Method for automatically regenerating information at a client system in the event of power or communication disruption between the client system and the server

• US 5,974,461 A
• Filed: 07/21/1997
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Phillip Y., Leak, Bruce A., Matheny, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US08/900,394
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.53, 395/200.52, 395/200.54, 395/200.47, 709/224, 709/223, 709/250, 709/217, 709/231, 709/232, 709/228, 709/227, 709/226, 709/219, 709/218, 709/203, 709/200, 713/340
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• 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: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 : Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 : Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 : Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 : Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/818 : OS software
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and computer program product for automatically regenerating information at a client system without user intervention in the event of power disruption or disruption in communication between the client system and a server. A first communication session is established between the client system and the server. The status of the power connection of the client system is monitored as well as monitoring the status of the communication link between the client system and the server. If there is no disruption in the power connection or communication link at the client system, the server automatically downloads data blocks from the server for storage at the client system. On the other hand, if the power connection or communication link is disrupted, a sustaining device is enabled to ensure that writing of any current block of data from the server is completed, and thereafter, upon resuming power or the communication link at the client system, the server then resumes downloading of only those remaining data blocks from the server that had not been downloaded at the time of disruption.

Claims

1. In a computer network that includes a plurality of servers each of which are connected either directly or logically to a plurality of client systems and other servers, and wherein at least some of the client systems include a television set which can be utilized as a display device, and an electronics unit for providing a graphical user interface electronically coupled to the television set and by which a user can access one or more web pages of the internet through connection to at least one of the servers, a method of automatically regenerating information at a client system without user intervention in the event of power disruption or disruption in communication between the client system and the server, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a first communication session between a client system and the server;

prior to writing any block of downloaded data from the server to said client system, monitoring the status of the power connection at the client system and monitoring the status of the communication link between the client system and server;

if there is no disruption in the power connection or communication link at the client system, automatically to downloading data blocks from the server for storage at the client system; and

if the power connection or communication link at the client system is disrupted, enabling a sustaining device to ensure that writing of any current block of data from the server is completed, and thereafter, upon resuming power connection or the communication link at the client system, resuming downloading of only those remaining data blocks from the server that had not yet been downloaded at the time of disruption.

2. As an article of manufacture, a computer program product for use in a computer network that includes a plurality of servers each of which are connected either directly or logically to a plurality of client systems and other servers, and wherein at least some of the client systems include a television set which can be utilized as a display device, and an electronics unit for providing a graphical user interface electronically coupled to the television set and by which a user can access one or more web pages of the internet through connection to at least one of the servers, a computer program product for implementing at a client system a method of automatically regenerating information at the client system without user intervention in the event of power disruption or disruption in communication between the client system and the server, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer program code means; and

wherein said computer program code means comprises;

first program code means for establishing a first communication session between a client system and the server;

second program code means for, prior to writing any block of downloaded data from the server to said client system, monitoring the status of the power correction at the client system and monitoring the status of the communication link between the client system and server;

third program code means for, if there is no disruption in the power connection or communication link at the client system, automatically downloading data blocks from the server for storage at the client system; and

fourth program code means for, if the power connection or communication link at the client system is disrupted, enabling a sustaining device to ensure that writing of any current block of data from the server is completed, and thereafter, upon resuming power connection or the communication link at the client system, resuming downloading of only those remaining data blocks from the server that had not yet been downloaded at the time of disruption.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 2 further comprising:

program code means for causing the client system to use the downloaded data blocks to establish a second communication session with the server;

program code means for causing the client system to automatically download from the server user configuration information transmitted from the server upon establishing the second communication session; and

program code means for causing the client system to store the downloaded user configuration information in a memory storage device within the client system.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 3 wherein the means for causing a computer to automatically download from the network user configuration information comprises means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to initiate the downloading step independently from any input from a user of the processing system.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of automatically downloading data blocks comprises storing the data blocks in a programmable non-volatile memory.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the programmable non-volatile memory comprises a flash memory.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of automatically downloading data blocks comprises storing the data blocks in a disk drive.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein said data blocks contain information comprised of configuration parameters.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the configuration parameters comprise communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with the server.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the configuration parameters comprise telephone communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with the server via a telephone connection.

11. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

using the downloaded data blocks to establish a second communication session with the server;

upon establishing the second communication session, automatically downloading from the server user configuration information transmitted from the server; and

storing the downloaded user configuration information in a memory storage device within the client system.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 2 wherein said third program code means comprises program code means for downloading the data blocks to a memory storage device comprised of a programmable non-volatile memory.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein the programmable non-volatile memory comprises a flash memory.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 2 wherein said third program code means comprises program code means for downloading the data blocks to a memory storage device comprised of a disk drive.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 2 wherein the downloaded data blocks contain information comprised of configuration parameters.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the configuration parameters comprise communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with the server.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the configuration parameters comprise telephone communication parameters for enabling the client system to communicate with the server via a telephone connection.