Systems and methods for establishing and administering sessions in digital cable systems

• US 7,171,678 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson Television Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated), N2 Broadband, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: DeFreese, Darryl Lanay, Buehl, Joseph G., Addington, Timothy Hall
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALTARELLI, DOMINIC D
• Application Number:
  US10/054,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20020100059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 725/131, 725/132, 725/93, 725/95, 725/91, 725/87, 725/114, 725/115, 725/121, 709/226, 709/227, 709/230, 709/231, 709/238, 370/401
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6433 Digital Storage Media - Command and Control Protocol [DSM-CC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods facilitate the provisioning of a new service in a cable system without requiring that server hardware and/or software be changed to implement the service, or that an equivalent session manager be created in a set-top box. Session requests are generated at the STB and transmitted to the service, which then interprets the request, rather than forwarded from the STB to a server implementing the service, as in conventional systems. To effect the routing to the service the session request contains routing information. Servers facilitating the implementation of services do not know details about, or even the existence of, new services added to the system.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a service in a cable system:

receiving an input from a user at an application executing in a set top box connected to a cable network, the input pertaining to a selected service offering;

receiving data corresponding to the selected service offering at a session manager in the set top box;

generating a first session setup request from the session manager wherein the first session setup request includes a network address of a Session Gateway (SESS-G) and further including application level private data in a user-user data element comprising;

service data reflective of the selected service offering, and

routing data comprising a first routine data identifying a Service Gateway (SVC-G) and a second routing data identifying a service;

transmitting the first session setup request from the set top box to a session resource manager (SRM);

routing the first session setup request from the SRM to the Session Gateway (SESS-G) based the network address;

routing a second session setup request message from the Session Gateway to the Service Gateway (SVC-G) based on the first routing data identifying the SVC-G;

routing the second session setup request message from the SVC-G to one of a plurality of services using the second routing data identifying the service; and

examining the service data by the service to determine one of a plurality of severs for providing the service selection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of examining the service data by the service to determine the one of a plurality of servers further comprises

communicating with a business management system to determine the one of a plurality of servers.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

the server indicating a resource required to the SESS-G for providing the service selection to the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first session setup request is based on a DSM-CC message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second session setup request message is an ISA message.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected service is a pay-per-movie video service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the server communicates to the SRM the resource requested from the cable network to fulfill the service request.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the application executing in the set top box is one of a plurality of applications executing in the set top box configured to provide a service selection to the session manager in the set top box.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the SESS-G instantiates a session object in response to receiving the first session setup request from the session manager in the set top box.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the SESS-G further indicates to the SRM a resource requested.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing data comprises routing data comprising first routing data associated with the SESS-G and second routing data associated with the SVC-G.

12. A system for providing a service to a user on a cable system, comprising:

an application module in a set top box configured to receive an input from a user indicating a selected service offering;

the application module providing an indication in response to the input;

a session manager module in the set top box configured to receive the indication and generate a first session setup request message, the first session setup request message including a network address and further including application level private data in a user-user data element comprising;

service data identifying of the selected service offering, and

routing data comprising first routing data identifying a Service Gateway (SVC-G) and second routing data identifying a service;

a session resource manager (SRM) receiving the first session setup request and routing the first session setup request based on the network address;

a session gateway (SESS-G) receiving the first session setup request from the SRM and generating a second session setup request wherein the protocol format of the second session setup request is different than the format of the first session setup request, the SESS-G routing the second session setup request based on the first routing data identifying a Service Gateway (SVC-G); and

a service gateway (SVC-G) receiving the second session setup request from the SESS-G, the SVC-G generating a command, the SVC-G routine the command to the service based on the second routing data wherein a server provides a video service to the set top box.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein there are a plurality of application modules in the set top box capable of providing a plurality of indications to the session manager in response to a plurality of user inputs.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the session manager transmits the first session setup request message using the DSM-CC protocol.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the SESS-G examines the first routing data in the user-user data element to determine one of a plurality of SCV-G to receive the second session setup message.

16. The system of claim 12 where the SESS-G transmits the second session setup message using the ISA protocol.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the SVC-G examines the second routing data in the user-user data element to determine one of a plurality of services to receive the second session setup message.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising a business management system in communication with the service and providing address information far the server.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the server is configured to communicate with the SRM to indicate the resources required for providing the video service.