Method and apparatus for information labeling and control
AssigneeRobert S. Block
InventorsRobert S. Block, Jonathan Bramwell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for information labeling and control includes central station equipment which combines a program signal with content labels which separately and continuously identify the audio, video, and data content of the program signal, and user station equipment which generates a local content label identifying program material which is acceptable to the user. By comparing the two labels the user station equipment can block or substitute alternative audio, video, or data for offensive portions of a program signal received through a transmission or stored for playback on various media such as video tapes, audio tapes, CDs, computer disks, optical storage media, and video game cartridges.
Claims33
An information labeling and control method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting a program signal and a transmitted information label to a user station;
- generating at the user station a local information label which is related to the transmitted information label;
- selecting portions of the program signal to be presented to a user based on the transmitted information label and the local information label, wherein the transmitted information label includes an audio category label and a video category label, and the audio category label and the video category label each have at least four values;
- and
- transmitting to the viewer station an information signal which indicates a percentage of time during the program that the audio category and the video category label are rated at each of said at least four values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.