Coordination of favorites among disparate devices in an interactive video casting system

• US 20020152461A1
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Istvan, Anthony F.
• Application Number:
  US09/919,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4433 : Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/47805 : Electronic banking banking in general G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 : Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 : Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Coordination of favorites, such as web favorites, among disparate devices is performed via use of a user model for an interactive video casting system. The user model organizes access devices into households, with each access device in a household being logical extensions of each other. Each household can have multiple user objects, with each user object having its own independent configuration of attributes and data (such as web favorites). Other access devices (if any) in the household automatically receive the information of a new or reconfigured user object (such as revised favorites settings) without any further action by the user. When a user adds a new access device to the household, the new access device automatically receives the user object information of user objects, including favorites settings, already existing in the household, without any further action by the user.

Claims

1. A system to view multimedia content, the system comprising:

a broadcast center capable of being communicatively coupled to a network; and

a plurality of client systems coupled to the broadcast center,

wherein the plurality of client systems are associated with a household,

wherein the plurality of client systems are logical extensions of each other,

wherein the household is configurable to be associated with a plurality of user objects,

wherein a client system of the plurality of client systems is configured to be selectively accessed by a user to change a configuration of a user object of the plurality of user objects that is related to a favorites setting, and

wherein the system is configured to provide the change of the configuration of the user object related to the favorites setting to all of the client systems of the plurality of client systems without further activity from the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is configurable to selectively add a new client system to the plurality of client systems, the system being configured to provide the plurality of user objects, including the favorites setting, to the new client system without activity from a user.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a user object of the plurality of user objects can be concurrently active in more than one client system of the plurality of client systems.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server operatively coupled to the plurality of client systems, wherein the server is configured to include information related to each user object of the plurality of user objects, including the favorites setting.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the server is configured to include a revision history, the revision history being configurable to include information related to configuration changes of the plurality of user objects, including changes to the favorites setting.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the revision history includes a ticket number associated with each configuration change that is included in the revision history.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the server is capable to provide configuration changes to the plurality of client systems in response to a request for the configuration changes sent from at least one of the client systems.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein, independent of a request from any one of the client systems, the server is capable to provide configuration changes to the plurality of client systems if such configuration changes are received by the server from at least one of the client systems.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the favorites setting includes an address associated with the network.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the favorites setting includes a television channel.

11. A method to provide access to content in a multimedia communication network system having a plurality of access devices, the method comprising:

receiving configuration information related to a user object from a user via an access device of the plurality of access devices,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed by instantiating the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device; and

providing the received configuration information, including the favorites setting, to another access device of the plurality of access devices.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving revised configuration information related to the user object via one of the access devices of the plurality of access devices, the revised configuration information including a revision to the favorites setting; and

providing the received revised configuration information, including the revision to the favorites setting, to all of the access devices of the plurality of access devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising assigning a ticket number to the revised configuration information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the ticket number in a revision history in a server of the multimedia communication network system.

16. The control system of claim 15 wherein the server is further capable to receive revised configuration information related to the user object via one of the access devices of the plurality of access devices, the revised configuration information including a revision to the favorites setting, and to provide the received revised configuration information, including the revision to the favorites setting, to all of the access devices of the plurality of access devices.

17. The control system of claim 16 wherein the server is capable to assign a ticket number to the revised configuration information and to store the ticket number in a revision history.

18. The control system of claim 16 wherein the server is capable to provide the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the plurality of access devices in response to a request for the revised configuration information sent from at least one of the access devices.

19. The control system of claim 16 wherein, independent of a request from any one of the access devices, the server is capable to provide the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the plurality of access devices if such revised configuration information is received by the server from at least one of the access devices.

15. A control system to provide access to content in a multimedia communication network system having a plurality of access devices, the control system comprising:

a server to receive configuration information related to a user object from a user via an access device of the plurality of access devices,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed via instantiation of the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device, and

wherein the server is capable to provide the received configuration information, including the favorites setting, to another access device of the plurality of access devices.

20. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium for use in a multimedia communication network having a plurality of access devices, the machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to;

receive configuration information related to a user object from a user via an access device of the plurality of access devices,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed via instantiation of the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device; and

provide the received configuration information, including the favorites setting, to another access device of the plurality of access devices.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

assign a ticket number to the revised configuration information; and

store the ticket number in a revision history in a server of the multimedia communication network system.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 20 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to provide the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the plurality of access devices in response to a request for the revised configuration information sent from at least one of the access devices.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 20 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to provide, independently of a request from any one of the access devices, the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the plurality of access devices if such revised configuration information is received from at least one of the access devices.

25. The update method of claim 24, further comprising:

setting a bit in a bit vector, the bit vector having a plurality of bits each being associated to a corresponding configuration parameter of the user object, wherein the set bit indicates the configuration parameter associated with the received configuration information and is related to the favorites setting; and

providing the bit vector to the access device.

26. The update method of claim 25, further comprising providing the portion of the configuration information to a second access device of the plurality of access devices.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

set a bit in a bit vector, the bit vector having a plurality of bits each being associated to a corresponding configuration parameter of the user object, wherein the set bit indicates the configuration parameter associated with the received configuration information and is related to the favorites setting; and

provide the bit vector to the access device.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to provide the portion of the configuration information to a second access device of the plurality of access devices.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein the configuration information includes values for a plurality of configuration parameters, at least one of the configuration parameters being related to the favorites setting, the machine-readable medium further including instructions stored thereon to:

set a bit in a bit vector, the bit vector having a plurality of bits each being associated to a corresponding configuration parameter of the user object, wherein the set bit indicates the configuration parameter associated with the received configuration information and is related to the favorites setting; and

provide the bit vector to one of the access devices.

24-1. An update method to provide configuration information related to user object of a multimedia communication network system having a plurality of access devices, the configuration information including values for a plurality of configuration parameters, at least one of the configuration parameters being related to a favorites setting, the method comprising:

receiving a portion of the configuration information including the favorites setting via an access device of the plurality of access devices;

assigning a ticket number to the received portion of the configuration information;

storing the ticket number in a revision history; and

providing the ticket number to the access device.

27. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium for use in a multimedia communication network system having a plurality of access devices, the configuration information including values for a plurality of configuration parameters, at least one of the configuration parameters being related to a favorites setting, the machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to;

receive a portion of the configuration information including the favorites setting via an access device of the plurality of access devices;

assign a ticket number to the received portion of the configuration information;

store the ticket number in a revision history; and

provide the ticket number to the access device.

30. A method to provide configuration information for at least one user object to an access device in a multimedia communication network system having a server and a plurality of access devices, the access devices of the plurality of access devices being associated with one or more households, the method comprising:

receiving a signal at the server that an access device is being associated with a household in response to user activation of the access device when the access device is coupled to the multimedia communication network system;

sending from the server an indication of whether the access device is the household'"'"'s first access device; and

sending from the server configuration information for at least one user object when the access device is not the first access device of the household, the configuration information sent from the server including a favorites setting present in at least one of the other access devices in the household.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving configuration information from the user, including another favorites setting, via the access device when the access device is the first access device of the household; and

providing to the server the configuration information received from the user.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising sending from the server a ticket number corresponding to the configuration information provided to the server.

33. An apparatus to coordinate settings to access content available via an interactive video casting system having a plurality of channels, the interactive video casting system having connectivity to a plurality of access devices and capable to provide the plurality of access devices with access to a communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a server located in the interactive video casting system and capable to communicate with each access device in the plurality of access devices via a communication protocol suitable to each access device,

wherein the server is capable to receive configuration information related to a user object from a user via one of access device of the plurality of access devices according to the communication protocol for that access device,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed via instantiation of the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device,

wherein the at least one favorites setting includes an address associated with a location in the communication network where the content can be accessed by the access device or including a channel among the plurality of channels of the interactive video casting system,

wherein the server is capable to provide the configuration information received from the access device, including the favorites setting having the address or the channel, to another access device of the plurality of access devices without further activity from the user according to a communication protocol suitable to that access device.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein, independent of a request from any one of the access devices, the server is capable to provide the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the another access devices if such revised configuration information is received by the server.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein, independent of a request from any one of the access devices, the server is capable to provide the revised configuration information including the revision to the favorites setting to the another access devices if such revised configuration information is received by the server.

35. An apparatus to coordinate settings to access content available via an interactive video casting system having a plurality of channels, the interactive video casting system having connectivity to a plurality of access devices and capable to provide the plurality of access devices with access to a communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a server located in the interactive video casting system and capable to communicate with each access device in the plurality of access devices via a communication protocol suitable to each access device,

wherein the server is capable to receive configuration information related to a user object from a user via one of access device of the plurality of access devices according to the communication protocol for that access device,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed via instantiation of the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device,

wherein the at least one favorites setting includes an address associated with a location in the communication network where the content can be accessed by the access device or including a channel among the plurality of channels of the interactive video casting system,

wherein the server is capable to provide the configuration information received from the access device, including the favorites setting having the address or the channel, to another access device of the plurality of access devices without further activity from the user according to a communication protocol suitable to that access device, the server further being capable to;

assign a ticket number to a portion of the received configuration information;

store the ticket number in a revision history;

provide the ticket number to the access device that sent the configuration information;

set a bit in a bit vector, the bit vector having a plurality of bits each being associated to a corresponding configuration parameter of the user object, wherein the set bit indicates the configuration parameter associated with the received configuration information and is related to the favorites setting; and

provide the bit vector to the access device that sent the configuration information.

37. An apparatus to provide access to content in a multimedia communication network system having a plurality of access devices, the method comprising:

a means for receiving configuration information related to a user object from a user via an access device of the plurality of access devices,

wherein the configuration information defines multimedia content that can be accessed by instantiating the user object in the access device,

wherein the configuration information further defines at least one favorites setting for that access device; and

a means for providing the received configuration information, including the favorites setting, to another access device of the plurality of access devices.

38. A system to provide configuration information for at least one user object to an access device in a multimedia communication network having a server and a plurality of access devices, the access devices of the plurality of access devices being associated with one or more households, the system comprising:

a means for receiving a signal at the server that an access device is being associated with a household in response to user activation of the access device when the access device is coupled to the multimedia communication network;

a means for sending from the server an indication of whether the access device is the household'"'"'s first access device; and

a means for sending from the server configuration information for at least one user object when the access device is not the first access device of the household, the configuration information sent from the server including a favorites setting present in at least one of the other access devices in the household.