Lucent Technologies Inc.

Avi I Hauser

Theodore Sizer

Katherine Grace August

John M Manoyan

William H Sohl

Brian J McHugh

Yosef Hipsh

Thomas A Elberty

Theodore Ii Sizer

A technique for the blocking of individual programs and/or portions of programs transmitted in a source signal, e.g., a cable television signal. In particular, individual programs and/or portions of programs within a class of programs are blocked, while allowing for the viewing of certain other programs even within the same programming class. The transmitted source signal contains individual programs having a transparent program identifier and/or transparent content identifier associated with individual programs in the source signal transmission. As the source signal enters, e.g., a particular subscriber location, the source signal is monitored in accordance with a program viewing profile defined by the subscriber. That is, particular ones of the programs and/or portion thereof available in the source signal transmission supplied to the subscriber can either be unblocked, i.e., viewable, or blocked, i.e., unviewable, at the discretion of the subscriber. The blocking of particular ones of the programs and/or portion thereof is accomplished as a function of the transparent program identifier and/or transparent content identifier associated with a program which is embedded in the video and/or audio component of the source signal. The transparent identifiers are transmitted concurrently with the individual program as the source signal is received at the subscriber location. Advantageously, the subscriber is given complete control and selectivity over which programs and/or portions thereof are viewed, e.g., by children of the subscriber.

System and method for subscriber controlled signal blocking

Methods and apparata for electronic labeling and localizing an end point and for determining the distance between an interrogator and the end point. In one embodiment, a system is provided that includes an interrogator that transmits an identification code signal that includes a representation of the identification code of the end point to be localized. The interrogator also receives a tag response signal that is transmitted from a tag associated with the end point. The tag transmits the tag response signal upon receiving the identification code signal and confirming that the identification code signal includes a representation of the identification code. The system also includes a localizer, which is hardware, software, or both, that determines the distance between the end point and the interrogator based on the identification code signal and the tag response signal. In one embodiment, the localizer determines the distance based on the time delay between transmitting the identification code signal and receiving the tag response signal. In another alternate embodiment, the localizer determines the distance based on the frequency, or phase, shift between the identification code signal and the tag response signal.

Method and apparatus for electronic labeling and localizing

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Marlboro, NJ, United States of America

Avi I Hauser