SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVELY DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION SERVICES

• US 20110072454A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Goode, Christopher, Knight, Stanley, Gordon, Donald, Van der Star, Jack, Chin, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An interactive information distribution system includes service provider equipment for generating an information stream that is coupled to an information channel and transmitted to subscriber equipment. The service provider also generates a command signal that is coupled to a command channel and transmitted to the subscriber equipment. The service provider also receives information manipulation requests from the subscriber via a back channel. A communication network supporting the information channel, command channel and back channel is coupled between the service provider equipment and the subscriber equipment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for at least one program, said request comprising a unique device identifier assigned to a terminal;

assigning a randomly altered device identifier to said terminal;

associating each requested at least one program with a unique program identification number (PID); and

randomly assigning and altering each PID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning of the randomly altered device identifier is performed by a service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending each PID to a server storing said at least one program; and

receiving the requested at least one program from the server upon completion of comparing the received device identifier from the request to a stored device identifier to confirm the received device identifier and comparing a received user identifier included in the request to a stored user identifier to confirm the received user identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a database particular to a viewer associated with the request;

associating a user identifier of the viewer with at least one authorized menu tree; and

providing said at least one authorized menu tree to the viewer for browsing and selection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

randomly assigning and altering a user identifier associated with a viewer associated with the request.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing at least one application program that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to;

receive a request for at least one program, said request comprising a unique device identifier assigned to a terminal;

assign a randomly altered device identifier to said terminal;

associate each requested at least one program with a unique program identification number (PID); and

randomly assign and alter each PID.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

send each PID to a server storing said at least one program; and

receive the requested at least one program from the server upon completion of comparing the received device identifier from the request to a stored device identifier to confirm the received device identifier and comparing a received user identifier included in the request to a stored user identifier to confirm the received user identifier.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

maintain a database particular to a viewer associated with the request;

associate a user identifier of the viewer with at least one authorized menu tree; and

provide said at least one authorized menu tree to the viewer for browsing and selection.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

randomly assign and alter a user identifier associated with a viewer associated with the request.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive a reference clock signal;

modulate at least one data stream comprising said at least one program based on the received reference clock signal; and

transmit the modulated data stream to the terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an oscillator source phase-locked to the reference clock signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a first modulator configured to send the requested at least one program at a first modulation frequency via a forward channel at a first instance of time; and

a second modulator configured to send the requested at least one program at a second modulation frequency different from the first modulation frequency via the forward channel at a second instance of time different from the first instance of time,

wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to;

instruct the terminal to decode from the second modulator during the second instance of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

allocate at least one channel to the terminal based on a load associated with the terminal relative to a load associated with at least one other terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

open a session for the terminal responsive to receiving the request for the at least one program.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive an input indicating that a pause was selected by a viewer associated with the request;

determine that the selection of the pause exceeds a threshold amount of time; and

terminate the session responsive to determining that the selection of the pause exceeds the threshold amount of time.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said requested at least one program comprises data stream packets containing the received device identifier, and wherein at least one of the data stream packets is of a fixed length.

17. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one control channel modem configured to send the requested at least one program via a forward channel to the terminal using a broadcast mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one control channel modem configured to send the requested at least one program via a forward channel to the terminal using one of a narrowcast mode and a pointcast mode.

19. A memory storing at least one application program that, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to:

receive a request for at least one program, said request comprising a unique device identifier assigned to a terminal;

assign a randomly altered device identifier to said terminal;

associate each requested at least one program with a unique program identification number (PID); and

randomly assign and alter each PID.

20. The memory of claim 19, wherein the assigning of the randomly altered device identifier to said terminal occurs periodically when said at least one application program is executed by said apparatus.