METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE VIA A BROADBAND GATEWAY

• US 20110302077A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lundgren, David, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Chen, Xuemin (Sherman), Diab, Wael William, Garrett, David, Prodan, Rich
• Application Number:
  US12/982,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302077A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 : for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 : involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 : Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1023 : Media gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 : in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 : Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 : Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 : Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 : Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 : involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• 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 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 : Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6106 : specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network
• 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 21/6371 : directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 : Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 : using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 : taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Aspects of a method and system for account maintenance via a broadband gateway are provided. In this regard, a subscriber associated with a gateway may have a plurality of subscriber accounts with a corresponding plurality of service/content providers. Information associated with the accounts may be stored in the gateway, and the gateway may present a user interface via which the subscriber may manage settings and balances associated with the accounts. The user interface may enable submitting a single payment such that funds from the single payment are applied to each of the accounts. Activity of the plurality of accounts may be displayed via the user interface. The gateway may be operable to monitor activity of one or more of the plurality of accounts. The gateway may be operable to generate one or more alerts based on the activity and based on criteria established for each of the plurality of accounts.

Claims

1. A method for networking, the method comprising:

in a broadband gateway that is operable to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a corresponding plurality of network access service providers;

storing information associated with a plurality of subscriber accounts, wherein;

said plurality of subscriber accounts are associated with a corresponding plurality of providers that are accessed via one or more of said physical layer connections; and

said plurality of providers comprises;

a plurality of service providers, a plurality of content providers, or a combination of one or more service providers and one or more content providers; and

presenting a user interface that a subscriber may interact with to manage financial transactions associated with said plurality of subscriber accounts.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said user interface enables submitting a single payment; and

funds from said single payment are applied to balances of each of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising displaying activity of each of said plurality of subscriber accounts via said user interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

monitoring activity of one or more of said plurality of subscriber accounts; and

generating one or more alerts based on said activity and based on criteria established for said one or more of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising displaying said one or more alerts in said user interface.

6. The method according to claim 4, comprising communicating said alerts to a plurality of electronic devices communicatively coupled to said broadband gateway.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said user interface enables said subscriber to manage settings for each of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said settings determine one or more of:

which electronic devices coupled to said broadband gateway are permitted access to said one or more of said plurality of accounts;

which users of said electronic devices are permitted access to said one or more of said plurality of accounts; and

usage limits for said one or more of said plurality of accounts.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising adding credits to a payment account based on one or both of:

use of said broadband gateway, and input provided by a user of one of said electronic devices coupled said broadband gateway

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said credits are utilized to pay down a balance of one or more of said plurality of accounts.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said user interface enables submitting a single payment; and

funds from said single payment are applied to balances of each of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to display activity of each of said plurality of subscriber accounts via said user interface.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to:

monitor activity of one or more of said plurality of subscriber accounts; and

generate one or more alerts based on said activity and based on criteria established for said one or more of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

15. The system according to claim 4, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to display said one or more alerts in said user interface.

16. The system according to claim 4, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to communicate said alerts to a plurality of electronic devices communicatively coupled to said broadband gateway.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein said user interface enables said subscriber to manage settings for each of said plurality of subscriber accounts.

18. The system according to claim 7, wherein said settings determine one or more of:

which electronic devices coupled to said broadband gateway are permitted access to said one or more of said plurality of accounts;

which users of said electronic devices are permitted access to said one or more of said plurality of accounts; and

usage limits for said one or more of said plurality of accounts.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to add credits to a payment account based on one or both of:

use of said broadband gateway, and input provided by a user of one of said electronic devices coupled said broadband gateway

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said credits are utilized to pay down a balance of one or more of said plurality of accounts

11. A system for networking, the system comprising:

one or more circuits for use in a broadband gateway, said one or more circuits being operable to;

handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a corresponding plurality of network access service providers;

store information associated with a plurality of subscriber accounts associated with each of a plurality of providers that are accessed via one or more of said physical layer connections, wherein said plurality of providers comprises;

a plurality of service providers, a plurality of content providers, or a combination of one or more service providers and one or more content providers; and

present a user interface that a subscriber may interact with to manage financial transactions associated with said plurality of subscriber accounts.