Interactive video distribution systems – Access control or blocking – Of specific program
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-02
2002-11-12
Miller, John (Department: 2614)
Interactive video distribution systems
Access control or blocking
Of specific program
C725S025000, C348S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481009
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to program viewing regulation devices which are adapted to check whether a prohibition is laid against viewing a program and to prohibit viewing the program upon finding the prohibition, and television receivers equipped with the device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, regulations called V-chip are to be formulated into a law in North America to prevent children from viewing television programs for adults which contain presentations involving violence or sexual expression. According to the V-chip regulations, it is required that viewing prohibiting information termed “RATING” and relating to the age limit for viewing, wording, etc. be superposed for each program on the television signal in the 21st horizontal section of vertical blanking period in the second field of the signal (see “EIA STANDARD”EIA-608-1994 ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION).
In receivers for such television broadcast signals, the user manipulates the remote controller in advance to set RATING information relating to a particular program on which a prohibition is to be laid against viewing. The images of programs having RATING information corresponding to the set RATING information will not be displayed on the screen thereafter and can not be viewed even if such a program is selected by children.
FIG. 6
shows the RATING information setting frame
82
to be presented on the screen of the television receiver described for use in setting RATING information. The RATING information contained in the television broadcast signal is represented by L
1
to L
6
and A to F. L
1
to L
6
indicate viewing prohibition levels, and A to F indicate categories on which a prohibition is to be laid against viewing. The levels L
2
to L
6
are set, for example, according to the age; “L
2
” is a viewing prohibition level for children up to 14 in age, and “L
5
”is a prohibition level for children up to 7 in age. The age decreases gradually from L
1
toward L
6
. As to the categories A to F, on the other hand, violence is represented, for example, by “C,” and wording by “D.”
The user manipulates the remote controller to display the RATING information setting frame
82
of FIG.
6
on the screen first, and further manipulates the controller to select levels for some of the categories to set RATING information.
With the conventional television receiver described, the user needs to select levels for some of the categories of the RATING information by manipulating the remote controller a plurality of times as stated above, hence the problem of a cumbersome procedure for setting the RATING information.
Further with the conventional television receiver described, the RATING information contained in the television signal is expressed by symbols such as “L
1
” to “L
6
” and “A” to “F”, so that the user needs to understand what these symbols mean before setting. Thus there is the problem that the user is otherwise unable to set the desired RATING information.
Additionally even if the user understands the meanings of the symbols representing the RATING information before setting the information, the level set by the user as intended is likely to differ from the level actually realizing prohibition of viewing, with the resulting problem that children can not be reliably prohibited from viewing the program of the level contemplated by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for regulating viewing of programs which assures facilitated procedure for setting viewing prohibiting information such as the RATING information contained in the V-chip signal and which enables the user to set desired RATING information even if the user fails to understand the meanings of the symbols representing the prohibiting information, further enabling the user to reliably prohibit viewing of programs of a level intended by the user.
The present invention provides a program viewing regulation device which comprises:
a manual key to be manipulated for setting viewing prohibiting information,
memory means for storing viewing prohibiting information,
information processing means for extracting viewing prohibiting information from the video signal of a program being viewed when the manual key is manipulated and storing the extracted viewing prohibiting information in the memory means, and
control means operable when the viewing prohibiting information is stored in the memory means to check whether a prohibition is laid against viewing a program based on the stored viewing prohibiting information and viewing prohibiting information contained in the video signal of the program and to make it impossible to view the program upon finding the prohibition.
The present invention provides a television receiver having the program viewing regulation device.
The regulation device has an output terminal connected to a image display unit and a speaker unit. The programs are, for example, television broadcast programs, and the viewing prohibiting information is the RATING information contained in the V-chip signal.
When the user turns on the power supply switch of the television receiver, images of a program currently selected by the user are presented on the display unit, and the sound of the program is output from the speaker unit for the user to view the program. When the user depresses the manual key, for example, once upon judging that the program being viewed is of viewing prohibition level in this state, the information processing means extracts the RATING formation from the video signal of the program being viewed upon detecting the depression and stores the extracted RATING information in the memory means. In this way, the RATING information is set.
Accordingly, the user needs only to depress the manual key once as described above in setting the RATING information, hence a greatly facilitated setting procedure. Further when the user actually views a program and manipulates the manual key upon judging that the program is of viewing prohibition level, the RATING information of the program is extracted and set, so that the RATING information of intended level can be set by the user.
When the user thereafter selects a desired program, the control means checks whether a prohibition is laid against viewing the program based on the RATING information contained in the television broadcast signal of the program and the RATING information stored in the memory means, making it impossible to view the program upon finding the prohibition, or permitting viewing of the program upon finding no prohibition. Since the memory has stored therein the RATING information of the program actually viewed and judged to be of viewing prohibition level by the user, there will be no difference between the level set by the user and the level realizing prohibition of viewing, nor is it likely that a program of the viewing prohibition level contemplated by the user will be available for viewing.
More specifically, the device comprises a setting cancel key to be manipulated for canceling the setting of the viewing prohibiting information, and erase means for erasing the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory means when the setting cancel key is manipulated.
When the user depresses the setting cancel key, for example, once to cancel the setting of the viewing prohibiting information according to this specific construction, the erase means erases the RATING information stored in the memory means upon detecting the depression. In this way, the setting of the RATING information is canceled. According, the user needs to depress the setting cancel key only once in canceling the set RATING information, hence a very simple cancellation procedure. With the set RATING information this canceled, the control means permits viewing of programs.
As another specific feature, the device comprises:
erase means for erasing the viewing prohibiting information stored in the memory in response to a command, and
setting-cancellation control means for commanding the information processing means to ext
Beliveau Scott
Miller John
Rader, Fishamn & Grauer PLLC
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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