APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CATALOG DATA DISTRIBUTION

• US 20140215539A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chen, David, Patel, Vipul, Yu, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/96 CATV systems for accessing the Internet H04H60/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing enhanced catalog data capacity and functionality within a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an architecture configured to utilize an upstream out-of-band (OOB) channel for upstream catalog data request carriage, while a downstream in-band (IB) QAM is used for carriage of the catalog data issued by the network in response to the request. In another embodiment, the extant catalog structure is largely retained, yet modified so as to (i) eliminate redundancy within “barker” channel audio/video data delivery, and (ii) reduce the encoding resolution of the barker audio and/or video so as to utilize less bandwidth, thereby allowing enhanced capacity for catalog title expansion (and/or reduced latency in responding to catalog requests).

Claims

1. A method of operating a content distribution network having a plurality of users associated therewith, so as to provide content catalog services, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of catalog data streams;

associating each of the catalog data streams with a single secondary content channel;

forming the plurality of catalog streams and single secondary content streams into a common stream; and

delivering the common stream to each of the plurality of users, such that each of the users can access each of the catalog data streams and the single secondary content stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the single secondary content channel comprises a barker channel having at least one audio stream and at least one video stream.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content distribution network comprises a hybrid topology managed network selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, and (ii) a hybrid fiber copper (HFCu) network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the barker channel is configured to be rendered within some fraction of a full sized rendering device screen, and the method further comprises reducing an encoding resolution of at least one of the at least one audio stream and/or the at least one video stream prior to said forming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalog data streams are encoded using an MPEG-2 encoding process, and the common stream comprises a multiple program transport stream (MPTS).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating comprises configuring a program mapping table (PMT) with respect to each of the catalog data streams so as to share one or more program IDs (PIDs).

7. A method of operating a content distribution network having a plurality of users associated therewith, so as to provide content catalog data, the method comprising:

utilizing a first channel to carry a catalog data request originated from one of the plurality of users;

utilizing a catalog data service to carry a first portion of the catalog data accessible to the one user; and

utilizing a second channel to carry a second portion of the catalog data, the second portion corresponding to data requested by the one user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first portion is broadcast via the catalog data service to each of the plurality of users.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first channel comprises an upstream out-of-band (OOB) channel, and the second channel comprises an in-band (TB) content delivery QAM channel.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first portion comprises:

(i) barker channel content, and (ii) top-level catalog data.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the second portion further comprises addressing data specific to the consumer premises equipment (CPE) of the one user.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising filtering the second channel at the CPE so as to identify the second portion targeted for the CPE.

13. Network apparatus configured for delivery of catalog data to a plurality of users of the network, the apparatus comprising:

a catalog server configured to provide catalog data in response to a request from a user;

a data processing entity configured to assemble a response targeted to the user and including the catalog data; and

transmission apparatus configured to modulate the assembled response and deliver it to the network for targeted distribution to the user.

14. The network apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data processing entity further includes logic configured to utilize a MAC address of a consumer premises device associated with the user to enable said targeted distribution.

15. The network apparatus of claim 14, wherein the network apparatus further includes an interface to an upstream channel, the upstream channel used to carry the request from the user.

16. The network apparatus of claim 15, wherein the data processing entity further includes logic configured to form a multi-program transport stream as part of the assembly of the response.

17. Client apparatus for use in a content distribution apparatus, comprising:

a tuner configured to tune to at least one prescribed channel;

filtration logic;

a processor; and

a storage device in data communication with the processor and comprising at least one computer program, the at least one program configured to;

receive a signal received by the tuner and filtered by the filtration logic; and

further filter the signal to identify whether catalog response data constituent in the signal is specifically targeted for the client apparatus.

18. The client apparatus of claim 17, wherein the filtration logic comprises a hardware-based filter, and the signal comprises a multiple program transport stream (MPTS) signal which comprises a first address portion and a second address portion, the first address portion being useful by the hardware-based filter to perform a first level of filtration.

19. The client apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second address portion is useful for the at least one computer program to perform said further filtration.

20. The client apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first address portion comprises a first portion of a MAC address of the client apparatus, and the second address portion comprises a subsequent portion of the MAC address.