System for interactively distributing information services

• US 20010004767A1
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Published: 06/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DIVA Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Star, Jack Van der, Goode, Christopher, Knight, Stanley, Gordon, Donald, Chin, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An interactive information distribution system includes service provider equipment for generating an information stream that is coupled to an information channel and transmitted to subscriber equipment. The service provider also generates a command signal that is coupled to a command channel and transmitted to the subscriber equipment. The service provider also receives information manipulation requests from the subscriber via a back channel. A communication network supporting the information channel, command channel and back channel is coupled between the service provider equipment and the subscriber equipment.

Claims

1. An interactive information distribution system comprising:

service provider equipment for generating an information stream that is coupled to an information channel and for generating a command signal that is coupled to a command channel and for receiving information manipulation requests that are coupled from a back channel;

subscriber equipment for receiving said information stream from said information channel, for receiving said command signal from said command channel, and for generating said information manipulation requests that are coupled to a back channel; and

a communication network, coupled between said service provider equipment and said subscriber equipment, supporting an information channel, a command channel and a back channel.

2. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said subscriber equipment and said service provider equipment are synchronized to a common time reference.

3. The interactive information system of

claim 2

wherein said service provider equipment further comprises an information server, where said information server contains said common time reference.

4. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said service provider equipment produces a plurality of multiplexed multimedia bitstreams and said subscriber equipment further comprises a plurality of subscriber terminals that are each uniquely addressable, where a particular multimedia bitstream in said plurality of multiplexed multimedia bitstreams is addressed to a particular subscriber terminal.

5. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 4

wherein the particular subscriber terminal further comprises means for generating an information manipulation request that is coupled to the back channel and used by the service provider equipment to manipulate the particular multimedia bitstream.

6. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 5

wherein the information manipulation request implements one or more of the following functions:

fast-forward, reverse, fast-reverse, slow motion, play, stop, pause, context-based branching, and new multimedia bitstream selection.

7. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said service provider equipment further comprises:

an information server for producing at least one sequence of information in response to a particular information manipulation request;

a session manager, coupled to said information server, for coupling said sequence of information to an information channel of a communication network.

8. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 7

wherein said session manager further comprises a command channel modem for coupling said command to said command channel of said communication network, where said command is used by said subscriber equipment to decode and present said sequence of information.

9. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 7

wherein said session manager further comprises:

an information channel modulator;

a command channel modulator; and

a back channel demodulator.

10. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said sequence of information is a bitstream containing packetized video.

11. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said information channel carries conventional cable television signals in addition to the sequence of information.

12. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said service provider equipment periodically sends a polling signal to the subscriber equipment.

13. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein the information channel, the back channel, and the command channel carry signals that are independently produced and are frequency multiplexed to form distinct communications channels.

14. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

wherein said information channel is capable of carrying a particular number of multiplexed sequences of information.

15. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 14

wherein the service provider equipment selects the particular number of multiplexed sequences of information in response to the content of each sequence of information that comprise the multiplexed sequences of information.

16. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 14

wherein each information channel has a capacity of eight multiplexed sequences of information, each sequence of information having a bandwidth of at least 3.3 Mbits/sec.

17. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 7

wherein said session manager comprises a plurality of video modulators that modulate said sequence of information for propagation through said information channel.

18. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein said plurality of video modulators contain at least one spare video modulator.

19. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein said plurality of video modulators use quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

20. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein said session manager further comprises:

a plurality of command channel modems;

a session control manager; and

a video modulator interface.

21. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein said session manager further comprises:

a stream distributor for distributing a plurality of sequences of information to said plurality of video modulators.

22. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein said session manager further comprises:

a cross connect switch for routing modulated output signals from said plurality of video modulators to said communication network.

23. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 17

wherein each video modulator is coupled to a plurality of subscriber terminals, where said video modulators are agile and are reallocated to different subscriber terminals as a need arises.

28. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 1

, wherein:

said information channel comprises one or more subrate server channels.

29. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 28

wherein:

said provider equipment, in response to a subscriber request for a high bandwidth information stream, opportunistically allocates additional subrate server channels to said information channel carrying said high bandwidth information stream.

30. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 28

wherein:

said provider equipment, in response to a subscriber request for a relatively low bandwidth information stream, opportunistically allocates fewer subrate server channels to said information channel carrying said relatively low bandwidth information stream.

31. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 28

wherein:

said provider equipment, in response to a reduction in subscriber activity, opportunistically allocates, to active subscribers, subrate server channels underutilized due to said reduction in subscriber activity.

24. An interactive information distribution system comprising:

a video server containing a plurality of packetized video streams;

a session manager, coupled to said video server, for requesting a particular packetized video stream, addressing the particular packetized video stream to a particular subscriber terminal and modulating the streams for propagation through an information channel of a communications network, where said session manager and said video server are synchronized to a common time base.

25. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 24

further comprising:

a subscriber terminal, coupled to said information channel of said communication network, for demodulating said particular packetized video stream and for extracting a timing signal from said particular packetized video stream to synchronize said subscriber terminal with said session manager and said video server.

26. The interactive information distribution system of

claim 24

wherein access to information sequences are controlled by a PIN.

27. Apparatus for interactively distributing information to a subscriber, said apparatus comprising:

provider equipment, for providing an information stream to said subscriber via an information channel, and for receiving information request signals from said subscriber via a back channel;

subscriber equipment, for receiving said information stream from said provider equipment via said information channel, and for transmitting command signals to said subscriber equipment via said back channel; and

a communications network supporting said information channel and said back channel, said information channel and said back channel operating within mutually exclusive spectral regions.

32. A method of interactively distributing information to a subscriber comprising the steps of:

receiving an information request from a subscriber via a back channel;

providing, in response to said information request, a requested information stream to said subscriber via an information channel, said information stream including timing information derived from a master clock;

receiving an information manipulation command from said subscriber via said back channel; and

providing, in response to said information manipulation command, one or more modified information streams to said subscriber via said information channel, said modified information streams including timing information derived from said master clock.

33. The method of

claim 32

, wherein:

said information stream and said modified information streams are MPEG-like information streams; and

said timing information comprises MPEG-like timestamp information.

34. The method of

claim 33

, further comprising the step of:

receiving selection commands from said provider via said back channel; and

providing, in response to said selection commands, selection information to said provider via said information channel.

35. The method of

claim 32

, wherein said information manipulation commands comprise at least one of a start, stop, slow motion, fast-forward, rewind, context-based branching and pause command.

36. The method of

claim 33

, wherein:

said information stream is associated with a first stream identification number, said modified information stream is associated with a second stream identification number, and said subscriber is associated with a subscriber identification number; and

at least one of said first stream identification number, said second stream identification number, and said subscriber identification number are randomly altered.

37. The interactive information distribution method of

claim 32

, wherein said information channel comprises one or more subrate server channels.

38. The interactive information distribution method of

claim 32

, further comprising the steps of:

opportunistically allocating additional subrate server channels to an information channel carrying a high bandwidth information stream, in response to a subscriber request for said high bandwidth information stream.

39. The interactive information distribution method of

claim 32

, further comprising the steps of:

opportunistically allocating fewer subrate server channels to an information channel carrying a low bandwidth information stream, in response to a subscriber request for said low bandwidth information stream.

40. The interactive information distribution method of

claim 32

, further comprising the steps of:

opportunistically allocating, in response to a reduction in subscriber activity, additional subrate server channels to active subscribers, said subrate server channels underutilized due to said reduction in subscriber activity.

41. The interactive information distribution method of

claim 32

, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting an acknowledgment signal, to said subscriber in response to each request or command transmitted via said back channel;

if the subscriber does not receive an acknowledgment within a predefined period, then the subscriber retransmits the request or command.

42. A method for distributing information through an interactive information distribution system comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a session manager, a request for a session, where said request is propagated from a subscriber terminal to said session manager via a back channel of a communication network;

creating a session for said subscriber terminal;

transmitting a menu structure to said subscriber terminal through which the subscriber terminal requests specific information sequences;

receiving, at said session manager, a request for an information sequence, where said request is propagated from said subscriber terminal to said session manager via said back channel of said communication network

requesting an information server to fulfill said request by supplying said session manager with said requested information sequence;

transmitting said information sequence to said subscriber terminal via an information channel through said communication network;

transmitting a command signal to said subscriber terminal via a command channel through said communication network;

decoding said information sequence in response to said command signals within said subscriber terminal;

transmitting information manipulation requests from said subscriber terminal to said session manager via said back channel;

manipulating said information sequence in response to said information manipulation requests while said session manager is transmitting said information sequence to said subscriber terminal.

43. The method of

claim 42

further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second request for a second session from said subscriber terminal; and

creating a second session for said subscriber terminal.

44. The method of

claim 43

wherein the method further comprises the step of:

switching between said sessions in response to a request from said subscriber terminal.

45. The method of

claim 42

further comprising the steps of:

randomly assigning and altering a terminal identification number (TID) assigned to said subscriber terminal.

46. The method of

claim 42

wherein each information sequence is identified by a program identification number (PID) and said method further comprises the step of:

randomly altering the PID for said information sequences.

47. The method of

claim 42

wherein said subscriber terminal is presented with a barker channel as one channel within a conventional cable television channel set and said subscriber terminal requests said session via said barker channel.

48. The method of

claim 43

wherein the information server provides a time division multiplexed data stream having a plurality of packets, each packet contains a TID and a PID whereby the requested program is addressed by the information server for transmission to a particular subscriber terminal.

49. A provider-side method for exchanging information with an information subscriber in an interactive information distribution system, said provider-side method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, via an information channel of a communication element, provider information having an appropriate terminal identifier, said terminal identifier being one of a predetermined terminal identifier or a terminal identifier transmitted via a command channel;

transmitting, via a control channel of said communication element, command information having said appropriate terminal identifier;

receiving, via a back channel of said communication element, information modification instructions from said information subscriber; and

transmitting, via said information channel of said communication element, modified provider information having said appropriate terminal identifier.