Patent ID: 7360234

Claim:
A device for selectively filtering objectionable content from a video program intended for viewing on a screen, including a video signal and/or an audio signal, comprising: an extraction device receiving at least a portion of said signal(s) and configured to extract information therefrom rating audio and/or video content of said video program; a video control device and/or an audio control device; a processor operatively coupled to said video control device and said audio control device and communicatively coupled to said extraction device for receiving at least a portion of said extracted information therefrom; a memory coupled to said processor and storing filtering criteria defining disallowed audio and/or video content; said processor programmed to cause said audio control device to filter a portion of the audio signal in response to rated audio content that satisfies said filtering criteria; and said processor programmed to cause said video control device to filter a portion of the video signal in response to rated video content that satisfies said filtering criteria such that substantially only subpictures of displayed video frames corresponding to that rated video content are obscured.