System and method to provide content and corresponding applications via carousel transmission to thin-client interactive television terminals

• US 20030056218A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Randall J., Wingard, Steven C., Tang, Quang P.
• Application Number:
  US10/213,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20030056218A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

Content and corresponding applications can be provided to thin-client interactive television terminals. Localization may be performed on general data feeds by applying, at a portal that receives the data feeds, localization parameters specified in a plurality of channel configuration records. The content is then provided to their corresponding head-ends. From the head-ends, the content and its application are carousel broadcasted to thin-client terminals via different data pipes. A viewer can tune to a synthetic channel having the content and application via familiar television metaphors, such as from a remote control or from an electronic program guide. The viewer'"'"'s interaction with the content can be limited to a walled garden.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating delivery of data in a carousel broadcast, the method comprising:

identifying an expected viewer behavior when using an application;

assigning categories of data associated with the application to separate carousels based on the expected viewer behavior; and

broadcasting data from the categories via their assigned carousels.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the expected viewer behavior includes:

determining an expected sequence of actions a viewer will perform when using the application; and

further determining which categories of data are likely to be accessed before other categories of data based on the expected sequence of actions.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein assigning categories of data associated with the application to separate carousels based on the expected viewer behavior includes assigning those categories of data likely to be accessed before other categories of data to the separate carousels to expedite their arrival.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the carousels comprise data pipes uniquely identified via a program identifier (PID).

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting the application in a carousel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at a client terminal receiving the broadcasted data:

obtaining the application from a carousel and executing the obtained application;

identifying carousels to which certain categories of data were assigned and obtaining the data therefrom in an order specified in the application; and

rendering the obtained data.

7. A method, comprising:

assigning an application to a carousel-broadcast data pipe;

assigning content associated with the application to a plurality of different carousel-broadcast data pipes based on an expected user behavior;

placing the application and its associated content in their respective data pipes; and

carousel broadcasting the application and its associated content in their respective data pipes.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein placing the application and its associated content in their respective data pipes includes:

placing the application and a first type of the content on a first data pipe;

placing a second type of the content on a second data pipe; and

placing at least a third type of the content on at least a third data pipe.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first type of content includes content categories, the second type of content includes subcategories under the categories, and the third type of content includes items under the subcategories.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the application specifies the data pipes from which to obtain at least some of the types of content.

11. A system for facilitating delivery of data in a carousel broadcast, the system comprising:

a means for identifying an expected viewer behavior when using an application;

a means for assigning categories of data associated with the application to separate carousels based on the expected viewer behavior; and

a means for broadcasting data from the categories via their assigned carousels.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a means for obtaining the application from a carousel and executing the obtained application;

a means for identifying carousels assigned to certain ones of the data based on the executing application and obtaining the data therefrom in an order specified in the application; and

a means for presenting the obtained content.

13. A system, comprising:

an application storage unit to store an application corresponding to content; and

a carousel server coupled to the application storage unit and coupled to receive the content, the carousel server being configured to carousel broadcast the application on at least one data pipe and the content on a plurality of different data pipes in a manner that is based on an expected user behavior when the application is in use.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the expected user behavior includes an expected sequence of actions to be performed when the application is in use and wherein configuration of the carousel server to carousel broadcast the content includes configuration based on which content is likely to be accessed before other content based on the expected sequence of actions.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the data pipes comprise data pipes uniquely identified via a program identifier (PID).

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the carousel server is configured to place the application and a first type of the content on a first data pipe, place a second type of the content on a second data pipe, and to place at least a third type of the content on at least a third data pipe.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first type of content includes content categories, the second type of content includes subcategories under the categories, and the third type of content includes items under the subcategories.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the application specifies the data pipes from which to obtain at least some of the content.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising a client terminal to receive the carousel broadcasted application and content, the client terminal including:

at least a first tuner to tune to the data pipes having the content and its corresponding application;

an interface to receive a command from a user input device to tune to a channel associated with the carousel broadcasted content and application; and

a processor, coupled to the tuner and to the interface, to cooperate with a software program stored in a storage medium to, in response to the received command, monitor the data pipes for the content and the application and to obtain the content and the application therefrom and to present the content and application on the channel.

20. A system, comprising:

an application storage unit to store an application corresponding to content;

a carousel server coupled to the application storage unit and coupled to receive the content;

the carousel server being configured to carousel broadcast the application on at least one data pipe and the content on a plurality of different data pipes in a manner that is based on an expected user behavior when the application is in use,

wherein a client terminal for a television is coupled to receive the carousel broadcast of the application and content, and

wherein the television includes a screen to present the received application and content;

a plurality of content sources communicatively coupled to a broadcast center having the application storage unit and the carousel server; and

a portal coupled between the content sources and the broadcast center to provide the content to the carousel server.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the application specifies the data pipes from which to obtain at least some of the content.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the application further specifies a command to tune to the data pipes to obtain the content and a command to present the obtained content and application in a channel.