CHANNEL PATH DISPLAY OF A VIDEO NETWORK

• US 20090083800A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Qian, Jie, Hunniecutt, Tim, Puthalapat, Govinda
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2852 Metropolitan area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A device may receive selection of a channel provided by a video network, determine equipment, of the video network, associated with the selected channel, determine status information of the associated equipment, determine port level details of the associated equipment, combine the associated equipment, the status information, and the port level details into a path for the selected channel, and provide the selected channel path to a user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving selection of a channel provided by a video network;

determining equipment, of the video network, associated with the selected channel;

determining status information of the associated equipment;

determining port level details of the associated equipment;

combining the associated equipment, the status information, and the port level details into a path for the selected channel; and

providing the selected channel path to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, where providing the selected channel path comprises:

providing for display the selected channel path.

3. The method of claim 2, where displaying the selected channel path comprises:

providing for display the associated equipment; and

providing for display interconnections between the associated equipment that form the selected channel path.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing for display status information related to the associated equipment;

providing for display identification information related to the associated equipment; and

providing for display port level details of the associated equipment.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

highlighting connected ports of the associated equipment.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing an indicator based on a signal flow between the associated equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, where providing an indicator comprises:

color coding connected ports of the associated equipment based on the signal flow.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for display the selected channel path and the associated equipment; and

enabling scrolling of the selected channel path and the associated equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for display the selected channel path and the associated equipment; and

enabling a zoom operation on the associated equipment to display connection details of the associated equipment.

10. A device comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

processing logic to execute instructions in the memory to;

retrieve channel information and equipment information associated with a video network,

store the channel information and the equipment information in the memory,

receive selection of a channel provided by the video network,

determine equipment, of the video network, associated with the selected channel and based on the channel information and the equipment information,

determine status information of the associated equipment based on the equipment information,

determine port level details of the associated equipment based on the equipment information,

combine the associated equipment, the status information, and the port level details into a path for the selected channel, and

provide the selected channel path to a user.

11. The device of claim 10, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide for display the selected channel path.

12. The device of claim 10, where the memory comprises a database that stores the channel information and the equipment information.

13. The device of claim 12, where the processing logic determines the associated equipment, the status information, and the port level details by further executing instructions in the memory to:

query the channel information and the equipment information in the database.

14. The device of claim 10, where the video network comprises a television network.

15. The device of claim 14, where the television network comprises an interconnected super head end (SHE), video hub office (VHO), and video service office (VSO).

16. The device of claim 15, where the SHE, the VHO, and the VSO comprise a portion of the associated equipment.

17. The device of claim 10, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide for display the associated equipment; and

provide for display interconnections between the associated equipment that form the selected channel path.

18. The device of claim 17, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide for display status information related to the associated equipment;

provide for display identification information related to the associated equipment; and

provide for display port level details of the associated equipment.

19. The device of claim 17, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

highlight connected ports of the associated equipment.

20. The device of claim 17, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide an indicator based on a signal flow between the associated equipment.

21. The device of claim 17, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

color code connected ports of the associated equipment based on a signal flow between the associated equipment.

22. The device of claim 10, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide for display the selected channel path and the associated equipment; and

enable scrolling of the selected channel path and the associated equipment.

23. The device of claim 10, where the processing logic further executes instructions in the memory to:

provide for display the selected channel path and the associated equipment; and

enable a zoom operation on the associated equipment to display additional or fewer connection details of the associated equipment.

24. A system comprising:

means for receiving selection of a channel provided by a video network;

means for determining equipment, of the video network, associated with the selected channel;

means for determining status information of the associated equipment;

means for determining port level details of the associated equipment;

means for combining the associated equipment, the status information, and the port level details into a path for the selected channel; and

means for providing the selected channel path to the user.