Method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand services, dependent services and contingent services for an interactive information distribution system

• US 6,314,572 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: DIVA Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Michael D., LaRocca, Tobie
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/322,605
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/721, 348/3, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 709/217-219, 705/14, 705/15, 705/20, 705/26, 705/27, 705/10, 725/8, 725/60, 725/61, 725/40, 725/87, 725/104, 380/231
• US Class Current: 725/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand (SOD) services, dependent subscription services and contingent services for a interactive information distribution system, where a consumer may subscribe to packages of on-demand programs for a single price and view the programs in the subscribed package at any time for no additional cost. The apparatus and method are embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so-called navigator, and hardware, including a subscriber terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and service provider equipment that supports the functionality of the terminal. As such, graphical user interface functionality is distributed between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment (subscriber terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real time interactive process for accessing SOD services that allows the subscriber to rapidly identify and access a subscription service. In addition, a non-subscriber of a particular service is quickly identified and provided the opportunity to, through the use of a graphical user interface, subscribe to the programming provided by the system.

Claims

1. In an interactive information distribution system containing service provider equipment and subscriber equipment that is interconnected by a communications network, a method of providing a subscription-on-demand service for video-on-demand programs in an interactive information distribution system comprising the steps of:

packaging a plurality of video-on-demand programs into a first programming package;

packaging a plurality of video-on-demand programs into a second programming package;

relating said first programming package to said second programming package to cause said first programming package to be dependent upon said second programming package; and

enabling a subscriber to subscribe to said first programming package immediately or as desired via the interactive information distribution system by communicating through the communications network to the service provider equipment, so long as the subscriber has subscribed to the second programming package.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

enabling a consumer to select a programming package and subscribe to the selected programming package for a predefined price and thereby become said subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling step further comprises the steps of:

enabling said subscriber to subscribe to said first or second programming packages so long as the subscriber has subscribed to certain cable or subscription services.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a consumer selects a programming package and subscribes thereto by manipulating a graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second programming packages form a programming bundle and said enabling step automatically subscribes the subscriber to said first programming package so long as the subscriber has subscribed to the second programming package.

6. In an interactive information distribution system containing service provider equipment and subscriber equipment that is interconnected by a communications network, a method of providing a subscription-on-demand service for video-on-demand programs in an interactive information distribution system comprising the steps of:

sending from said service provider equipment to said subscriber equipment a first menu applet;

decoding and executing said first menu applet within said subscriber equipment to display a first interactive graphical user interface;

selecting, through manipulation of the first interactive graphical user interface, a video-on-demand subscription option;

sending a selection signal indicative of said selected video-on-demand subscription option from said subscriber equipment to said service provider equipment by communicating through the communications network;

determining, within said service provider equipment, if the subscriber is a current subscriber to said video-on-demand subscription option identified by said selection signal or if the subscriber is a current subscriber to another service upon which said video-on-demand subscription option identified by said selection signal is dependent or contingent;

if the subscriber is said current subscriber, sending a second menu applet from said subscriber equipment to said service provider equipment;

decoding and executing said second menu applet within said subscriber equipment to display a second interactive user interface through which the subscriber can select a video-on-demand program for viewing;

if said subscriber is not said current subscriber, sending a third menu applet from said service provider equipment to said subscriber equipment; and

decoding and executing said third menu applet within said subscriber equipment to display a third interactive user interface through which the subscriber can become a current subscriber to a video-on-demand subscription option that enables the subscriber to subscribe the selected video-on-demand subscription option, wherein said menu applets are sent from said service provider equipment in response to a selection by said subscriber.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein second menu applet is connected to other menu applets that provide interactive displays of categories of services, titles of programs available in each category, and program pricing for each tile.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

if a new subscription is created, updating a subscription database within said service provider equipment to identify the subscriber as a subscriber to the selected service.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

if a new service is subscribed, updating a customer management system database within a cable operator equipment to identify the subscriber as a subscriber to the new service.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the third menu applet produces a display screen that informs the subscriber to contact a cable operator to subscribe to a service that enables the subscriber to subscribe the selected service.

11. Apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand services for video-on-demand programs within an interactive information distribution system comprising:

service provider equipment containing an information server and a video session manager;

subscriber equipment containing a subscriber terminal and a display unit, where the service provider equipment is connected to the subscriber equipment by a communications network; and

said video session manager sends a plurality of executable menu applets to said subscriber terminal, said terminal executes each of said menu applets to generate interactive graphical user interface displays through which a subscriber selects a video-on-demand service;

the subscriber terminal sends a service request to said session manager for processing via said communications network;

if the subscriber is a subscriber to video-on-demand services from which the selected video-on-demand service depends, the subscriber can subscribe to said selected video-on-demand service;

if said subscriber is not said current subscriber from which the selected video-on-demand service depends, the subscriber can become a subscriber to a video-on-demand service that enables the subscriber to subscribe to the selected video-on-demand service.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the subscriber terminal decodes and executes the applets that are sent by the session manager to produce said interactive graphical user interface displays and sends to the video session manager selection signals indicative of a selected option within said interactive graphical user interface displays.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said video session manager, to provide security and system administration, accesses a personal identification database, a terminal identification database, and a subscriber database that are contained in a network manager.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the subscriber database communicates with a customer management system within cable operator equipment.