DIGITAL TELEVISION APPLICATION PROTOCOL FOR INTERACTIVE TELEVISION

• US 20090150966A1
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alain Delpuch, Jose Henrard, Matthew Huntington, Rachad Alao, Vincent Dureau, Waiman Lam
• Original Assignee: Alain Delpuch, Jose Henrard, Matthew Huntington, Rachad Alao, Vincent Dureau, Waiman Lam
• Inventors: Delpuch, Alain, Dureau, Vincent, Huntington, Matthew, Henrard, Jose, Lam, Waiman, Alao, Rachad
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A common communication language that can address all the applications running in a multitude of set top boxes (STBs) or client devices and application servers. The present invention, DATP protocol encapsulates a Meta language that provides a generic portable communication application programmer interface that requires light processor utilization and is well suited for a typical STB possessing limited processing power. DATP requires relatively few processing cycles compared to typical Internet communication protocols. DATP reduces the overhead of the communication protocol handler at the STB and makes the communication protocol handler common for all STBs applications. The preferred DATP protocol is portable for all STBs since it is written in a native language that interfaces with the underlying operating system of the STB. A SGW (SGW) performs as a DATP server. The SGW translates between DATP messages and standard communication protocols. SGW enables SP clients at STBs utilizing DATP to communicate with service applications using a variety of communication protocols. A content converter is provided to convert standard Web content into content suitable for display on a client-viewing device, e.g., a TV.

Claims

1. A method for providing communication in a distributed computer system comprising:

providing a client compatible communication transport protocol on a client device, the transport protocol residing on at least one of the client device data link, network, transport and session layers of a network model, for sending a message from the client device and receiving a message at the client device, the message containing at least one of application code, control, data, and audio/visual data; and

providing an application level communication protocol for transmission of a message between the client device and a server, the application level communication protocol running on top of the client compatible communication transport protocol.

2-120. -120. (canceled)