US 6,983,481 B2
Apparatus and method for blocking television commercials with a content interrogation program
Craig William Fellenstein, Brookfield, Conn. (US); and Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Charlottesville, Va. (US)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Jul. 25, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/205,538.
Prior Publication US 2004/0019904 A1, Jan. 29, 2004
Int. Cl. H04N 7/16 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 725—25 37 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for displaying a television segment in place of a blocked television commercial based on interrogation of a television signal comprising:
receiving a first television signal;
recognizing said first television signal in a logical unit;
wherein said first television signal is recognized by a cumulative digital signature;
wherein the cumulative digital signature is the aggregation of at least one selected characteristic of a data sequence to provide a unique number for identification of the complete data sequence;
blocking said first television signal by to logical unit;
buffering a second television signal;
specifying a search parameter;
searching said second television signal for a data that matches said search parameter;
responsive to finding the data that matches said search parameter, identifying a contingent television segment as a third television signal; and
displaying the third television signal in plane of the first television signal.