System and method for the reception of content items

• US 10,149,239 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Belimpasakis, Petros, Walsh, Rod, Paila, Toni
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/243,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/24 Arrangements for distribution of identical information via broadcast system and non-broadcast system
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/49 for identifying locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 : involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point

Abstract

A system and method for the reception of content items, including the ability to handle a plurality of service announcement formats and the ability to select, for a plurality of network access points, the best access point for receiving items.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving one or more service announcements relating to a content item, each of said service announcements being in at least one of a plurality of formats;

extracting one or more service properties relating to the content item from said one or more service announcements;

storing said one or more service properties in a predetermined format, wherein the predetermined format preserves the one or more formats corresponding to each of the one or more service announcements;

receiving, at a device, information relating to which of one or more offered network access points are actually available to the device; and

determining which of the available network access points is the best for receiving a selected content item based on success properties associated with the available network access points,

wherein the success properties are received by the device in one or more messages from one or more other devices, and

wherein the success properties indicate a level of success associated with receiving other content items by the one or more other devices from the available network access points, the success properties are derived from stored historical experience of the one or more other devices, and the historical experience includes historical success of each of the available network access points receiving a format type of the selected content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the success properties include at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio, a capacity, a cost, and a quality of service associated with the available network access points.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

choosing an appropriate graphical user interface; and

using said graphical interface to present to a user information relating to said one or more service properties.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

choosing an appropriate voice interface; and

using said voice interface to present to a user information relating to said one or more service properties.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of formats includes:

digital video broadcast service information format, or

said plurality of formats includes session initiation protocol format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said content item comprises a video download, an audio download, or software download.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined format is extensible markup language, and

the stored one or more service properties are accessible by an external application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored one or more service properties comprise a unique identifier for the content item, a title of the content item, network access points offering the content item or broadcast time of the content item.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a query regarding whether there has been a change in the best network access point for receiving the selected content item,

wherein the query is performed when there has been a change in location.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

receive one or more service announcements relating to a content item, each of said service announcements being in at least one of a plurality of formats;

extract one or more service properties relating to the content item from said one or more service announcements;

storing said one or more service properties in a predetermined format, wherein the predetermined format preserves the one or more formats corresponding to each of the one or more service announcements;

receive, at a device, information relating to which of one or more offered network access points are actually available to the device; and

determine which of the available network access points is the best for receiving a selected content item based on success properties associated with the available network access points,

wherein the success properties are received by the device in one or more messages from one or more other devices, and

wherein the success properties indicate a level of success associated with receiving other content items by the one or more other devices from the available network access points, the success properties are derived from stored historical experience of the one or more other devices, and the historical experience includes historical success of each of the available network access points receiving a format type of the selected content item.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the success properties are further derived from historical experience of the device with the available network access points, and

the success properties include at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio, a capacity, a cost, and a quality of service associated with the available network access points.

12. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content item comprises a video download, an audio download, or software download, and

the stored one or more service properties comprise a unique identifier for the content item, a title of the content item, network access points offering the content item or broadcast time of the content item.

13. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

choose an appropriate graphical user interface; and

use said graphical interface to present to a user information relating to said one or more service properties.

14. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

choose an appropriate voice interface; and

use said voice interface to present to a user information relating to said one or more service properties.

15. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein said plurality of formats includes digital video broadcast service information format.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform:

receiving one or more service announcements relating to a content item, each of said service announcements being in at least one of a plurality of formats;

extracting one or more service properties relating to the content item from said one or more service announcements;

storing said one or more service properties in a predetermined format, wherein the predetermined format preserves the one or more formats corresponding to each of the one or more service announcements;

receiving, at a device, information relating to which of one or more offered network access points are actually available to the device; and

determining which of the available network access points is the best for receiving a selected content item based on success properties associated with the available network access points,

wherein the success properties are received by the device in one or more messages from one or more other devices, and

wherein the success properties indicate a level of success associated with receiving other content items by the one or more other devices from the available network access points, the success properties are derived from stored historical experience of the one or more other devices, and the historical experience includes historical success of each of the available network access points receiving a format type of the selected content item.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the content item comprises a video download, an audio download, or software download, and

the stored one or more service properties comprise a unique identifier for the content item, a title of the content item, network access points offering the content item or broadcast time of the content item.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein the success properties include at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio, a capacity, a cost, and a quality of service associated with the available network access points.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

choosing an appropriate graphical user interface; and

using said graphical interface to present to a user information relating to said one or more service properties.