Access device interface for user model-based interactive television

• US 20020152472A1
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• 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., Broadus, James C.
• Application Number:
  US09/895,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/117
• 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 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• 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 21/26613 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 21/4433 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 21/47805 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 7/162 : 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

A user model for interactive television systems 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. Other access devices (if any) in the household automatically receive the configuration information of a new or reconfigured user object 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 configuration information of user objects already existing in the household, without any further action by the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing configuration information for a user object in a multimedia communication network system having a server and a plurality of access devices, the configuration information including values for a plurality of configuration parameters, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to provide configuration information for a user object, the user accessing the network system by being logged onto an existing user object;

determining whether an administrator attribute of the existing user object is enabled;

receiving configuration information for the user object from the user if the administrator attribute is enabled;

providing the received configuration information to the server; and

receiving an identifier from the server, the identifier being associated with the received configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving configuration information comprises prompting the user to provide a value for each configuration parameter of the configuration information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving configuration information comprises:

providing a configuration parameter and its value to the user;

receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected the configuration parameter; and

receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving configuration information comprises:

providing a plurality of configuration parameters and their values to the user;

receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected a configuration parameter of the plurality of configuration parameters; and

receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

5. A configuration system for providing configuration information for a user object in a multimedia communication network system having a server and a plurality of access devices, the configuration information including values for a plurality of configuration parameters, the configuration system comprising:

means for receiving a request from a user to provide configuration information for a user object, the user accessing the network system by being logged onto an existing user object;

means for determining whether an administrator attribute of the existing user object is enabled;

means for receiving configuration information for the user object from the user if the administrator attribute is enabled;

means for providing the received configuration information to the server; and

means for receiving an identifier from the server, the identifier being associated with the received configuration information.

6. The configuration system of claim 5, wherein the means for receiving configuration information comprises means for prompting the user to provide a value for each configuration parameter of the configuration information.

7. The configuration system of claim 5, wherein the means for receiving configuration information comprises:

means for providing a configuration parameter and its value to the user;

means for receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected the configuration parameter; and

means for receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

8. The configuration system of claim 5, wherein the means for receiving configuration information comprises:

means for providing a plurality of configuration parameters and their values to the user;

means for receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected a configuration parameter of the plurality of configuration parameters; and

means for receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

9. A machine-readable medium for use in a multimedia communication network system having a server and a plurality of access devices, the configuration information including values for a plurality of configuration parameters, the machine-readable medium having instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request from a user to provide configuration information for a user object, the user accessing the multimedia communication network system by being logged onto an existing user object;

determining whether an administrator attribute of the existing user object is enabled;

receiving configuration information for the user object from the user if the administrator attribute is enabled;

providing the received configuration information to the server; and

receiving an identifier from the server, the identifier being associated with the received configuration information.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operation of receiving configuration information comprises an operation of prompting the user to provide a value for each configuration parameter of the configuration information.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operation of receiving configuration information comprises:

providing a configuration parameter and its value to the user;

receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected the configuration parameter; and

receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operation of receiving configuration information comprises:

providing a plurality of configuration parameters and their values to the user;

receiving a indication from the user that the user has selected a configuration parameter of the plurality of configuration parameters; and

receiving a new value for the selected configuration parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving configuration information from the user 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.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving from the server a ticket number corresponding to the configuration information provided to the server.

17. The configuration system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving configuration information from the user via the access device when the access device is the first access device of the household; and

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

18. The configuration system of claim 17 further comprising means for receiving from the server a ticket number corresponding to the configuration information provided to the server.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving configuration information from the user 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.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise receiving from the server a ticket number corresponding to the configuration information provided to the server.

13. A method of providing 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, access devices of the plurality of access devices being associated with one or more households, the method comprising:

signaling the server that an access device is being associated with a household in response to a user activating the access device when the access device is coupled to the multimedia communication network system;

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

receiving from the server configuration information for at least one user object when the access device is not the first access device of the household.

16. A configuration system for providing 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, access devices of the plurality of access devices being associated with one or more households, the configuration system comprising:

means for signaling the server that an access device is being associated with a household in response to a user activating the access device when the access device is coupled to the multimedia communication network system;

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

means for receiving from the server configuration information for at least one user object when the access device is not the first access device of the household.

19. A machine-readable medium for use in a multimedia communication network system having a server and a plurality of access devices, access devices of the plurality of access devices being associated with one or more households, the computer-readable medium having instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

signaling the server that an access device of the plurality of access devices is being associated with a household in response to a user activating the access device when the access device is coupled to the multimedia communication network system;

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

receiving from the server configuration information for at least one user object when the access device is not the first access device of the household.