METHODS, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING A MEDIA FILE TO A DESIGNATED SET-TOP BOX

• US 20110179439A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• 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: Elbarky, Mahmoud
• Granted Patent: US 8,839,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• 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 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• 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 21/4788 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods of providing a media file include receiving the media file and an identification of a destination set-top box for the media file at a server device. The received media file is transmitted from the server device to the identified set-top box in an Internet protocol television (IPTV) multimedia format.

Claims

1. A method of providing a media file, comprising:

at a source set-top box, identifying the media file and receiving a request to add a destination set-top box to a contact list of a user;

after identifying the media file and after receiving the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list, transmitting a request to the destination set-top box to validate the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list;

receiving a response from the destination set-top box responsive to the request that was transmitted to the destination set-top box, the response comprising a denial or an acceptance;

automatically adding the destination set-top box to the contact list when the response is an acceptance; and

automatically sending the media file to the destination set-top box when the response is an acceptance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media file is sent from the source set-top box in an Internet protocol television multimedia format.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising converting the media file to the Internet protocol television multimedia format at the source set-top box.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the media file comprises storing the media file in a memory of the source set-top box.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the media file comprises:

receiving a request to provide the media file from the user at the source set-top box.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list comprises providing an identification of the destination set-top box.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein automatically sending the media file comprises automatically sending the media file that was converted to the destination set-top box.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining the contact list at the source set-top box without change when the response is a denial.

9. A method of providing a media file, comprising:

receiving a request to provide an identified media file from a user at a source set-top box and receiving a request to add a destination set-top box to a contact list of the user at the source set-top box;

after receiving the request to provide the identified media file and after receiving the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list, transmitting a request to the destination set-top box to validate the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list;

receiving a response from the destination set-top box responsive to the request that was transmitted to the destination set-top box, the response comprising a denial or an acceptance;

adding the destination set-top box to the contact list when the response is an acceptance; and

transmitting the identified media file to the destination set-top box in an Internet protocol television multimedia format when the response was an acceptance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identified media file is received from the source set-top box in an Internet protocol television multimedia format.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the identified media file is followed by converting the identified media file to an Internet protocol television multimedia format at the server device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the following carried out after receiving the request to provide the identified media file and after receiving the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list and before transmitting the identified media file:

transmitting an authorization request to the destination set-top box when the response to the request to the destination set-top box to validate the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list is an acceptance; and

receiving a response to the authorization request;

wherein transmitting the identified media file comprises transmitting the identified media file based on the response to the authorization request that was received.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the identified media file based on the response to the authorization request that was received is preceded by:

determining if the destination set-top box has sufficient memory space available to receive the identified media file; and

requesting that the destination set-top box make sufficient memory space available when it is determined that the destination set-top box does not have sufficient memory space available to receive the identified media file.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the identified media file is received from the user and wherein receiving a response to the authorization request is followed by notifying the user that the identified media file has not been provided to the destination set-top box when the response to the authorization request that was received does not authorize transmitting the media file to the destination set-top box.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the identified media file is received from the user and wherein receiving a response to the request is followed by notifying the user that the identified media file has not been provided to the destination set-top box when the response to the authorization request that was received is a denial.

16. A computer program product for providing a media file, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code when executed by a computer being configured to cause the computer to perform operations comprising;

at a source set-top box, identifying the media file and receiving a request to add a destination set-top box to a contact list of a user;

after the media filed is identified and after the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list is received, transmitting a request to the destination set-top box to validate the request to add the destination set-top box to the contact list;

receiving a response from the destination set-top box responsive to the request that was transmitted to the destination set-top box, the response comprising a denial or an acceptance;

automatically adding the destination set-top box to the contact list when the response is an acceptance; and

automatically sending the identified media file to the destination set-top box when the response is an acceptance.