Content filtering system and method

#Media events, such as commercially produced movies and television programs, often have content that is offensive or otherwise objectionable to different classes of consumers who are potential viewers. If a work is totally objectionable, then the consumer simply avoids the work. Frequently, a work is objectionable only in part.

#When an event is only partially objectionable, it is often desirable to present the media event in such a way that accommodates a particular viewer”s objection by filtering the content. Filtering includes eliminating or modifying viewer-specific objectionable content, and in some cases, adding content. The complete list of deletions, modifications, and additions for a particular media event is called a content filter.

#A number of technologies are available to filter media content. One technology scans text encoded in the closed caption stream of television programs or movies and blocks or changes potentially offensive content based on the presence of objectionable words and phrases in the closed-caption text stream. Another technology takes commercially produced movies and produces an altered version with edited content, and makes copies of the edited movie on consumer media such as video tapes or DVD discs for distribution to a select group of consumers who find the original media event objectionable.

#FIG. 1 shows a general, high-level block diagram of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 shows a more detailed block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention having a single media receiver to receive both the content filter and the unfiltered media event.

#FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which the content filter and the unfiltered media event have separate receivers.

#The present invention solves the problems cited by teaching a novel system for delivering content-filtered media events to a viewer. The new delivery system teaches the application of a novel master filter to the associated media event simultaneous to the viewing period. The master filter contains one or more subfilters, described in detail below. During the period of viewing, the delivery system allows the user to apply and adjust the master filter to deploy a meaningful combination of subfilters in order to suit the tastes and preferences of the viewer. A viewer is thus provided with visual and audio controls to allow him or her to manage, monitor, and adjust the filtering simultaneous to viewing. Also, a viewer is not limited to the editorial decisions of any single editor, nor is a viewer limited to a single editing strategy. The present invention teaches optional display icons that provide a viewer with subtle notification that filtering is being applied. This notification gives a viewer the opportunity to rewind and review a filtered segment with different filtering parameters. Furthermore, a viewer can determine more information about the nature of a particular instance in which editing takes place without being exposed to potentially offensive content. For example, if during the viewing process, an icon indicates that editing has occurred, a viewer may use a remote control to pause the media event so that he or she can read a text description indicating the nature of the alteration, such as notification that a gruesome murder scene had been removed. Subsequently, the viewer could either resume viewing the movie or choose to watch the unedited murder scene. Or, if a suitable alternate subfilter has been provided, the viewer may watch the murder scene as alternatively edited.

#The preferred embodiment is deployed as an enhanced DVD player. In the preferred embodiment, the targeted media events are movies distributed on digital-versatile disc (DVD) media. DVD media is well known in the art. When deploying the preferred embodiment of the invention, movie titles are distributed as a 2 disc set. The first disc is the unfiltered movie as distributed by the copyright owner. The second disc contains a master filter as taught by the present invention for the specific unfiltered movie. The enhanced DVD player accepts both the filter disc and the unfiltered movie disc.

#[New paragraph] Preferably, the filter disc is loaded first. If an unfiltered media title is inserted without a corresponding filter disc, then the enhanced DVD player will play the unfiltered title disc as in the prior art. In the preferred embodiment, for a particular title, the user loads the content filter disc and the enhanced DVD player reads and records the filtering information, which is typically small as contrasted with the associated media event. After reading and recording the master filter, the enhanced DVD player ejects the master filter disc. The DVD title is then loaded into the enhanced DVD player for filtered viewing. As the title is being played, the content filter is applied according to a preset algorithm reflecting the viewer”s preferences. In the preferred embodiment, the settings of the master filter can be modified and adjusted by the viewer at any time during viewing via the remote control unit associated with the player in order to provide content most suitable to the viewer”s taste. Thus, much as a viewer of traditional television can adjust the color, brightness, tone and sound level of a broadcast, a viewer utilizing the present invention has controls that can adjust the viewing content to his or her particular tastes.