing unit 112 generates control signals to control the output of system 10 in response to stored software instructions in the read-only memory 114 and in the electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory 127 and in response to user-provided command codes received through the keypad 120 and / or the infrared (IR) receiver 122. The controller 110 receives command codes from the infrared remote control 125 via the infrared receiver 122. The control signals generated by the controller 110 are provided to other components. elements of the system 10, such as the tuner 105, via a control busbar represented by the path labeled CTRL_BUS in Figure 1. A typical implementation of the control bus shown in Figure 1, includes, but is not limited to , two control bars in series of two wires based on the inter-integrated circuit bus protocol (IIC or I2C) supported by Philips. The infrared remote control 125 and / or the keyboard 120 allow a user to select a particular blocking criterion to automatically block objectionable material. Blocking criteria can take many forms, including, but not limited to, blocking a program if information related to the associated program, such as program ratings, equals or exceeds a user-set information or a rating level. An example of an alternative blocking criterion is to activate the blocking in response to detect a word or words specified by the user in the title or in the program description information included in the information related to the program. The blocking criterion selected by the user, which may have a level of qualifications as noted above, is stored in the controller 110 and is examined by the central processing unit 112 to lock or unlock a program as further described below. . The selection of the user can be done, for example, by selecting a particular blocking mode and / or blocking level from a screen display menu. The infrared remote control 125 and / or the keyboard 120 also allow the user to select a default signal lock mode. If the user selects the default signal lock mode, the system automatically controls an output signal to reduce user access whenever the user selects a new channel. It will be understood that this manner of control includes any process and modification to the signal of the program returning to the program, or portions of programs visually and / or auditorily incomprehensible to the user, including, but not limited to, interrupting the signal path, replacing the normal program signal with a blocking level, mix the output signal and / or replace the normal program output signal with a screen display signal (OSD) which represents an expanded message indicating the activation of the blocking. These controls advantageously result, for example, in erasing the video portion, mute the audio portion, and disabling the subtitles associated with the program. This control mode is maintained at least until information related to the program, associated with the signal of the program in the selected signal channel again is detected and examined to determine if the blocking criterion selected by the user is satisfied. The system then allows or maintains reduced user access to the program signal based on that determination. The operation of the present system under a default signal blocking mode is discussed in detail below. The default signal lock mode can be selected, for example, by displaying a screen display menu. When a user selects a particular television channel by activating either the keypad 120 or the remote control 125, the controller 110 produces a control signal in the busbar CTRL_BUS which causes the tuner 105 to tune the radio frequency signal of the selected channel.

The tuner 105 produces an intermediate frequency signal (IF) corresponding to the channel tuned to the intermediate frequency processor 130. The intermediate frequency processor 130, includes circuits such as, but not limited to, a step of intermediate frequency amplification of video (VIF), an AFT circuit, a video detector, and an intermediate frequency sound amplification (SIF) stage to process the intermediate frequency signal to produce the VIDEO baseband composite video signal and the signal carrier AUDIO sound. The audio signal processor 135 includes an audio detector and a stereo decoder that processes the audio signal to produce a convenient baseband audio signal for driving the loudspeaker unit 136. The baseband composite video signal VIDEO of the intermediate frequency processor 130 is applied to the video switch 140. Another video signal, VIDEO IN, can be provided to the present system by a source of external signals, for example, a video cassette recorder, via the signal of input 102. The external signal source can also provide an audio signal, AUDIO IN, via the input signal 101. The controller 110 controls the respective output of the video switch 140 and the audio processor 135 in response to the selection of the audio signal. user of a source of particular signals. It will be understood that a plurality of external signal inputs can be provided to accommodate a plurality of external signal sources, and the video signal switch 140 and audio processor 135 can be modified as necessary to allow user selection of a source of particular external signals. Depending on the selection of the user, the video switch 140 provides the VIDEOl signal, which is associated with one of the input signals, to the video signal processor 155. The video signal processor 155 processes the video signal VIDEOl. to produce red, green and blue (R, G and B) RGB output signals which are convenient for coupling with an image display device. The video signal processor 155 performs processing to provide, among others, automatic chrominance and luminance control and allow user-controlled features such as contrast and brightness control. The RGB signals produced by the video signal processor 155 are amplified at approximately appropriately high voltage levels by the kinescope impeller amplifiers 156 before being coupled to the kinescope 158 to display the desired image. The display on the kinescope 158 is controlled by the vertical and horizontal flexural deformation signals VR and HR, respectively, which are coupled with the flexure deformation coils of the kinescope 158. The flexure deformation unit 170 produces the HR signals and VR in response to the vertical and horizontal synchronization signals HS and VS, respectively, which are separated from the synchronization component of the VIDEO output baseband signal. The parts of the system in Figure 1 that have been described so far are known, for example, from the CTC-197 color television chassis manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics, Indianapolis, Indiana. The system shown in Figure 1 also includes an auxiliary data processor 115 for detecting and decoding various auxiliary information, including information related to programs, such as program ratings and / or content ratings, included with a video signal. Also, subtitle decoding functions may be included within the auxiliary data processor 115 which is coupled with the on-screen display (OSD) processor 117 in order to insert subtitle information into suitable portions of the video display. Data processors for extracting auxiliary information from a video signal are conventionally known and typically include a data divider, timing signal generators, control mechanism, decoders and memory, among other things. Any other of several conventionally known auxiliary data processors may be used in the present television system. For example, a convenient system for extracting auxiliary information from a video signal is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,561,469 entitled "Auxiliary Video Data Slicer with Multi-Mode Peak Detection for Determining Sync and Data Slicing Levéis". The auxiliary data processor 115 detects and decodes information related to the program, such as program ratings, included in the VIDE01 signal and provides information related to the program to the central processing unit 112. The central processing unit 112 examines the information related to the detected program and determines if a blocking criterion selected by the user is satisfied, for example, by comparing the information related to the detected program with the blocking level selected by the user and determining if the information related to the detected program equals or exceeds the blocking level selected by the user. If the blocking criterion selected by the user is satisfied, the central processing unit 112 returns to the inaccessible program by controlling the output signal, in a predetermined manner. It will be understood that this manner of control includes any process and modification to the signal of the program returning to the program, or portions of the program, visually and / or auditorily incomprehensible to the user as noted above. For example, the controller 110 provides control signals to disable the output of the audio processor 135, disable the subtitling output, and replace the normal program signal with a suitable on-screen display signal, such as a uniform blue screen that includes a message that indicates the activation of a blocking feature. If the information related to the detected program does not meet the blocking criteria selected by the user, the central processing unit 112 allows the video signal processor 155 and the audio processor 135 to provide output signals associated with the signals received from the receiver. the conventional way. Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing the steps taken by a television system that does not provide a default signal lock mode selectable by the user. When a user initiates a signal change in step 200, the television system performs a channel clear in step 202, tunes to a channel selected again in step 204, and then the television display in the step is cleared. 206. The channel change erasure from step 202 may be similar to the block performed by the system V-chip because the program signal can be controlled in the manner described above to make the program signal inaccessible to the user. In this case, the newly selected channel is momentarily cleared while the channel is tuning, but immediately ceases to be cleared after the tuner 105 tunes the program signal associated with the new channel. After the new channel has been tuned and stopped erasing, the television system determines whether the V-chip channel lock feature is enabled in step 208. If not, the system exits the program in step 210. If the lock feature is enabled, the system sets a V-chip packet timer to zero and starts incrementing the stopwatch in step 212. The television system then monitors the XDS 21 data line for information related to the program in the step 214. As soon as an information packet related to the valid XDS program has been detected and decoded in step 216, the system resets the V-chip packet timer to zero and begins by incrementing the chronometer in a predetermined manner in step 220 The system then compares the information related to the newly detected program with a blocking level selected by the user in step 222 to determine if it is satisfied the blocking criteria selected by the user. If the blocking criterion is satisfied, that is, the information related to the newly detected program equals or exceeds the blocking level selected by the user, the system blocks the user's access to the channel in step 226 by controlling the output signal as described above, and returns to step 214 to repeat the process of detecting and comparing the information related to the program and blocking / unblocking the channel as necessary. If the blocking criterion is not satisfied, that is, the newly detected program information is less than the blocking level selected by the user in step 222, the system allows the user to access the program associated with the newly selected channel. and return to step 214 to repeat the monitoring and blocking process as noted above. Also, if the television system fails to detect new information related to the program within a predetermined period of time as determined by the V-chip packet timer increment, the television system will allow the user access to the channel, or will keep the channel unlocked, and return to step 214 to repeat the process as noted above. Therefore, the television system continuously tries to detect new information related to the program and determine if the blocking criterion selected by the user is satisfied to control the user's access to the signal of the received program. However, it can be seen that the user's access to the channel is presented in step 206 before the detection of the new information related to the program and the determination of the blocking criteria are satisfied when a user selects a new channel. As discussed above, a significant amount of time may elapse before new information related to the program is detected and processed, possibly allowing unwanted access to the objectionable material by the user. Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing the steps performed by a system according to the present invention that provides a user selectable default blocking signal number. This feature provides protection against a user's attempt to exploit the aforementioned delay when the user changes channels. The steps described below can be programmed in a controller 110 using any of conventionally known methods. Again, when a user initiates a channel change in step 230, the present system performs a channel change deletion in step 232 and tunes to the new channel in step 234. However, after tuning in a new channel, and before to stop erasing the television display, the present system determines whether the default signal lock mode has been selected by the user. If not, the system stops deleting the channel in step 236 and continues through steps 238-256, which correspond to steps 208-226 in Figure 2. If the default signal lock mode is selected , the present system keeps the newly selected channel deleted and continues in steps 242-256, which corresponds to steps 212-226 in Figure 2. Again, the present system seeks to detect information related to the program within a certain amount. of predetermined time, then examines the information related to the detected program against a program blocking criterion selected by the user. If the program blocking criterion is satisfied, that is, the information related to the detected program equals or exceeds a program blocking level selected by the user, the system will prevent the user from having access to the program signal in the manner discussed above. If the blocking criterion of the program is not satisfied, the system will stop deleting the channel and allow the user to access the signal of the program in the conventional manner. It can be seen that selecting the default signal blocking mode provides protection against the user's attempts to bypass a blocking system based on program information by viewing or listening to portions of an objectionable program when the television receiver is tuned in. a new signal channel. By automatically blocking the program signal whenever a new signal channel is selected, the system prevents the user from accessing portions of a potentially objectionable program when selecting a new signal channel, and avoids accessing at least until the system it is capable of detecting new information related to the program associated with the newly selected signal channel and determines whether the blocking criterion selected by the user is satisfied. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment, modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment described without departing from the essence of the invention. It is recognized herein that the channel deletion described above can be carried out using any of several conventionally known methods, or combination of methods, for example, using the normal channel change erase mechanism already integrated in a signal receiver together with another erase mechanism to provide additional erasure beyond the normal channel change erase period, or using the normal channel change erasure mechanism where the erase period is extended as desired. Also, the present series of steps shown in the Figure 3 can be implemented for a variety of signal formats where auxiliary information is included with the program signals. The system and method described above can be adapted for use with any signal receiving system which can be tuned to a plurality of signal channels and provide an output signal associated with the tuned signal channel. As such, the present invention can be adapted for use with, but not limited to, televisions adapted for NTSC, PAL or SECAM signals, digital television receivers, such as digital satellite signal receivers and HDTV receivers, video cassette recorders. , and systems of audio / video programs based on interne. In addition, the system described above can be used to provide default signal locks whenever the user changes the signal input source from one source to another, for example, providing default blocking when the user changes from an internal tuner to a external signal source, such as a video cassette recorder. Additionally, the present system can be modified so that the default signal blocking mode is applicable to all channels, or only to the designated channels, as selected using a screen display menu. The on-screen display menu or portions of the on-screen display menu can be password protected to prevent unauthorized access. The blocking period, for example a designated maximum period of time, may also be selectable by the user using a screen display menu.

Claims (11)

1. An apparatus comprising: a signal input for receiving a program signal associated with one of a plurality of signal channels, the signal input selecting one of the plurality of signal channels in response to a user input; a signal output to provide an output signal derived from the program signal; an auxiliary data decoder for detecting information related to the program included in each program signal; a processor operatively connected to the signal input, the signal output and the auxiliary data decoder, wherein the processor responds to the user's selection of a first mode of operation to control the output signal in a predetermined manner to reduce the user access to the output signal for at least until the information related to the program is detected after the user selects a new one of the plurality of signal channels and the user selection of a second mode of operation to provide access to the user to the output signals and before the detection of information related to the program.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second signal input (101, 102) for providing a second program signal from a second signal source, and a switch (140) for operatively coupling one of the signal input and the second signal input with the signal output, the output signal being derived from one of the respective program signals, wherein the processor controls the output signal in the predetermined manner when the user selects one of the signal inputs for at least until the information related to the program is detected.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal of the program is a television signal. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program signal comprises a plurality of digital signal packets. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program signal comprises a plurality of digital signal packets multiplexed in time. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined way of control comprises one of erasing the video signal, replacing the video signal with a display message on the screen, muting the audio signal and disabling the associated subtitling . The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor responds to the user's selection of a second mode of operation to control the output signal in the predetermined manner for at least until the information related to the program is detected after selecting the user from a new one of a plurality of signal channels designated by the user of the plurality of signal channels. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is capable of providing a screen display menu signal to allow user selection of the first mode of operation. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is capable of providing restricted access to the on-screen display menu to allow user selection of the first mode of operation. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein access to the on-screen display menu is password protected. 11. A method for selectively erasing a display comprising the steps of: selecting a channel change to be displayed; clear the display; tune to the selected channel; determine if a default erase mode has been set; if the default erase mode is not set, stop erasing the display, otherwise retain the display erasure; determine if there is authorization to deploy the selected channel; if there is authorization to deploy the selected channel, display the selected channel, otherwise clear the display.