TELEVISION RECEIVER-BASED NETWORK TRAFFIC CONTROL

• US 20160066056A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar UK Holdings Ltd (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Mountain, Dale Llewelyn
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4385 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite

Abstract

Monitoring data routed by a satellite television receiver that serves as a gateway in a home network. In the context of privacy control, the television receiver may be configured to detect certain types of data, such as social security or bank numbers, username/password information, device usage information, etc., routed by the same over a broadband connection to one or more resources located outside of the home network, and then implement one or more steps so that a user may be notified and the traffic possibly blocked to prevent or mitigate the unauthorized transfer or reporting of data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver in a home network environment, packet traffic generated by network devices connected to the home network environment and directed to systems external to the home network environment, wherein the television receiver includes;

one or more audio/video decoders operable to convert encoded video and audio into a format suitable for output to display devices;

a network interface operable to establish network connections with systems in the home network environment and external to the home network environment, wherein the packet traffic is received using network interface; and

an output interface operable to output audio and video signals for use by display devices;

scanning, by the television receiver, contents of packets of the packet traffic to identify data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

determining, by the television receiver, that particular packets of the packet traffic include data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

blocking, by the television receiver, the particular packets of the packet traffic that include data unauthorized for transfer from being routed external to the home network environment;

generating, by the television receiver, a message indicating that a transfer of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment has been attempted;

sending, by the television receiver, the message to a display device for display thereon; and

routing, by the television receiver, other packets of the packet traffic to systems external to the home network environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending includes sending the message to the display device for display as part of an electronic programming guide.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning includes scanning at least one of a header and a body of packets of the packet traffic to identify data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an indication of type or form of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a plurality of selectable icons that each, when activated, generates a command to perform a function against the data unauthorized for transfer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a network path indication of a source of the particular packets of the packet traffic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an alphanumeric identifier of a source of the particular packets of the packet traffic.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a selectable icon that, when activated, generates a command to retain in memory an action to implement upon subsequent identification of additional data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the television receiver at least one definition of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the television receiver at least one definition of data authorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the television receiver a command to enable scanning contents of packets of the packet traffic received by the television receiver and directed to systems or devices external to the home network environment.

12. A television receiver, comprising:

at least one processor;

one or more audio/video decoders operable to convert encoded video and audio into a format suitable for output to display devices;

a network interface operable to establish network connections with systems in a home network environment and external to the home network environment;

an output interface operable to output audio and video signals for use by display devices; and

at least one memory element communicatively coupled with and rear by the at least one processor and having stored therein processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations including;

receiving, at the network interface, packet traffic generated by network devices connected to the home network environment and directed to systems external to the home network environment;

scanning contents of packets of the packet traffic to identify data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

determining that particular packets of the packet traffic include data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

blocking the particular packets of the packet traffic that include data unauthorized for transfer from being routed external to the home network environment;

generating a message indicating that a transfer of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment has been attempted;

sending the message to a display device for display thereon; and

routing other packets of the packet traffic to systems external to the home network environment.

13. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein sending includes sending the message to the display device for display as part of an electronic programming guide.

14. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein scanning includes scanning at least one of a header and a body of packets of the packet traffic to identify data unauthorized for transfer external to the particular home network environment.

15. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the message includes an indication of type or form of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

16. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the message includes a plurality of selectable icons that each, when activated, generates a command to perform a function against the data unauthorized for transfer.

17. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the message includes a network path indication of a source of the particular packets of the packet traffic.

18. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the message includes an alphanumeric identifier of a source of the particular packets of the packet traffic.

19. The television receiver of claim 12, wherein the message includes a selectable icon that, when activated, generates a command to retain in memory an action to implement upon subsequent identification of additional data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a television receiver, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving, by the television receiver, packet traffic generated by network devices connected to a home network environment and directed to systems external to the home network environment;

scanning, by the television receiver, at least one of a header and a body of packets of the packet traffic to identify data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

identifying that particular packets of the packet traffic include data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment;

blocking the particular packets of the packet traffic that include data unauthorized for transfer from being routed external to the home network environment;

generating a message indicating that a transfer of data unauthorized for transfer external to the home network environment has been attempted;

sending the message to a display device for display thereon; and

routing other packets of the packet traffic to systems external to the home network environment.