System and Method for Creating Electronic Guides Based on Presence and Group Membership

• US 20090222858A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Oda, Toshikane, Hjelm, Johan, Damola, Ayodele, Murakami, Shingo, Kasahara, Hajime
• Application Number:
  US12/039,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222858A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A network server comprises a controller that creates and distributes an electronic guide to the members of an affinity group based on the presence statuses of one or more of the group members. The electronic guide identifies the title and location of one or more media files stored in a home system of the group members. The group members may view the electronic guide, and select a media file to render on their own home system.

Claims

1. A method of creating an electronic guide for a group, the method comprising:

receiving presence updates from one or more group members, the presence updates including information about media content shared by the group members; and

generating an electronic guide for the group members, the electronic guide including the information about the shared media content.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising distributing the electronic guide to the group members.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein distributing the electronic guide to the group members comprises sending the electronic guide to one or more of the group members responsive to receiving a request for the electronic guide.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an electronic guide for the group members comprises compiling the information about the shared media content received from the group members responsive to receiving the presence update.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the information about the shared media content comprises a title of a shared media file stored at a home system of a group member.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the information about the shared media content further comprises a location in the home system where the shared media content is stored.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the information about the shared media content comprises a media type for the shared media content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic guide further includes authentication information that the group members use to authenticate requests for shared media content from the other group members.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the authentication information identifies one or more broadcast channels assigned to the group.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving profile information about the group members from a network server, and generating the electronic guide for the group members based at least in part on the received profile information.

11. A server in a communication network, the server comprising:

a communication interface; and

a controller configured to;

receive presence updates associated with a member of an affinity group via the communication interface, the presence updates including information about media content shared with the other members of the group; and

generate an electronic guide that includes the information about the shared media content for the group members.

12. The server of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to compile the information about the shared media content responsive to receiving the presence updates.

13. The server of claim 12 wherein the information about the shared media content identifies a media file stored at a home system associated with the group member.

14. The server of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to send the electronic guide to a user if the user is a member of the group.

15. The server of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to subscribe to receive presence updates associated with one or more of the group members.

16. The server of claim 11 wherein the electronic guide comprises at least one of an electronic program guide (EPG) and an electronic service guide (ESG).

17. The server of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to receive profile information about the group members from a network server and to generate the electronic guide based on the received profile information.

18. A method of creating an electronic guide for the members of a group, the method comprising:

identifying media content shared with members of an affinity group over a communication network; and

sending presence update messages that include information about the shared media content to a subscriber.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein sending presence updates to a subscriber comprises compiling the information about the shared media content and including the information in the presence updates.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the information about the shared media content comprises a title of a media file shared with the members of the affinity group.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the information further comprises a location of the shared media file stored on a device at a home system associated with a group member.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising receiving an electronic guide from a server in the communication network, the electronic guide including information about media content being shared by the other members of the affinity group.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the electronic guide includes authentication information, and further comprising authenticating a group member requesting media content based on the authentication information.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the authentication information identifies one or more broadcast channels assigned to the affinity group, and wherein the group member is authenticated if a request for the media content is received from the group member over one of the identified broadcast channels.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the authentication information comprises a signed Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with the requested media content.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising generating a request for shared media content from a group member, wherein the request includes a signed URI associated with the requested media content.

27. A communication device comprising:

an interface configured to communicate data with a subscriber;

a presence module configured to send presence update messages to the subscriber, the presence update messages including information about media content shared with members of an affinity group.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the information about the shared media content comprises a title of a shared media file stored by a group member.

29. The device of claim 27 wherein the information about the shared media content comprises a location of the shared media file at a home system associated with a group member.

30. The device of claim 27 wherein the presence module is further configured to receive updates about the shared media content from a media system associated with a group member.

31. The device of claim 27 wherein the device comprises a wireless communication device associated with a group member.

32. The device of claim 27 wherein the device comprises a server at a home media system of a group member.

33. The device of claim 27 wherein the device comprises a digital media rendering device at a home media system of a group member.

34. The device of claim 27 wherein the interface is further configured to receive an electronic guide identifying the shared media content of the members of the affinity group, and authentication information used by the device to authenticate a group member that requests the shared media content.