Methods and Systems for Capturing Commands

• US 20100083298A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphonso, Inc.
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brothers, Thomas Jefferson, Gray, James Harold
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Methods and systems capture user commands. A user command is received at a viewer'"'"'s appliance. A determination is made whether the user command is automatically locally stored in memory of the viewer appliance. A look-up is performed when the user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is require. When the look-up determines that local storage is required, then the user command is captured and locally stored for execution at the viewer appliance. When the look-up determines that local storage is not required, then the user command is forwarded to a remote location for remote storage in a network.

Claims

1. A method of capturing user commands, comprising:

receiving a user command at a viewer'"'"'s appliance;

determining whether the user command is automatically locally stored in memory of the viewer appliance;

performing a look-up when the user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is required;

when the look-up determines that local storage is required, then capturing and locally storing the user command and executing the user command at the viewer appliance; and

when the look-up determines that local storage is not required, then forwarding the user command to a remote location for remote storage in a network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forwarding the user command from the viewer'"'"'s appliance when the remote storage is determined.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forwarding information related to the user command to the remote location.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when both local storage and remote storage are required, then;

capturing and locally storing the user command and executing the user command at the viewer appliance; and

forwarding the user command to the remote location for remote storage in the network.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising redundantly storing the user command in the memory of the viewer appliance when remote storage is determined.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining whether the user command occurred while receiving programming from a one-way network or a two-way network.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising locally storing the user command in the memory of the viewer appliance when the user command occurred while receiving programming from the one-way network.

8. A system for capturing user commands, comprising:

a reception mechanism receiving a user command at a viewer'"'"'s appliance;

a transfer mechanism determining whether the user command is automatically locally stored in memory of the viewer appliance, and the transfer mechanism performing a look-up when the user command is not automatically locally stored in the viewer appliance to determine if local storage is required;

when the transfer mechanism determines that local storage is required, then the reception mechanism captures and locally stores the user command for execution at the viewer appliance; and

when the transfer mechanism determines that local storage is not required, then the reception mechanism forwards the user command to a remote location for remote storage in a network.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the transfer mechanism forwards the user command from the viewer'"'"'s appliance when the remote storage is determined.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the transfer mechanism forwards information related to the user command to the remote location.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein when both local storage and remote storage are required, then:

the reception mechanism captures and locally stores the user command for execution at the viewer appliance; and

the transfer mechanism forwards the user command to the remote location for remote storage in the network.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the reception mechanism redundantly stores the user command in the memory of the viewer appliance when remote storage is determined.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the reception mechanism determines whether the user command occurred while receiving programming from a one-way network or a two-way network.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the reception mechanism locally stores the user command in the memory of the viewer appliance when the user command occurred while receiving programming from the one-way network.

15. A method of capturing user commands, comprising:

receiving a user command at a video switch that was forwarded from a viewer appliance;

determining by the video switch whether the first command is to be remotely stored at a network location;

when remote storage is determined, then capturing and forwarding the user command to the network location; and

when remote storage is not determined, then declining network storage and executing the user command at the video switch.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising receiving information related to the user command that was also forwarded from the viewer appliance.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining whether the user command occurred while the viewer appliance received programming from a one-way network or a two-way network.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising remotely storing the user command at the network location when the user command occurred while receiving programming from the one-way network.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising matching the user command to a profile of a viewer.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising receiving and storing a time stamp associated with the user command.