Method of accessing multiple services from multiple service providers

• US 6,332,157 B1
• Filed: 06/29/1999
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• 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: Mighdoll, Lee S., Goldman, Phillip Y., Perlman, Stephen G., Leak, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/343,068
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/217-219, 709/223-228, 709/105, 707/9-10, 707/103-104, 713/200-202
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling 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 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A server system provides a client system with access to a number of services. For each service, if a given service provider is overloaded (or if the client is unable to contact that provider), the client can contact any other of the service providers capable of providing the requested service. The server system provides information to the client system identifying a list of services that the server system provides. For each service in the list of services, the information includes a service name identifying the service, and at least one unique port identifying each service provider for that service so that one service name can be used in accessing the multiple service providers that provide the desired service. The request from the client includes a service name identifying the desired service provided by the server system, and includes at least one port corresponding to a service provider that provides the desired service, the port being selected from the ports provided by the server system.

Claims

1. In a networked computer system includes a server system having a plurality of remote servers and a plurality of proxy servers, and a plurality of client systems, all of which are logically interconnected so that the client systems can access informational content stored at the one or more remote servers, and wherein at least one of the client systems is comprised of an electronics unit which provides a graphical user interface by which the Internet can be accessed and browsed using a conventional television set as a display, a method of improving access to services requested by a client system, by dynamically balancing the workload for a requested service among a plurality of service providers capable of responding to the requested service, comprising steps for:

at one of the servers of the server system, determining the validity of a log-in request received from a client system;

at the server determining the validity of the log-in request, generating at the time of log-in a list of services that can be accessed by the client system, wherein the list of services includes available service providers located within the server system so that if one or more of the service providers of a requested service becomes unavailable, the client system can look to any other listed service provider for the requested service, whereby the server system more efficiently balances the workload of providing the requested service; and

downloading to the client system the list of services together with available service providers for each service so that the client system can use the downloaded list of services in accessing the requested service.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the list of services includes at least one of (i) a service name, (ii) a port identifier, and (iii) a protocol, for each service in the list of services.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a step for updating the downloaded list of services.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein updating the downloaded list of services is based on at least one of (i) a service becoming unavailable, (ii) a new service coming on line, and (iii) loading conditions.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a step for one service introducing another service to the client system, wherein the one service and the introduced service are in the same chain of trust.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the list of services includes at least two service entries, each having a unique name, and wherein the at least two service entries refer to the same service.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the list of services includes an e-mail service.

2. In a networked computer system includes a server system having a plurality of remote servers and a plurality of proxy servers, a plurality of client systems, all of which are logically interconnected so that the client systems can access informational content stored at the one or more remote servers, and wherein at least one of the client systems is comprised of an electronics unit which provides a graphical user interface by which the Internet can be accessed and browsed using a conventional television set as a display, a computer program product for implementing a method of improving access to services requested by a client system, by dynamically balancing the workload for a requested service among a plurality of service providers capable of responding to the requested service, comprising a computer readable medium for storing executable instructions for implementing the method, and wherein the method comprised steps for:

at one of the servers of the server system, determining the validity of a log-in request received from a client system;

at the server determining the validity of the log-in request, generating at the time of log-in a list of services that can be accessed by the client system, wherein the list of services includes available service providers located within the server system so that if one or more of the service providers of a requested service becomes unavailable, the client system can look to any other listed service provider for the requested service, whereby the server system more efficiently balances the workload of providing the requested service; and

downloading to the client system the list of services together with available service providers for each service so that the client system can use the downloaded list of services in accessing the requested service.

9. In a networked computer system includes a server system having a plurality of remote servers and a plurality of proxy servers, and a plurality of client systems, all of which are logically interconnected so that the client systems can access informational content stored at the one or more remote servers, and wherein at least one of the client systems is comprised of an electronics unit which provides a graphical user interface by which the Internet can be accessed and browsed using a conventional television set as a display, a method of improving access to services requested by a client system, by dynamically balancing the workload for a requested service among a plurality of service providers capable of responding to the requested service, comprising acts of:

receiving at one of the servers of the server system a log-in request from a client system;

at the server receiving the log-in request, creating at the time of log-in a list of services that can be accessed by the client system, and for each service listed identifying available service providers located within the server system so that if one or more of the service providers of a requested service becomes unavailable, the client system can look to any other listed service provider for the requested service, whereby the server system balances the workload of providing the requested service; and

sending to the client system the list of services together with available service providers for each service so that the client system can use the downloaded list of services in accessing the requested service.

10. In a networked computer system includes a server system having a plurality of remote servers and a plurality of proxy servers, and a plurality of client systems, all of which are logically interconnected so that the client systems can access informational content stored at the one or more remote servers, and wherein at least one of the client systems is comprised of an electronics unit which provides a graphical user interface by which the Internet can be accessed and browsed using a conventional television set as a display, a computer program product for implementing a method of improving access to services requested by a client system, by dynamically balancing the workload for a requested service among a plurality of service providers capable of responding to the requested service, comprising a computer readable medium for storing executable instructions for implementing the method, and wherein the method comprises acts of:

receiving at one of the servers of the server system a log-in request from a client system;

at the server receiving the log-in request, creating at the time of log-in a list of services that can be accessed by the client system, and for each service listed identifying available service providers located within the server system so that if one or more of the service providers of a requested service becomes unavailable, the client system can look to any other listed service provider for the requested service, whereby the server system balances the workload of providing the requested service; and

sending to the client system the list of services together with available service providers for each service so that the client system can use the downloaded list of services in accessing the requested service.

11. A method as recited in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the list of services includes at least one of (i) a service name, (ii) a port identifier, and (iii) a protocol, for each service in the list of services.

12. A method as recited in claim 9 or claim 10, further comprising an act of sending an update list of services to the client system.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein sending the updated list of services is based on at least one of (i) a service becoming unavailable, (ii) a new service coming on line, and (iii) loading conditions.

14. A method as recited in claim 9 or claim 10, further comprising an act of one service sending an update list of services to the client system, whereby the one service introduces another service to the client system, the one service and the introduced service being within the same chain of trust.

15. A method as recited in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the list of services includes at least two service entries, each having a unique name, and wherein the at least two service entries refer to the same service.

16. A method as recited in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the list of services includes an e-mail service.