Embedded content caching for interactive television

• US 20020095687A1
• Filed: 01/16/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eyer, Mark Kenneth, Candelore, Brant L., Zustak, Fred J., Shintani, Peter Rae, Colsey, Nicholas, Proehl, Andrew M., Golden, Dayan Ivy, Krishnan, Aditya, Chang, Matthew S., Yang, David K.L.
• Application Number:
  US09/760,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20020095687A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive television system uses a cache memory system that mirrors pages associated with a URL embedded within the interactive content. When a subscriber chooses to download the page associated with the interactive content, a server first searches the cached pages to determine if the requested pages can be downloaded to the subscriber from cache memory. If not, the requested pages are downloaded via the Internet. In another embodiment, the cache memory can be situated at a subscriber'"'"'s set-top box.

Claims

1. A method of providing enhanced performance in an interactive television system, comprising:

scanning an interactive content bearing program for a universal resource locator (URL);

upon finding a URL in the interactive content bearing program, mirroring content associated with the URL to a cache memory;

presenting the interactive content bearing program to a plurality of subscribers;

receiving a request from a subscriber for the URL;

retrieving the mirrored content associated with the URL from the cache memory; and

delivering the mirrored content associated with the URL to the subscriber.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising purging the cache memory in accordance with a purging algorithm.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an amount of time the mirrored content has been in the cache.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with a least frequent use algorithm.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an order that the mirrored content was placed in the cache.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cache memory is situated at a service provider head end.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cache memory is situated at a subscriber'"'"'s set-top box.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining that the URL requested by the subscriber is not in the cache memory, and downloading the interactive content associated with the URL from the Internet.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

examining the content associated with the URL for a secondary URL; and

mirroring content associated with the secondary URL to the cache memory.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an amount of time the mirrored content has been in the cache.

10. An apparatus for providing enhanced performance in an interactive television system, comprising:

a cache memory;

program means running on a programmed processor for;

scanning an interactive content bearing program for a universal resource locator (URL);

upon finding a URL in the interactive content bearing program, mirroring content associated with the URL to the cache memory;

a media server for presenting the interactive content bearing program to a plurality of subscribers;

means for receiving a request from a subscriber for the URL;

means for retrieving the mirrored content associated with the URL from the cache memory; and

means for delivering the mirrored content associated with the URL to the subscriber.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the program means further comprises means for purging the cache memory in accordance with a purging algorithm.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an order that the mirrored content was placed in the cache.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cache memory is situated at a service provider head end.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cache memory is situated at a subscriber'"'"'s set-top box.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for examining the content associated with the URL for a secondary URL; and

means for mirroring content associated with the secondary URL to the cache memory.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the mirroring further comprises mirroring the content associated with the URL to a local cache memory situated at a subscriber'"'"'s set-top box, and wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving the content associated with the URL to one of the cache memory and the local cache memory.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising determining that the URL requested by the subscriber is not in the cache memory and the local cache memory, and downloading the interactive content associated with the URL from the Internet.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

examining the content associated with the URL for a secondary URL; and

mirroring content associated with the secondary URL to the cache memory.

17. A method of providing enhanced performance in an interactive television system, comprising:

scanning an interactive content bearing program for a universal resource locator (URL);

upon finding a URL in the interactive content bearing program, mirroring content associated with the URL to a cache memory situated at a service provider head end;

presenting the interactive content bearing program to a plurality of subscribers;

receiving a request from a subscriber for the URL;

retrieving the mirrored content associated with the URL from the cache memory;

delivering the mirrored content associated with the URL to the subscriber;

purging the cache memory in accordance with a purging algorithm, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an amount of time the mirrored content has been in the cache memory.

21. A method of providing enhanced performance in an interactive television system, comprising:

scanning an interactive content bearing program for a universal resource locator (URL);

upon finding a URL in the interactive content bearing program, mirroring content associated with the URL to a cache memory situated at a service provider head end and a local cache memory situated at a subscriber'"'"'s set-top box;

presenting the interactive content bearing program to a plurality of subscribers;

receiving a request from a subscriber for the URL;

retrieving the mirrored content associated with the URL from one of the cache memory and the local cache memory;

delivering the mirrored content associated with the URL to the subscriber;

purging the cache memory in accordance with a purging algorithm, wherein the purging algorithm purges the cache in accordance with an amount of time the mirrored content has been in the cache.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising determining that the URL requested by the subscriber is not in the cache memory and the local cache memory, and downloading the interactive content associated with the URL from the Internet.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

examining the content associated with the URL for a secondary URL; and

mirroring content associated with the secondary URL to the cache memory.

25. The storage medium according to claim 24, further comprising purging the cache memory in accordance with a purging algorithm.

26. The storage medium according to claim 24, further comprising determining that the URL requested by the subscriber is not in the cache memory, and downloading the interactive content associated with the URL from the Internet.

27. The storage medium according to claim 24, further comprising:

examining the content associated with the URL for a secondary URL; and

mirroring content associated with the secondary URL to the cache memory.

24. A storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a method of providing enhanced performance in an interactive television system, comprising:

scanning an interactive content bearing program for a universal resource locator (URL);

upon finding a URL in the interactive content bearing program, mirroring content associated with the URL to a cache memory;

presenting the interactive content bearing program to a plurality of subscribers;

receiving a request from a subscriber for the URL;

retrieving the mirrored content associated with the URL from the cache memory; and

delivering the mirrored content associated with the URL to the subscriber.