Reprogrammable subscriber terminal

• US 6,564,324 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banker, Robert O., Lett, David B., Bacon, Kinney C., Harney, Michael P., Haman, R. Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US09/748,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 380/202, 380/204, 380/234, 380/241, 380/240, 713/189, 713/1-2
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• 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 21/4435 Memory management allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• 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 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/03 Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A reprogrammable subscriber terminal of a subscription television service which can have the control program code of its control processor modified by downloading new program code from the headend. The control processor stores a boot program in an internal read only memory. Upon start up and resets, the boot program determines whether the control program should be changed from a command sent from the headend. The command, termed a parameters transactions, includes the number of expected download program code transactions required to complete the control code modification, the memory space areas where the code is to be loaded, and the channel over which the download program code transactions are to be transmitted. The channel is tuned and when the boot program receives all the download program code transactions accurately and stores them, the boot program will cause the control program to be restarted at a selected address of the new or modified control program code which has been downloaded. The boot program may download code to different configurations of subscriber terminals including those with Flash EPROM or extended memories from plug-in expansion modules.

Claims

1. A method for downloading software to modify a control program of a subscriber terminal of a subscription television system, said method comprising the steps of:

activating a boot code program stored within the subscriber terminal;

receiving a download parameters transaction including an indication of a count of a plurality of program code transactions for downloading the software;

receiving the plurality of program code transactions indicated by the count;

extracting the software from the number of program code transactions; and

storing the software within the subscriber terminal.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the control program using the software.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the download parameters transaction includes an indication of a channel on which the plurality of program code transactions will be transmitted.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot code program comprises instructions for receiving and storing the software contained in the plurality of program code transactions.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the download parameters transaction is individually addressed to a particular subscriber terminal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the download parameters transaction is addressed to a group of subscriber terminals.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the download parameters transaction is globally addressed to all of the subscriber terminals in the subscription television system.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the software is globally transmitted.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber terminal comprises a first memory for storing the boot code program and a second memory for storing the software.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first memory comprises internal read-only memory (ROM), and the second memory comprises at least one of a random-access memory (RAM), an erasable-programmable ROM (EPROM), or a flash EPROM.

2. A subscriber terminal for a subscription television system which provides a plurality of information sources to the terminal, comprising:

means for selecting at least one of said information sources;

processor means for controlling said selecting means, said processor means including a first memory which stores a boot program and a memory bus defining a memory space larger than said first memory;

second memory connected to said memory bus; and

said processor means under regulation of said boot program selecting one of the information sources and downloading into said second memory information from the selected information source.

3. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2 wherein said selecting means comprises:

means for tuning a television channel having a vertical blanking interval being used to transmit downloadable information.

4. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2 wherein said selecting means comprises:

means for tuning a television channel having an audio carrier being used to transmit downloadable information.

5. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said processor is a microprocessor contained on an integrated circuit and said first memory is a read only memory internal to the integrated circuit.

6. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said second memory is at least one of RAM, EPROM, and FLASH EPROM memory.

7. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said second memory has at least a portion which is non-volatile.

8. A subscriber terminal as set forth in Claim 2 wherein:

said second memory is downloaded with program code which controls said processor.

9. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said second memory is Flash EPROM and is divided into several pages.

10. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 9 wherein:

said second memory has an internal portion and an external portion.

11. A subscriber terminal as set forth in claim 10 wherein:

said external portion of said second memory is provided by plug-in card.