Flexible digital cable network architecture

• US 7,058,964 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Braun, David A., Khandelwal, Rajesh B., Chang, Chieh-Chung, Li, Luyang
• Primary Examiner(s): BELIVEAU, SCOTT E
• Application Number:
  US10/308,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/25, 725/28, 725/29, 725/132, 725/140, 380/232, 713/191
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• 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 digital cable network architecture and services method includes a cable medium and a plurality of hosts that include a receiver. A policy file store contains policy files having at least one of a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section that can be updated by at least one of the service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer, respectively. A service provider that is associated with the policy file store provides digital cable services over the cable medium to the hosts and downloads monitor applications and policy files to the hosts over the cable medium. The MAs use the service provider section, the consumer section, and/or the manufacturer section of the policy file to alter resource contention, alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level, and/or alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations.

Claims

1. A digital cable network architecture, comprising:

a cable medium;

a plurality of hosts that include a receiver;

a policy file store that contains policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section that can be updated by at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer, respectively; and

a service provider that is associated with said policy file store, that provides digital cable services over said cable medium to said hosts and that downloads monitor applications (MAs) and policy files to said hosts over said cable medium,

wherein said hosts execute said MAs, wherein said MAs use said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations, and use at least one of said service provider section to alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level, and said consumer section to alter resource contention and alter service provisioning at levels below a channel.

2. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 wherein said service provider manages said MAs located on said hosts based on MA versions.

3. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 wherein said service provider includes a policy file manager that manages said policy files based on policy file versions.

4. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 further comprising a resource manager that manages host resources including at least one of tuning resources, audio/video decoding resources, graphics resources and backplane resources.

5. The digital cable network architecture of claim 4 wherein when resource contention occurs, said resource manager communicates with said MA, which reads said service provider section for resource contention rules and wherein said resource manager resolves said resource contention based on said resource contention rules.

6. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 wherein when said consumer requests access to a cable channel, said MA reads said consumer section of said policy file and makes an access decision based on said consumer section.

7. The digital cable network architecture of claim 6 wherein said consumer section of said policy file allows access decisions to be based on at least one of channel identification, spending limits, time of day, and violence content.

8. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 further comprising:

a computer including a web browser;

a distributed communications system;

a web server that communicates over said distributed communications system with said web browser;

a policy file manager that communicates with said web server and said computer to allow said at least one of said service provider, said consumer, and said receiver manufacturer to remotely edit said service provider section, said consumer section and said manufacturer section, respectively, of said policy file.

9. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 wherein said MA has access to at least one of privileged application programming interfaces (APIs) including application filtering, application upgrade, system reboot, resource conflict, event handling, error handling and system functions.

10. The digital cable network architecture of claim 1 further comprising an event manager that communicates with said MA and that includes an event/application table, wherein said MA overrides said event/application table to enforce said policy file.

11. A method for providing digital cable services, comprising:

connecting a plurality of hosts that include a receiver to a service provider;

storing policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section in a policy file data store that is associated with said service provider;

allowing at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer to alter at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section, respectively, of said policy files;

downloading said policy files to said hosts when changes are made; and

using said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations, and use at least one of said service provider section to alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level, and said consumer section to alter resource contention.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising managing downloading of said policy files stored on said hosts based on policy file versions.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising managing resources including at least one of tuning resources, audio/video decoding resources, graphics resources and backplane resources.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

reading said service provider section of said policy file for resource contention rules when resource contention occurs; and

resolving said resource contention based on said resource contention rules.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

reading said consumer section of said policy file when said consumer requests access to a cable channel; and

making an access decision based on said consumer section.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said consumer section of said policy file allows access decisions to be based on at least one of channel identification, spending limits, time of day, and violence content.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising allowing said at least one of said service provider, said consumer, and said receiver manufacturer remote access to said service provider section, said consumer section and said manufacturer section, respectively, of said policy file.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing an event manager that includes an event/application notification table; and

overriding said event/application notification table to enforce said policy file.

19. A digital cable network architecture, comprising:

a cable medium;

a plurality of hosts that include a receiver;

a policy file store that contains policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section that can be updated by at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer, respectively;

a service provider that is associated with said policy file store, that provides digital cable services over said cable medium to said hosts and that downloads monitor applications (MAs) and policy files to said hosts over said cable medium, wherein said hosts execute said MAs and said MAs use at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations and at least one of alter resource contention and alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level; and

a resource manager that manages host resources including at least one of tuning resources, audio/video decoding resources, graphics resources and backplane resources, wherein when resource contention occurs, said resource manager communicates with at least one of said MAs, which reads said service provider section for resource contention rules and wherein said resource manager resolves said resource contention based on said resource contention rules.

20. A digital cable network architecture, comprising:

a cable medium;

a plurality of hosts that include a receiver;

a policy file store that contains policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section that can be updated by at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer, respectively;

a service provider that is associated with said policy file store, that provides digital cable services over said cable medium to said hosts and that downloads monitor applications (MAs) and policy files to said hosts over said cable medium, wherein said hosts execute said MAs and said MAs use at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations and at least one of alter resource contention and alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level; and

an event manager that communicates with at least one of said MAs and that includes an event/application table, wherein the at least one of said MAs overrides said event/application table to enforce said policy file.

21. A method for providing digital cable services, comprising:

connecting a plurality of hosts that include a receiver to a service provider;

storing policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section in a policy file data store that is associated with said service provider;

allowing at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer to alter at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section, respectively, of said policy files;

downloading said policy files to said hosts when changes are made;

using at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations and at least one of alter resource contention and alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level;

managing resources including at least one of tuning resources, audio/video decoding resources, graphics resources and backplane resources;

reading said service provider section of said policy file for resource contention rules when resource contention occurs; and

resolving said resource contention based on said resource contention rules.

22. A method for providing digital cable services, comprising:

connecting a plurality of hosts that include a receiver to a service provider;

storing policy files having a service provider section, a consumer section, and a manufacturer section in a policy file data store that is associated with said service provider;

allowing at least one of said service provider, a consumer and a receiver manufacturer to alter at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section, respectively, of said policy files;

downloading said policy files to said hosts when changes are made;

using at least one of said service provider section, said consumer section, and said manufacturer section of said policy file to alter fraudulent receiver identification calculations and at least one of alter resource contention and alter service provisioning at levels below a channel level;

providing an event manager that includes an event/application notification table; and

overriding said event/application notification table to enforce said policy file.