System and Method to Validate Restriction Event Control Streams Sent to a Video Distribution System

• US 20100251282A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

Systems and methods to validate restriction event control streams sent to a video distribution system are provided. A particular method includes receiving a control stream from a content provider via a content proxy device. The control stream is associated with a restriction event and directs a media service delivery platform to associate a substitute service with a virtual network for at least one geographical region. The method also includes evaluating validity of the control stream based on content proxy information associated with the content proxy device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a control stream, wherein the control stream is associated with a restriction event, and wherein the control stream directs a media service delivery platform to associate a substitute service with a virtual network for at least one geographical region; and

evaluating validity of the control stream based on content proxy information associated with a content proxy device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating validity of the control stream comprises checking that the content proxy information and virtual network information of the control stream correspond to associated content proxy information and virtual network information in a mapping table of the media service delivery platform.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a log entry in a database when the control stream is invalid.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert when the control stream is invalid.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the alert is provided to a user interface coupled to the media service delivery platform.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering an identifier of the substitute service into at least one entry of a substitution table, wherein the at least one entry corresponds to the virtual network and to each geographic region of the at least one geographic region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing an access table based at least in part on a portion of the substitution table to set-top box devices in the at last one geographical region; and

sending the substitute service to a set-top box device of the set-top box devices when the set-top box device tunes to a channel corresponding to the virtual network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute service comprises a still image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute service comprises a multimedia stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the control stream includes a retune stream, and the substitute service identified in the control stream is a media service to be associated with the virtual network when the restriction event ends.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the substitute service corresponds to a multicast group address of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the restriction event is a blackout in the at least one geographical region.

13. A system, comprising

at least one user interface viewable on a display device, the at least one user interface configured to enable entry of data to generate a content proxy to virtual network mapping table;

and

a media service delivery platform, the media service delivery platform comprising a computer-readable storage medium and a processor to receive control streams and to access the content proxy to virtual network mapping table to validate the control streams, wherein at least one control stream is associated with a restriction event and wherein the at least one control stream comprises restriction event instructions and a content proxy identifier of a content proxy that received the control stream from a content provider.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data comprises a content proxy identifier associated with each content proxy of a plurality of content proxies and a virtual network block associated with each content proxy identifier.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of content proxies coupled to the media service delivery platform, wherein the plurality of content proxies send the control streams to the media service delivery platform.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the media service delivery platform comprises at least one processor to validate the control streams, and wherein a particular control stream is identified as valid when a content proxy identifier and a virtual network identifier of the particular control stream correspond to an entry in the content proxy to virtual network mapping table.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the restriction event is a blackout of a sporting event in a particular geographical region.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the media service delivery platform updates a substitution table with data from valid control streams.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the media service delivery platform sends an alarm to the at least one user interface when an invalid control stream is identified.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

operational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive a control stream associated with a restriction event;

operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to compare content proxy information and virtual network information of the control stream with a content proxy and virtual network mapping table to evaluate whether the control stream is valid; and

operational instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate a substitution table when the control stream is identified as valid.