User model for interactive television system

• US 20020152475A1
• 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: Broadus, James C., Istvan, Anthony F.
• Application Number:
  US09/895,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152475A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• 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 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0859 by keeping history of different configuration generations or by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• 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 7/162 : 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 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 user object information of user objects already existing in the household, without any further action by the user.

Claims

1. A system for viewing multimedia content, the system comprising:

a communication network;

a content source coupled to the communication network;

a broadcast center coupled to the communication network; and

a plurality of client systems coupled to the broadcast center, wherein the plurality of client systems is associated with a household, the plurality of client systems being logical extensions of each other.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of households, each household of the plurality of households having at least one associated client system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a household of the plurality of households is configurable to be associated with a plurality of user objects.

4. The system of claim 3, 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, the system being configured to provide the change to all of the client systems of the plurality of client systems without further activity from the user.

5. The system of claim 3, 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 to the new client system without activity from a user.

6. The system of claim 3, 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.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of user objects includes an anonymous user object, wherein the anonymous user object is configured to be accessible to all users.

8. The system of claim 3, 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.

9. The system of claim 8, 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.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the revision history includes a ticket number associated with each configuration change that is included in the revision history.

11. A system for viewing multimedia content, the system comprising:

source means for providing multimedia content;

distribution means for distributing multimedia content from the source means;

network means for supporting communication between the source means and the distribution means; and

a plurality of access means, coupled to the distribution means, for selectively providing access to the multimedia content, wherein the plurality of access means is associated with a household, the plurality of access means being logical extensions of each other.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of households, each household of the plurality of households having at least one associated client system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein a household of the plurality of households is configurable to be associated with a plurality of user objects.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein an access means of the plurality of access means is configured to be selectively accessed by a user to change a configuration of a user object of the plurality of user objects, the system being configured to provide the change to all of the access means of the plurality of access means without further activity from the user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configurable to selectively add a new access means to the plurality of access means, the system being configured to provide the plurality of user objects to the new access means without activity from a user.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein a user object of the plurality of user objects can be concurrently active in more than one access means of the plurality of access means.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of user objects includes an anonymous user object, wherein the anonymous user object is configured to be accessible to all users.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a server operatively coupled to the plurality of access means, wherein the server is configured to include information related to each user object of the plurality of user objects.

19. The system of claim 18, 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.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the revision history includes a ticket number associated with each configuration change that is included in the revision history.