Multiple content provider user interface

• US 20040168184A1
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Irdeto USA Incorporated (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Irdeto USA Incorporated (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Steenkamp, Jan, Fransdonk, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/726,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20040168184A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• 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 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• 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 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A method and system to provide digital content to a content destination (e.g., a media terminal) is described. The method comprises providing a plurality content provider identifiers to a content destination for display on an associated display device, wherein each content provider identifier is associated with a content provider. User selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers is then monitored and at least one available content identifier is communicated to the content destination in response to the user selection of a content provider identifier. The available content identifier may be associated with the content provider identifier. The content provider identifiers may for example identify content providers such as Disney, ESPN, NOOF or the like. Each content provider identifier may be associated with a plurality of available content identifiers arranged in a hierarchical fashion.

Claims

1. A method to provide digital content to a content destination, the method comprising:

providing a plurality content provider identifiers to the content destination for display on an a display device, wherein each content provider identifier is associated with a content provider;

monitoring user selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers; and

communicating at least one available content identifier to the content destination in response to the user selection of a content provider identifier, the available content identifier being associated with the content provider identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each content provider identifier is associated with a plurality of available content identifiers arranged in a hierarchical fashion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one available content identifier relates to digital content that is selectively rendered to the content destination upon selection of the at least one available content identifier.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one available content identifier relates to a group of digital content, the group including at least one further available content identifier that identifies digital content that is available for communication to the media terminal upon selection of the at least one further available content identifier

5. The method of claim 2, wherein each content provider identifier has an associated link that links the content destination to the content provider upon selection of the content provider identifier, the content provider providing the at least one available content identifier to the user.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the content destination communicates an HTML request associated with the available content identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, which comprises selectively communicating digital content associated with an available content identifier to the content destination independently of the content distributor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content provider identifiers are included in a communication between a content distributor and the content destination.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content provider identifiers are icons that visually identify an associated content provider.

10. The method of claim 1, which comprises selectively communicating digital content associated with an available content identifier via a cable head-end of a cable network to the content destination.

11. The method of claim 10, which comprises:

receiving digital content via a content distribution network at the cable head-end, the digital content being communicated using a TCP/IP format; and

converting the digital content from the TCP/IP format to an MPEG format at the cable head-end.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting is done on-the-fly.

13. The method of claim 1, which comprises communicating the user selection to a digital rights network.

14. A method to provide digital content on a media terminal, the method including:

receiving a plurality of content provider identifiers via a content distribution network, each content provider identifier being to identify an associated content provider;

generating a graphic user interface to display the content provider identifiers to a user on a display device;

monitoring selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers by a user;

communicating a request associated with the a selected content provider;

receiving at least one available content identifier that identifies digital content available from the content provider;

generating a graphic user interface to display the available content identifiers to the user on the display device.

15. The method of claim 14, which comprises;

monitoring selection of an available content identifier by the user; and

communicating an HTML request associated with an available content identifier to a content provider.

16. A machine-readable medium for storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

provide a plurality content provider identifiers to a content destination for display on a display device, wherein each content provider identifier is associated with a content provider;

monitor user selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers; and

communicate at least one available content identifier to the content destination in response to the user selection of a content provider identifier, the available content identifier being associated with the content provider identifier.

17. A system to provide digital content to a content destination, the system comprising:

a plurality of digital content providers;

a content distribution network; and

a plurality of media terminals, wherein

a plurality of content provider identifiers are provided via the content distribution network to the media terminal for display on a display device, each content provider identifier being associated with one of the plurality of digital content providers; and

user selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers is monitored and, in response to the user selection of the content provider identifier, at least one available content identifier is communicated to the media terminal, the available content identifier being associated with the content provider identifier.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of content providers communicate digital content via content distribution network to a cable head-end in response to the user selection.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein digital content is communicated to the cable head-end using TCP/IP protocol, the system comprising a format converter provided at the cable head-end to convert the TCP/IP format to an MPEG format for communication to the user terminal via a cable network.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein an HTML request is generated in response to the user selection of a content provider identifier, the HTML request being communicated to a content provider associated with the selected content provider identifier which, in response thereto, communicates at least one available content identifier to a web browser of the media terminal.

21. A system to provide digital content to a content destination, the system comprising:

means to provide a plurality content provider identifiers to a media terminal for display on an associated display device, wherein each content provider identifier is associated with a content provider;

means to monitor user selection of one of the plurality of content provider identifiers; and

means to communicate at least one available content identifier to the media terminal in response to the user selection of a content provider identifier, the available content identifier being associated with the content provider identifier.