Patent ID: 8245252

Claim:
An apparatus for selectively replacing objectionable content in a video program intended for viewing on a display screen comprising a first video signal with less-objectionable content, comprising: an extraction device receiving at least a portion of the first video signal and configured to extract information therefrom; a replacement control device; a processor operatively coupled to said replacement 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 a replacement criterion; said processor programmed to identify replacement information in said extracted information; a replacement video signal including said less-objectionable content communicatively coupled to said replacement control device; and said processor programmed to cause said replacement control device to replace a portion of the first video signal with said replacement video signal in response to identifying replacement information that satisfies said replacement criterion, wherein said less-objectionable content comprises advertising and wherein the advertising only replaces specified subregions of displayed video frames corresponding to the location of the objectionable content within the displayed video frames.