Communication for One Way Devices

• US 20110289536A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gilson, Ross, Poder, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method of performing data communication upstream to the network central location is provided. A system and method for providing one way devices with video and/or services distributed using switched digital video can be provided. A system may include a one way device, a gateway device, a user operated communication device, and/or a network central location. Such systems and methods allow for greater functionality, customization and/or interactivity to users of one way devices, which do not communicate data from the one way device upstream to a network central location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a network device, a first message from a downstream gateway device associated with a downstream one way device, wherein the first message includes a command for an interactive service being provided to the one way device from the network device;

determining a command from the first message;

processing the interactive service according to the command; and

transmitting the processed interactive service to the one way device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the gateway device, a second message including data representing input received at a communication device associated with the one way device and the gateway device; and

transmitting, from the gateway device, the first message including the command, wherein the command corresponds to the data of the second message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one way device is a digital to analog device, the gateway device is a cable modem, and the user operated communication device is a remote control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive service is at least one of a video-on-demand service, an audio-on-demand service, an Internet browser service, and an electronic program guide service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed interactive service is transmitted as video for display on a display associated with the one way device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message further includes information related to the state of the one way device specifying at least one of a currently tuned frequency of the one way device and address information of the one way device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, at the network device, a session for the interactive service, wherein creating the session includes allocating resources for the interactive service and determining location information of the interactive service including at least one of a particular channel, frequency, and program identifier for transmitting the video of the interactive service; and

transmitting, from the network device, a force tune command to the one way device so the one way device tunes to the determined location information of the interactive service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein allocating resources for the interactive service includes allocating resources for a switched digital video channel.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an initialize session message from the gateway device,

wherein the session for the interactive service is created in response to the received initialize session message.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to allocating the resources for the interactive service session, transmitting the determined location information to the gateway device;

in response to receiving the location information at the gateway device, transmitting the location information to a user operated communication device associated with the gateway device and the one way device, wherein transmitting the location information causes the user operated communication device to poll the one way device for information including at least one of a current channel, frequency, and program identifier of the one way device, and determine whether the interactive session has been initialized by comparing the location information to the at least one of the current channel, frequency, and program identifier of the one way device.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a network device, the network device including a memory, and one or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to control operations of the network device so as to cause the network device to;

receive, at the network device, a message from a downstream gateway device associated with a downstream one way device, wherein the message includes a command for an interactive service being provided to the one way device from the network device;

determine the command from the message;

process the interactive service according to the command; and

transmit the processed interactive service to the one way device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the command of the message is data representing input received from a user at a communication device associated with the one way device and the gateway device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processed interactive service is transmitted as video for display on a display associated with the one way device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the message further includes information related to the state of the one way device specifying at least one of a currently tuned frequency of the one way device and address information of the one way device.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control operations of the network device so as to cause the network device to:

create, at the network device, a session for the interactive service, wherein creating the session includes allocating resources for the interactive service and determining location information of the interactive service including at least one of a particular channel, frequency, and program identifier for transmitting the video of the interactive service; and

transmit, from the network device, a force tune command to the one way device so the one way device tunes to the determined location information of the interactive service.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control operations of the network device so as to cause the network device to:

receive an initialize session message from the gateway device,

wherein the session for the interactive service is created in response to the received initialize session message.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a network device, a pre-allocation message from a downstream two-way device;

allocating resources for a switched digital video (SDV) channel according to the received pre-allocation message, wherein the resources allocated include at least one of a particular channel, frequency, program identifier, and timeframe for the SDV channel;

generating a SDV channel resource schedule based on the allocated resources for the switched digital video channel, wherein the SDV channel resource schedule includes at least one of the particular channel, frequency, and program identifier of the SDV channel; and

broadcasting the SDV channel resource schedule from the network device to a plurality of downstream devices, wherein the plurality of devices includes one or more one way devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network device periodically broadcasts the SDV channel resource schedule to the plurality of downstream devices.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that one or more resources for an allocated SDV channel needs to be changed, and, in response, transmitting a change request message from the network device to one or more two way devices of the plurality of downstream devices;

receiving a response from a first two way device of the one or more two way devices acknowledging the transmitted change request;

performing the determined change to the one or more resources of the allocated SDV channel; and

broadcasting an updated SDV channel resource schedule from the network device to the plurality of downstream devices, wherein the updated SDV channel resource schedule includes the changed SDV channel.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that one or more resources for an allocated SDV channel needs to be changed, and, in response, transmitting a first change request message from the network device to one or more two way devices of the plurality of downstream devices;

receiving a first set of one or more responses from the one or more two way devices acknowledging the transmitted first change request;

in response to receiving the first set of one or more responses, determining that a threshold number of responses have not been received by the network device acknowledging the first change request, and, in response, selecting a substitute allocated SDV channel to be changed instead;

transmitting a second change request message from the network device to the one or more two way devices;

receiving a second set of one or more responses from the one or more two way devices acknowledging the second change request;

in response to receiving the second set of one or more responses, determining that the threshold number of responses has been received by the network device acknowledging the second change request and, in response, performing the determined change to the one or more resources of the substitute SDV channel; and

broadcasting an updated SDV channel resource schedule from the network device to the plurality of downstream devices, wherein the updated SDV channel resource schedule includes the changed substitute SDV channel.