CONTENT SYNDICATION TO SET TOP BOX THROUGH IP NETWORK

• US 20090007176A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Kurt, Selvadurai, Gnanasegeran, Casey, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,752,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

Tools are provided for supporting content syndication to a set top box. The set top box requests a syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times, and receives the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“IP”) network. Hence, a syndicated feed is distributed to the set top box that subscribes to the syndicated feed. Additionally, the set top box converts the syndicated feed for use by the set top box, and causes at least one image based at least in part on the syndicated feed to be displayed on a display device for a user.

Claims

1. A method of supporting content syndication to a set top box, wherein a syndicated feed is distributed to the set top box that subscribes to the syndicated feed, the method comprising:

requesting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times;

receiving, at the set top box, the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network;

converting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed for use by the set top box;

displaying at least one image on a display device for a user, wherein the at least one image is based at least in part on the syndicated feed;

wherein the syndicated feed is formatted as an XML document;

wherein the set top box comprises a user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds;

wherein the set top box is pre-configured to subscribe to at least one syndicated feed, the at least one syndicated feed being a syndicated feed in the user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds;

wherein the user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds includes a location from which each syndicated feed in the user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds could be requested, and wherein a location can include a primary location and an alternate location; and

providing a user interface for the user to select a syndicated feed from a list of syndicated feeds, the list of syndicated feeds comprising;

a first syndicated feed that comprises a billing statement;

a second syndicated feed that comprises an Internet based web feed and is distributed publicly;

a third syndicated feed that comprises an Electronic Programming Guide;

a fourth syndicated feed that comprises a video feed;

a fifth syndicated feed that comprises an audio feed;

a sixth syndicated feed that comprises a video feed and an audio feed; and

a seventh syndicated feed that comprises an alert.

2. A method of supporting content syndication to a set top box, wherein a syndicated feed is distributed to the set top box that subscribes to the syndicated feed, the method comprising:

requesting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times;

receiving, at the set top box, the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network;

converting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed for use by the set top box; and

causing at least one image to be displayed on a display device for a user, wherein the at least one image is based at least in part on the syndicated feed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the image comprises at least a portion of the syndicated feed.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

tracking, at the set top box, whether the at least a portion of the syndicated feed has been viewed by the user.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a user interface for the user to modify a user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a user interface for the user to specify a location from which the syndicated feed could be requested.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a user input, via the user interface, at the set top box; and

requesting the syndicated feed based on the user input both immediately after receiving the user input and at the regularly scheduled times.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the set top box, a list of syndicated feeds, the list of syndicated feeds comprising;

a description of each syndicated feed in the list of syndicated feeds; and

a location from which each syndicated feed in the list of syndicated feeds could be requested;

providing a user interface for the user to select a syndicated feed from the list of syndicated feeds; and

adding the selected syndicated feed to a user'"'"'s list of syndicated feeds.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises a billing statement.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises an Internet based web feed that is distributed publicly.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises an Electronic Programming Guide.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein converting the syndicated feed to be used by the set top box comprises:

retrieving a list of preferred programming channels and a layout that is modifiable by the user; and

formatting the Electronic Programming Guide according to the list of preferred programming channels and the layout.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the syndicated feed comprises a video feed; and

a plurality of images is displayed for the video feed.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises Pay-Per-View programming.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises Video-On-Demand programming.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises an audio feed, the method further comprising playing an audio stream based at least in part on the syndicated feed, and wherein the image is associated with the audio stream.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises an audio feed and a video feed.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises a news alert.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending an instant message to notify the user of an update in the syndicated feed.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion of the syndicated feed that is displayed on the display device comprises a notification of an update in the syndicated feed.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing a personalized search at a master controller, wherein the syndicated feed comprises a result of the personalized search.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the syndicated feed comprises a video recording instruction, the method further comprising:

transmitting the video recording instruction to a digital video recorder.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the set top box comprises the digital video recorder.

24. A device for receiving a syndicated feed, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium in communication with the processor, the computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the device to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for requesting the syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times;

instructions for receiving, at the device, the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network;

instructions for converting, at the device, the syndicated feed for use by the device; and

instructions for causing at least one image to be displayed on a display device for a user, wherein the at least one image is based at least in part on the syndicated feed.

25. A system for supporting content syndication to a set top box, wherein a syndicated feed is distributed to the set top box that subscribes to the syndicated feed, the system comprising:

a display device;

a master controller; and

the set top box configured to;

request the syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times;

receive the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network;

convert the syndicated feed for use by the set top box; and

cause at least one image to be displayed on a display device for a user, wherein the at least one image is based at least in part on the syndicated feed.

26. A computer readable medium having encoded thereon a computer program comprising a set of instructions that are executable by a computer system to perform one or more operations to support content syndication to a set top box, wherein a syndicated feed is distributed to the set top box that subscribes to the syndicated feed, the set of instructions comprising:

instructions for requesting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed at regularly scheduled times;

instructions for receiving, at the set top box, the syndicated feed through an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) network;

instructions for converting, at the set top box, the syndicated feed for use by the set top box; and

instructions for causing at least one image to be displayed on a display device for a user, wherein the at least one image is based at least in part on the syndicated feed.