METHOD OF SENDING MEDIA PROGRAM INFORMATION TO A SUBSCRIBER AND NODES THEREFOR

• US 20080141306A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Foti, George
• Application Number:
  US11/608,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and nodes are introduced to allow pushing from a network towards an IP television (IPTV) terminal an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in an optimized manner. An IPTV server stores a personalized EPG based on a generic EPG and on a subscriber profile. Upon changes to the personalized EPG, its content is pushed towards the IPTV terminal. According to one aspect of the invention, only changes from what the IPTV terminal has previously stored are being pushed down, thereby saving signalling bandwidth. For that purpose, the EPG as well as a user profile are presented and stored in eXtendable Markup Language (XML) format, allowing the use of XML Configuration Access Protocol for performing changes to the user profile from a Home Subscriber Server. Changes are then pushed towards the IPTV terminal.

Claims

1. A method of updating media program information of a subscriber from a node storing a personalized electronic program guide (EPG) content, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a change condition affecting the personalized EPG content;

b. calculating changes to the personalized EPG content based on the change condition; and

c. sending towards the subscriber the changes to the personalized EPG content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

d. following step b. sending towards a terminal used by the subscriber a pointer for fetching the changes to the personalized EPG content; and

wherein step c. is responsive to receiving a request for fetching the changes to the personalized EPG content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the pointer is a uniform resource locator (URL).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a subscriber profile defines channels that the subscriber is authorized to access; and

the personalized EPG content is calculated by selecting from a generic EPG content the channels that the subscriber is authorized to access.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the change condition is an update to the subscriber profile; and

calculating changes to the personalized EPG content is based on the update.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the change condition is a new version of the generic EPG content; and

calculating changes to the personalized EPG content is based on the new version of the generic EPG content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the generic EPG content is overwritten at periodic intervals.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the changes to the personalized EPG content are sent following verification of a registered status of the subscriber.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the generic EPG content is received from an EPG server.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the subscriber profile is received from a home subscriber server (HSS).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the node storing the personalized EPG content is an internet protocol television (IPTV) server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the personalized EPG content is stored responsive to receiving an indication that the subscriber has registered in an internet protocol multimedia service (IMS) network.

13. An internet protocol television (IPTV) server storing a personalized electronic program guide (EPG) content, comprising:

an input port for receiving a change condition affecting the personalized EPG content;

a processor for calculating changes to the personalized EPG content based on the change condition;

an output port for sending towards the subscriber the changes to the personalized EPG content; and

a control logic for instructing the processor to calculate the changes to the personalized EPG content, and for instructing the output port to send the changes to the personalized EPG content.

14. The IPTV server of claim 13, wherein:

after calculation of the changes to the personalized EPG content, the control logic instructs the output port to send towards the subscriber a pointer for fetching the changes to the personalized EPG content.

15. The IPTV server of claim 14, wherein:

the pointer are is a uniform resource locator (URL).

16. The IPTV server of claim 14, wherein:

the input port further receives a request for fetching the changes to the personalized EPG content; and

the control logic, responsive to the request, instructs the output port to send the changes to the personalized EPG content.

17. The IPTV server of claim 13, further comprising:

a memory for storing a generic EPG content, the memory further comprising a table for storing subscriber entries, wherein each subscriber entry comprises a subscriber profile and the personalized EPG content; and

wherein the personalized EPG content is calculated by the processor based on the generic EPG content and on the subscriber profile.

18. The IPTV server of claim 17, further comprising:

a timer for periodically sending a time out signal to the control logic;

wherein the control logic, responsive to the time out signal, instructs the output port to send a request for fetching the generic EPG content towards an EPG server.

19. The IPTV server of claim 17, wherein:

the change condition is a receipt of a new generic EPG version;

the input port informs the control logic of the receipt of a new generic EPG version; and

the control logic instructs the processor to calculate the changes to the personalized EPG contents for each of the subscriber entries based on the new generic EPG version.

20. The IPTV server of claim 19, wherein:

the input port further receives registration information for a given subscriber;

responsive to the receipt of the registration information for the given subscriber, the control logic stores in the memory a status for the given subscriber; and

the control logic instructs the output port to send the changes to the personalized EPG content towards the given subscriber upon verification of the status.

21. The IPTV server of claim 17, wherein:

the change condition is an update to the subscriber profile;

the control logic instructs the processor to calculate changes to the personalized EPG content based on the update; and

the control logic refreshes in the subscriber entry the subscriber profile and further refreshes the personalized EPG content based on the changes to the personalized EPG content.

22. The IPTV server of claim 17, wherein:

the input port further receives registration information for the subscriber;

the control logic, responsive to the registration information, instructs the output port to fetch the subscriber profile from a home subscriber server (HSS); and

the input port further receives the subscriber profile.

23. An internet protocol television (IPTV) terminal, comprising:

a memory for storing an electronic program guide (EPG) content;

an input port for receiving changes to the EPG content;

a processor for calculating a new version of the EPG content based on the EPG content and on the changes to the EPG content; and

a control logic for instructing the processor to calculate a new version of the EPG content and for storing in the memory the new version of the EPG content.

24. The IPTV terminal of claim 23, further comprising:

an output port for sending messages towards uniform resource locators (URL), wherein;

the input port receives a first URL;

the control logic instructs the output port to send towards the first URL a request for fetching the EPG content;

the input port receives a second URL; and

the control logic instructs the output port to send towards the second URL a request for fetching the changes to the EPG content.

25. The IPTV terminal of claim 23, further comprising:

a user interface for receiving a power on command; and

an output port for sending a registration signal towards an internet protocol multimedia (IMS) network;

wherein the control logic, responsive to the power on command, instructs the output port to send the registration signal.

26. The IPTV terminal of claim 23, further comprising:

a user interface for receiving a request for changing a subscriber profile; and

an output port for forwarding towards the IPTV server the request for changing the subscriber profile;

wherein the control logic instructs the output port to forward the request for changing the subscriber profile.

27. The IPTV terminal of claim 26, wherein:

the user interface further presents the EPG content to a user.

28. The IPTV terminal of claim 23, wherein:

the IPTV terminal is a set top box.