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Interactive television program guide system with title and description blocking

a technology of program listings and title blocks, applied in the field of television program listings, can solve problems such as the identification of potentially objectionable program listings for all x-rated programs

Inactive Publication Date: 2011-06-30
ALL MEDIA GUIDE +10
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]The program guide may provide an adult programming screen that contains primarily adult program listings. If the user invokes blocking, the program guide may prevent users from accessing the adult programming screen until a parental control code is entered. If desired, the program guide may allow users to temporarily disable blocking.
[0015]The system also allows the user to set parental control locks for any type of potentially objectionable programming. The program guide allows the user to temporarily disable parental control locks when a user wishes to view locked television programming. When temporary disablement is finished, the locks that were originally set may be completely restored.

Problems solved by technology

For example, the program listings for all X-rated programs may be identified as being potentially objectionable.

Method used

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  • Interactive television program guide system with title and description blocking
  • Interactive television program guide system with title and description blocking
  • Interactive television program guide system with title and description blocking

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0035]An illustrative program guide system 20 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Main facility 22 provides television program data from program guide database 24 to multiple television distribution facilities 26 via communications links such as communications link 28. Only one television distribution facility 26 is shown in FIG. 1 to avoid over-complicating the drawings. Each link 28 may be a satellite link, a telephone network link, a cable or fiber optic link, a microwave link, a combination such links, or any other suitable communications path. If it is desired to transmit video signals over link 28 in addition to data signals, a relatively high bandwidth link such as a satellite link may generally be preferred to a relatively low bandwidth link such as a telephone line. Television distribution facility 26 may be a cable system headend, a broadcast distribution facility, or a satellite television distribution facility. Television distribution facility 26...

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PUM

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Abstract

A system is provided in which an interactive television program guide is implemented on user television equipment. Potentially objectionable material such as the titles and descriptions of adult programs may be blocked. When adult program listing blocking is invoked, the program guide replaces adult program listings with unobjectionable material such as a blank region, a generic unobjectionable program listing, or an unobjectionable title based on the channel being blocked. The user may invoke blocking of titles, descriptions, or both titles or descriptions. Blocking may be based on the rating of the program listings. Access may be provided to blocked program listings by entering a parental control code. The user may temporarily disable adult program listing blocking. The user may also set parental control locks for any type of potentially objectionable programming and may temporarily disable such locks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to television program guide systems. More particularly, this invention relates to interactive television program guides in which adult program listings information such as the titles and descriptions of adult television programs may be blocked, so that such information is not displayed to the user.[0002]Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large selection of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program guides to plan their viewing. More recently, interactive television program guides have been developed to display program listings on a user's television.[0003]Interactive program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes. Such program guides allow users to view television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to display a grid of program listings organized in a channel-ordered or a time...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): H04N7/16H04N5/445
CPCH04N5/44543H04N7/163H04N21/4532H04N21/84H04N21/4753H04N21/4821H04N21/4542H04N21/47
Inventor ELLIS, MICHAEL D.ALLISON, DONALD W.MARSHALL, CONNIE T.LEMMONS, THOMAS R.
Owner ALL MEDIA GUIDE