Methods and Apparatus for Enabling Media Functionality in a Content-Based Network

• US 20110090898A1
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yu, Jian, Shah, Mehul, Miller, Scott, Patel, Vipul
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing unified access to interactive media applications and services in a network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a content-based network such as a cable television or satellite network, and the applications are disposed at the network headend. A servlet is provided to facilitate communication between the applications and client devices. The servlet acts as a proxy for applications utilizing a different content format than the client devices. The applications obtain data from e.g., an internet host server via a gateway device. The client application(s) may comprise Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) pages, and are configured so as to permit use via a common interface (e.g., the user'"'"'s set top box and television display). These client applications enable a user to, for example, search the internet for data relating to displayed content, post and navigate micro-blogs, instant messaging or SMS, making telephone calls (e.g., VoIP), address/contact management, or provide the user with additional information about a product or service. An application providing internet content to the client device is also provided.

Claims

1. A method of operating a content based network so as to provide a substantially unified user interface environment for a plurality of different applications and services, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of media applications;

rendering user interfaces associated with said plurality of applications on a user premises display device via communication between user premises equipment and a network servlet associated with said plurality of applications;

receiving requests for said services from said user premises equipment; and

in response to said requests, providing services associated with said applications to a user of said premises equipment via said user interfaces.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different media applications comprise at least:

(i) a text or SMS application;

(ii) an address book or contact management application; and

(iii) a telephony application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said user premises equipment comprises an EBIF (Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format)-compatible application, and said method further comprises converting one or more content elements requested by said user as part of said services into an EBIF-compatible format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said applications is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) compliant, and said method further comprises mapping at least one HTTP-based message sent during operation of said at least one application into a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) communication.

5. A content-based network architecture for providing interactive media applications to a plurality of user devices, comprising:

a server entity disposed at a headend of said network, said server entity running at least one proxy application;

a plurality of interactive media applications; and

a plurality of user devices, said user devices in communication with said server entity via said network and each running at least a client application for displaying individual ones of said plurality of interactive media applications;

wherein said client application is adapted to enable said interaction and said display of one or more of said plurality of interactive media applications via communication with said proxy application.

6. The network architecture of claim 5, wherein said plurality of interactive media applications are disposed at a headend entity of said content-based network.

7. The network architecture of claim 5, wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive media applications is adapted to request and receive data from the Internet.

8. The network architecture of claim 7, further comprising a gateway device in communication with said plurality of interactive media applications and adapted to request and receive said Internet data from one or more internet host servers on behalf of said one or more plurality of interactive media applications.

9. The network architecture of claim 8, wherein said gateway device is further adapted to convert said data received from said one or more internet host servers from a first media file container format to a second media file container format employed by said user devices.

10. The network architecture of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of interactive media applications enables a user to perform at least searching, viewing, and posting Internet data.

11. The network architecture of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of interactive media applications enables data to be sent to or from a client device not in communication with said network.

12. The network architecture of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of interactive media applications enables a user to store a plurality of contact information.

13. The network architecture of claim 5, wherein said one or more of said plurality of interactive applications comprise applications utilizing a different content format than is used by said user devices, said server entity being further adapted to translate from said content format of said applications to said content format of said user devices.

14. The network architecture of claim 13, wherein said translation from said content format of said applications to said content format of said user devices comprises transcoding from one digital encoding format to a second, different digital encoding format having a different level of compression than said first format.

15. The network architecture of claim 5, wherein said one or more of said plurality of interactive applications comprise applications utilizing a content format also used by said user devices, said proxy application notifying said user devices of the ability to directly communicate with said applications.

16. For use in a content-based network, a proxy server apparatus comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate with a plurality of client devices via said network;

a second interface configured to communicate with a plurality of media applications disposed on one or more devices of said network; and

a processor configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program adapted to;

receive a request from one of said plurality of client devices to access one of said plurality of media applications;

determine whether said requested media application is compatible with said requesting client device;

if said requested media application is compatible with said requesting client device, refer said client device to said requested application for substantially direct communication therebetween; and

if said requested media application is not compatible with said requesting client device, facilitate communication therebetween via at least one proxy process.

17. The proxy server apparatus of claim 16, wherein said act of facilitating communication comprises:

receiving a communication in a first encoding format;

converting said communication to a second encoding format; and

transmitting said converted communication.

18. The proxy server apparatus of claim 16, wherein said determination of whether said requested media application is compatible with said requesting client device is based at least in part on:

(i) the capabilities of said client device, and (ii) the content format utilized by said requested media application.

19. The proxy server apparatus of claim 16, wherein said referral comprises notifying said client device of at least one means for contacting said requested media application.

20. The proxy server apparatus of claim 16, wherein said one of said plurality of client devices and said requested application each are SIP-enabled, and said referral comprises utilizing a SIP “

REFER”

method.

21. For use in a content based network comprising a plurality of media applications, client premises equipment (CPE), said CPE comprising:

a network interface receiving a plurality of content for display;

a display device displaying said plurality of content; and

a processor, said processor having at least one software process running thereon and configured to;

request access to at least one of said plurality of media applications;

receive one or more pages associated with said at least one media, application; and

direct said display device to display said one or more pages simultaneously with said display of said content.

22. The CPE of claim 21, wherein said software process is further configured to communicate one or more interactions with said one or more pages of said at least one media application to said at least one media application and receive in response thereto one or more updated pages for display.

23. The CPE of claim 21, wherein said CPE comprises an OCAP (OpenCable) compliant set-top box having at least one tuner, demodulator, and middleware and wherein said network interface comprises said at least one tuner and is adapted to receive a quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) radio frequency in-band channel.

24. The CPE of claim 21, wherein said network interface comprises at least one out-of-band channel for transmitting said request.

25. The CPE of claim 21, wherein said software process comprises an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) user agent and said plurality of media applications comprise EBIF applications.

26. For use in a cable television network, a method of enabling communication between a client device of said network and an interactive media application disposed at a headend of said network, said method comprising:

receiving a request from said client device to access said interactive media application;

determining one or more capabilities of said client device;

determining whether said interactive media application is compatible with said one or more capabilities of said client device;

if said interactive media application utilizes a content format which is also used by said client device, sending said client device information enabling said client device to communicate directly to said interactive media application; and

if said interactive media application utilizes a content format which is not also used by said client device, translating communications between a format used by said interactive media application and a format used by said client device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising establishing a connection to at least one data source via the Internet, said content source providing at least a portion of data used by said media application.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said interactive media application comprises an application enabling a user to search and view information from the Internet.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said interactive media application comprises an application enabling additional information about a product or service to be sent to one or more devices not in said cable-television network.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said interactive media application comprises an application enabling a user to send and receive instant messages or SMS messages at said client device.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said interactive media application comprises an application enabling a user to make digital telephone calls from said client device.