Method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand services for an interactive information distribution system

• US 20020013944A1
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rocca, Tobie La, Gordon, Donald F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand (SOD) services for a interactive information distribution system, where a consumer may subscribe to packages of on-demand programs for a single price and view the programs in the subscribed package at any time for no additional cost. The apparatus and method are embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so called navigator, and hardware, including a subscriber terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and service provider equipment that supports the functionality of the terminal. As such, graphical user interface functionality is distributed between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment (subscriber terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real time interactive process for accessing SOD services that allows the subscriber to rapidly identify and access a subscription service. In addition, a non-subscriber of a particular service is quickly identified and provided the opportunity to, through the use of a graphical user interface, subscribe to the programming provided by the system.

Claims

1. In an interactive information distribution system containing service provider equipment and subscriber equipment that is interconnected by a communications network, a method of providing a subscription-on-demand service, comprising:

providing a set of more than two on-demand programs;

packaging the set into a subset having at least two on-demand programs of the set of on-demand programs; and

providing a user interface having the subset as a selectable object, the user interface configure to allow selection of the selectable object representing the subset of the at least two on-demand programs to be purchased as a package for on-demand access.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising in response to selection of the selectable object representing the subset of the at least two on-demand programs, causing subscription to the programming package.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a time limited access period to the subset of the at least two on-demand programs without incurring an additional fee.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a time limited to access period to the subset of the at least two on-demand programs.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing subscription to the package at a predefined price.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the predefined price is a one-time access fee.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the one-time access fee has a time-limited period of access.