IP Library Granted Patent US 8,935,722
Granted Patent B2
US 8,935,722 · App. 13/365,294 · Granted Jan 13, 2015

Methods, systems, and products for content blocking

Inventor: William R. Matz (Atlanta, GA)
Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
H04N21/26603H04N7/163H04N21/44016H04N21/44222H04N21/4532H04N21/4542H04N21/4882H04N21/812H04N21/84
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,935,722
App. No.
13/365,294
Granted
Jan 13, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and products block objectionable content and substitute alternative content. A preferred tag is retrieved from memory. An alternative tag, associated with alternative content, is also retrieved from the memory. When the preferred tag matches the alternative tag, then the alternative content is substituted for the objectionable content.

Claims (61)

1. A method, comprising:

determining content, received by a device, is objectionable;

blocking, by the device, the content from presentation;

retrieving, by the device, preferred tags associated with a profile;

retrieving, by the device, an alternative tag associated with alternative content;

comparing, by the device, the preferred tags to the alternative tag;

setting, by the device, an initial value of a score to zero;

incrementing, by the device, the score in response to one of the preferred tags matching the alternative tag;

comparing, by the device, the score to a threshold value;

determining, by the device, that the profile contains no more of the preferred tags to compare to the alternative tag and that the score is less than the threshold value;

retrieving, by the device, another alternate tag associated with another alternative content and comparing the another alternate tag to the preferred tags;

resuming, by the device, incrementing the score in response to the another alternative tag matching any of the preferred tags;

comparing, by the device, the score to the threshold value; and

processing, by the device, the another alternative content for display in substitution of the content.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising retrieving a field of the alternative tag.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising retrieving the field of a preferred tag of the preferred tags.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein comparing the preferred tags to the alternative tag comprises comparing the field of the alternative tag to the field of the preferred tag.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising replacing the content with the another alternative content in response to the score exceeding the threshold value.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising combining the score of both the alternative content and the another alternative content.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising incrementing the score when a field of the another alternate tag matches a field of the preferred tag.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving objectionable content at a device;

blocking the objectionable content from presentation based on a score;

retrieving preferred tags associated with a profile;

retrieving an alternative tag associated with alternative content;

comparing the preferred tags to the alternative tag;

associating the score with the alternative content;

incrementing the score in response to one of the preferred tags matching the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a threshold value;

determining all of the preferred tags have been compared to the alternative tag and the score is less than the threshold value;

retrieving another alternate tag associated with another alternative content and comparing the another alternate tag to the preferred tags;

resuming incrementing the score in response to the another alternative tag matching any of the preferred tags;

comparing the score to the threshold value; and

processing, based on the score, the another alternative content for display in substitution of the objectionable content.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the code further causes the processor to retrieve a field of the alternative tag.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the code further causes the processor to retrieve the field of a preferred tag of the preferred tags.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the code further causes the processor to compare the field of the alternative tag to the field of the preferred tag.

12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the code further causes the processor to replace the objectionable content with the another alternative content in response to the score exceeding the threshold value.

13. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the code further causes the processor to successively compare a field of the another alternate tag to the field of a preferred tag of the preferred tags.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the code further causes the processor to increment the score when the field of the another alternate tag matches the field of the preferred tag.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the code further causes the processor to combine the score of both the alternative content and the another alternative content.

16. A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining content is objectionable;

retrieving preferred tags associated with a profile;

retrieving an alternative tag associated with alternative content;

comparing the preferred tags to the alternative tag;

associating a score with the alternative content;

incrementing the score in response to one of the preferred tags matching the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a threshold value;

determining all of the preferred tags have been compared to the alternative tag and the score is less than the threshold value;

retrieving another alternate tag associated with another alternative content and comparing the another alternate tag to the preferred tags;

resuming incrementing the score in response to the another alternative tag matching any of the preferred tags;

comparing the score to the threshold value;

determining the score after resumption satisfies the threshold score; and

processing, based on the score, the another alternative content for substitution of the content.

17. The memory according to claim 16 , further comprising instructions for retrieving a field of the alternative tag.

18. The memory according to claim 17 , further comprising instructions for retrieving the field of a preferred tag of the preferred tags.

19. The memory according to claim 16 , further comprising instructions for successively comparing a field of the another alternate tag to the field of a preferred tag of the preferred tags.

20. The memory according to claim 19 , further comprising instructions for replacing the objectionable content with the another alternative content in response to the score exceeding the threshold value.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 10, 2013
From: BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 030394/0412 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 10, 2013
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 030394/0430 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 10, 2013
From: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T DELAWARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 030394/0482 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2013
From: AT&T DELAWARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 030394/0527 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2012
From: MATZ, WILLIAM R.
To: BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027647/0807 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 12869792 · Aug 27, 2010
Continuation 10176939 · Jun 20, 2002
Related Publication 20120136965A1 · May 31, 2012