Systems and methods for dynamic content restriction based on a relationship

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11368751-B1
Application number	US-202117186691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 26, 2021
Priority date	Feb 26, 2021
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided herein to dynamically update content restrictions for multiple users by detecting a first user in the proximity of a media device playing a first content item and detecting a second user entering the proximity of the media device. In response to detecting a second user entering the proximity of the media device and receiving a command from the first user that controls playing the first content, the system modifies a stored relationship between the first user and the second user to track the relationship between the first user and the second user. Thereafter, when the system detects the first user and the second user in the proximity of a media device playing a second content, in response, the system automatically performs an action that controls the playing of the second content (e.g., without user having to issue those commands).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting a first user in proximity of a media device playing a first content;
detecting a second user entering the proximity of the media device playing the first content;
receiving a command that controls playing the first content, after the second user entering the proximity of the media device;
in response to the receiving the command that controls the playing the first content after the second user enters the proximity of the media device, modifying a stored relationship status that tracks a relationship between the first user and the second user;
detecting the first user and the second user in the proximity of the media device playing a second content;
in response to the detecting the first user and the second user in the proximity of the media device playing the second content, automatically performing an action that controls the playing of the second content, wherein the action is selected based on the stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user and the second user;
determining a third user with a similar relationship with the first user as the second user entering the proximity of the media device playing the first content;
identifying a pattern in the stored relationship status between the first user and the second user based on the receiving the command that controls playing the first content between the first user and the second user;
modifying a stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user and the third user based on the receiving the command that controls playing the first content between the first user and the second user;
detecting the first user and the third user in the proximity of the media device playing the first content; and
in response to the detecting the first user and the third user in the proximity of the media device playing the first content, automatically performing the command that controls the playing of the second content, wherein the command is selected based on the stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user and the third user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the action that controls the playing of the second content comprises performing the command that controls playing the first content.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein performing the action that controls the playing of the second content is not performed when just one user of the first user and the second user is in the proximity of the media device, but is performed when both users of the first user and the second user are detected in the proximity of the media device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the action that controls the playing of the second content comprises performing the action without receiving the command from the first user to perform the command.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying the stored relationship status between the first user and the second user comprises:
retrieving an existing relationship data between the first user and the second user based on a first user profile associated with the first user and a second user profile associated with the second user;
identifying a type of a social link between the first user and the second user based on the respective user profile, wherein the type of the social link comprises one or more of a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, a cousin, an uncle, an aunt, a child, a friend, and a coworker;
identifying an age difference between the first user and the second user based on the respective user profile; and
in response to identifying the type of the social link and the age difference, modifying the existing relationship data based on the type of the social link and the action that controls playing the first content.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action that controls playing the second content comprises one or more of muting a volume of the media device playing the first content, lowering volume of the media device playing the first content, or changing a channel of the media device playing the first content.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a user action that indicates disengagement from the playing of the first content, wherein the user action that indicates disengagement from the playing of the first content comprises one or more of the first user leaving the proximity of the media device playing the first content, or the first user engaging with a second device or the first user looking away from the media device playing the first content for an extended period; and
in response to the identifying the user action that indicates disengagement from the playing of the first content after the second user enters the proximity of the media device, modifying the stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user and the second user.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the command that controls playing the first content, after the second user entering the proximity of the media device, comprises receiving the command that controls playing the first content within a threshold time period of the second user entering the proximity of the media device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the second user entering the proximity of the media device playing the first content comprises one or more of determining a location of a mobile device associated with the respective user, performing a camera scan using facial recognition, listening to a voice using voice recognition.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprises:
detecting an additional user entering the proximity of the media device;
identifying the command that controls playing the first content performed by the first user in response to the additional user entering the proximity of the media device; and
in response to the identifying the command that controls the playing the first content after the additional user enters the proximity of the media device, modifying a stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user, the second user and the additional user.

11. A system comprising
detection circuitry configured to:
detect a first user in the proximity of a media device playing a first content;
detect a second user entering the proximity of the media device playing the first content;

control circuitry configured to:
receive, via the control circuitry, a command that controls playing the first content, after the second user entering the proximity of the media device;
in response to the received command that controls the playing the first content after the second user enters the proximity of the media device, modify, via the control circuitry, a stored relationship status that tracks a relationship between the first user and the second user;
detect, with the detection circuitry, the first user and the second user in the proximity of the media device playing a second content;
in response to the detecting the first user and the second user in the proximity of the media device playing the second content, perform automatically, via the control circuitry, an action that controls the playing of the second content, wherein the action is selected based on the stored relationship status that tracks the relationship between the first user and the second user;
determine a third user with a similar relationship with the first user as the second user entering the proximity of the media device playing the first content;
identify a pattern in the stored relationship status between the first user and the second user based on the receiving the command that controls playing the first content b

Assignees

• Rovi Guides Inc

Inventors

• Dhiman Rohit
• Gupta Vaibhav
• Gupta Ashish
• Karuppasamy Senthil Kumar
• Kumar Anil

Classifications

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/84

  Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4882

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• H04N21/4755 Primary

  for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre (retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306) · CPC title

• H04N21/466

  Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies {(services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61)} · CPC title