Method and system for directing the download of software and firmware objects over a network such as a cable television system

• US 20050091699A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Christopher Poli, Christopher S. Del Sordo, Dave Prezuhy, Douglas S. Makofka, Ira S. Lehrman, Jack Birnbaum, Thomas F. Bates IV
• Inventors: Del Sordo, Christopher S., Poli, Christopher, Makofka, Douglas S., Prezuhy, Dave, Birnbaum, Jack, Bates, Thomas F. IV, Lehrman, Ira S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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

Abstract

A Download Control Message instructs a set-top terminal in a cable television system to located and immediately begin downloading a code or other data object available over the cable system. The Download Control Message specifies, for example, the size, name, version and location (URL or transport stream and PID) of the object to be acquired by the set-top terminal. The terminal accordingly can begin immediate acquisition of the object. An address or other characteristic associated with the Download Control Message allows the system operator to target the Message to a particular set-top terminal or group of terminals.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the downloading of code and data objects by a set-top terminal in a cable television system, the method comprising transmitting a download control message to said set-top terminal, wherein said download control message specifies an object to be downloaded, a ROMable size of said object indicating a total amount of memory said object will occupy once downloaded and a location of said object such that said set-top terminal is enabled to commence downloading said object upon receipt of said download control message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a channel of a transport stream on which said object is transmitted and a packet identifier identifying data packets of said object within said transport stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a URL at which said object is stored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said object is a programming code object for execution by said set-top terminal, said method further comprising downloading said code object in accordance with said download control message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said download control message further specifies an entitlement control data structure associated with said programming code object, said method further comprising downloading said entitlement control data structure in accordance with said download control message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising authenticating and authorizing said downloaded code object using said downloaded entitlement control data structure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message; and

terminating said downloading if a timer exceeds a set limit prior to receipt of a next successive data packet of said object.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying, with said download control message, an operating environment of said set-top terminal in which said terminal is to respond to said download control message; and

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message only if said set-top terminal is in said operating environment specified by said download control message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding said download control message in an entitlement management message that is transmitted from a headend facility to said set-top terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying with said download control message an address or characteristic of said set-top terminal; and

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message only if said set-top terminal bears an address or characteristic matching the address or characteristic specified in said download control message.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said object upon download in volatile memory or non-volatile memory in accordance with data in said download control message.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein said ROMable size of said object is a size of said object as encapsulated and not including a size of a static variable required for operation of said object.

11. A system for controlling the downloading of code and data objects by a set-top terminal in a cable television system, the system comprising:

a set-top terminal connected to a cable television system; and

means for transmitting a download control message to said set-top terminal;

wherein said download control message specifies an object to be downloaded, a size of said object indicating an amount of memory said object will occupy when downloaded and a location of said object such that said set-top terminal is enabled to commence downloading said object upon receipt of said download control message; and

wherein said code or data object is added to firmware of said set-top terminal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a channel of a transport stream on which said object is transmitted and a packet identifier identifying data packets of said object within said transport stream.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a URL at which said object is stored.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said object is a programming code object for execution by said set-top terminal, and said set-top terminal further comprises means for downloading said code object in accordance with said download control message.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said download control message further specifies an entitlement control data structure associated with said programming code object, and said set-top terminal further comprises means for downloading said entitlement control data structure in accordance with said download control message.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said set-top terminal further comprises means for authenticating and authorizing said downloaded code object using said downloaded entitlement control data structure.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein said set-top terminal further comprises:

means for downloading said object in accordance with said download control message; and

means for terminating said downloading if a timer exceeds a set limit prior to receipt of a next successive data packet of said object.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein:

said download control message further specifies an operating environment of said set-top terminal in which said terminal is to respond to said download control message; and

said set-top terminal will download said object in accordance with said download control message only if said set-top terminal is in said operating environment specified by said download control message.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein said download control message is embedded in an entitlement management message that is transmitted from a headend facility to said set-top terminal.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein:

said download control message specifies an address or characteristic of said set-top terminal; and

said set-top terminal further comprises means for comparing said address or characteristic from said download control message to an address or characteristic of said set-top terminal, wherein said set-top terminal downloads said object in accordance with said download control message only if said address or characteristic of said set-top terminal matching the address or characteristic specified in said download control message.

33. The system of claim 11, wherein said download control message specifies whether a downloaded object should be stored in volatile or non-volatile memory.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said download control message specifies whether said downloaded object can be stored in Flash memory.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said download control message specifies whether said downloaded object must be stored at a particular address within Flash memory.

37. The system of claim 11, wherein said download control message specifies whether the set-top terminal is to purge older versions said data object from memory.

38. The system of claim 17, wherein download control message specifies said set limit for said timer.

39. The system of claim 11, wherein download control message specifies multiple objects to be downloaded by said set-top terminal.

21. A method of controlling the downloading of code and data objects by a set-top terminal in a cable television system, wherein said set-top terminal executes firmware, the method comprising:

transmitting a download control message to said set-top terminal, wherein said download control message specifies an object to be downloaded, a size of said object so that memory can be allocated for said object and a location of said object such that said set-top terminal is enabled to commence downloading said object upon receipt of said download control message; and

adding said code or data object to the firmware of said set-top terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said code or data object is not part of an enhancement of television programming being received by said set-top terminal.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a channel of a transport stream on which said object is transmitted and a packet identifier identifying data packets of said object within said transport stream.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said location of said object specified by said download control message includes a URL at which said object is stored.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said object is a programming code object for execution by said set-top terminal, said method further comprising downloading said code object in accordance with said download control message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said download control message further specifies an entitlement control data structure associated with said programming code object, said method further comprising downloading said entitlement control data structure in accordance with said download control message.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising authenticating and authorizing said downloaded code object using said downloaded entitlement control data structure.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message; and

terminating said downloading if a timer exceeds a set limit prior to receipt of a next successive data packet of said object.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

specifying, with said download control message, an operating environment of said set-top terminal in which said terminal is to respond to said download control message; and

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message only if said set-top terminal is in said operating environment specified by said download control message.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising embedding said download control message in an entitlement management message that is transmitted from a headend facility to said set-top terminal.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

specifying with said download control message an address or characteristic of said set-top terminal; and

downloading said object in accordance with said download control message only if said set-top terminal bears an address or characteristic matching the address or characteristic specified in said download control message.