TRACKING AND PROVIDING AVAILABILITY STATUS OF PERSONAL BI-DIRECTIONAL SERVICES

• US 20090193468A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: RODRIGUEZ, ARTURO A.
• Application Number:
  US12/389,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20090193468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/51
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for accessing services in a television system. In one embodiment, a DHCT presents a subscriber an EPG presentation containing a plurality of selectable bi-directional services that are purchasable for a period of time and rendered to a buying subscriber on an individualized basis as offered by the cable television system. The subscriber navigates an EPG menu presentation with an input device such as a remote control device and selects a purchasable service by choosing the visual representation that corresponds to the desired service. The DHCT receives the user input, translates the selected command into an executable program call that queries service availability and, if the service is available, initiates the selected bi-directional audiovisual service on a personalized session.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

enabling access by a first digital home communication terminal (DHCT) to a first bi-directional audiovisual service (BDAVS), the DHCT residing in a cable television network (CTN), the first BDAVS comprising a live, personalized communication session between a user associated with the first DHCT and a person located remote from the first DHCT; and

providing first information and second information to the first DHCT, the first information of a first type and the second information of a second type different than the first type, the first and second information corresponding to the first BDVAS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information corresponds to the availability of the first BDVAS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first information and the second information comprises providing the second information asynchronously and the first information periodically.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first information and the second information comprises providing the second information more frequently than the first information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information comprises a table of entries, each entry respectively associated with a respective bi-directional audiovisual service among a plurality of bi-directional audiovisual services, the plurality of bi-directional audiovisual services including the first BDVAS.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each bi-directional audiovisual service has an index number for which the table can be rapidly be indexed with a number corresponding to the bi-directional audiovisual service, and each entry respectively indicating whether a bi-directional audiovisual service is available at a selected time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information comprises an indication of a quantity of instantiations of the first BDVAS.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the indication of the quantity of instantiations of the first BDVAS.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a request for an instantiation of the first BDVAS by a second DHCT;

responsive to a request, withholding a grant of access to the first BDVAS and determining whether the quantity of instantiations is exhausted; and

responsive to the determination that the quantity is exhausted, denying access by the second DHCT.