Selectively receiving broadcast data according to one of multiple data configurations

• US 7,606,255 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Raj
• Application Number:
  US10/339,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20040131076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• 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 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A client device selectively receives broadcast data according to any one of multiple data configurations. A broadcast data server enables broadcast of multiple data configurations by maintaining configuration definitions that define how broadcast data may be configured for presentation to a viewer. The broadcast data server also maintains region definitions that identify regions that may be associated with client devices for receiving broadcast data. The configuration definitions are mapped to region definitions, enabling a client device associated with a particular region to selectively receive broadcast data according to any one of multiple data configurations that are associated with the particular region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selectively acquiring at a single client device, based on a region identifier, a region configuration file from multiple region configuration files that are broadcast, wherein the region configuration file includes;

multiple configuration definitions presented for selection by a viewer through a display interface; and

a name based on the region identifier;

wherein each of the multiple configuration definitions;

define out-of-band data including electronic program guide data, the out-of-band data being decoded and rendered in parallel with video and audio data;

define a data grouping according to one of multiple different languages;

define a layout format for presenting the out-of-band data to the viewer via the display interface, the layout format being associated with a viewer interest and different from other layout formats in the region configuration file; and

include;

a client type table storing data that identifies different types of client devices capable of supporting one or more configuration definitions;

a data types table storing a list of data types associated with a configuration definition; and

a tags table recording details associated with each configuration definition, wherein the tags table includes;

at least one metadata tag specifying a configuration identifier and a configuration name that can be presented to the viewer for selection;

at least one required data tag specifying a data type for which a client device must acquire data; and

one or more optional tags identifying data downloaded after data specified by the at least one required data tag is downloaded;

receiving at the client device a viewer selection of one of the multiple configuration definitions, wherein the viewer selects one of the multiple configuration definitions from a list of multiple configuration definitions presented via the display interface;

selectively acquiring, by the single client device, portions of broadcast data based on the selected one of the multiple configuration definitions; and

displaying via the display interface at the single client device, according to the language and the layout format associated with the selected configuration definition, at least a portion of the broadcast data selectively acquired.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one layout format of the multiple configuration definitions is associated with a theme based display interface corresponding to the viewer interest, wherein the theme is specified by the viewer.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the multiple configuration definitions is associated with a viewer interest that is to be used to target advertisements when the broadcast data is displayed.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the receiving a viewer selection comprises selecting the one of the multiple configuration definitions based on a configuration identifier associated with a previously selected configuration definition.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the receiving a viewer selection comprises selecting one of the multiple configuration definitions based on an order of configuration definitions in the configuration file.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the selectively acquiring comprises acquiring portions of the broadcast data in an order that is specified by the selected configuration definition.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the selectively acquiring comprises acquiring portions of the broadcast data based on a maximum data size, such that data over the maximum data size is not acquired.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the selectively acquiring comprises acquiring portions of the broadcast data such that the data that is acquired is associated with a data source location that is also associated with the selected configuration definition.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the selectively acquiring comprises acquiring portions of the broadcast data at a client device such that the data that is acquired is associated with a particular client device type.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the region identifier is associated with one or more client devices configured to receive broadcast data.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein individual ones of the multiple configuration definitions comprise an ordered set of tags wherein one or more metadata tags are followed by one or more required tags.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the ordered set of tags further comprises one or more optional tags that follow the one or more required tags.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the an optional tag identifies a data type for which a client device may or may not acquire data depending on a configuration of the client device.

14. A television set-top box configured to perform the method as recited in claim 1.

15. A digital video recorder configured to perform the method as recited in claim 1.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a configuration value associated with the configuration definition that is selected, thereby providing a mechanism for re-selecting the same configuration definition at a later time.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein the configuration value comprises:

the configuration identifier; and

the client device region identifier.

18. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

subsequently selecting a second configuration definition from the multiple configuration definitions;

selectively receiving an additional portion of the broadcast data according to the second configuration definition, such that only data that is associated with the second configuration and not associated with the first configuration definition is received in response to the selection of the second configuration definition; and

displaying at least a portion of the broadcast data that is received.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising deleting a portion of the data that was received according to the first configuration definition wherein the data that is deleted is not associated with the second configuration definition.

20. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

in an event that a modified version of the data is subsequently broadcast, selectively receiving and replacing the data that is maintained with the modified version of the data from the subsequently broadcast data; and

displaying at least a portion of the broadcast data that is received.

21. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a default configuration definition based on a location within a file containing the multiple broadcast configuration definitions.

22. A system comprising:

one or more tuners configured to receive data and configuration files that are broadcast; and

a data configuration module configured to perform steps comprising;

selectively acquiring at a client device, based on a region identifier, a region configuration file from multiple region configuration files that are broadcast, wherein the region configuration file includes;

multiple configuration definitions presented for selection by a viewer through a display interface; and

a name based on the region identifier;

wherein each of the multiple configuration definitions;

define out-of-band data including electronic program guide data, the out-of-band data being decoded and rendered in parallel with video and audio data;

define a data grouping according to one of multiple different languages;

define a layout format for presenting the out-of-band data to the viewer via the display interface, the layout format being associated with a viewer interest and different from other layout formats in the region configuration file; and

include;

a client type table storing data that identifies different types of client devices capable of supporting one or more configuration definitions;

a data types table storing a list of data types associated with a configuration definition; and

a tags table recording details associated with each configuration definition, wherein the tags table includes;

at least one metadata tag specifying a configuration identifier and a configuration name that can be presented to the viewer for selection;

at least one required data tag specifying a data type for which a client device must acquire data; and

one or more optional tags identifying data downloaded after data specified by the at least one required data tag is downloaded;

receiving at the client device a viewer selection of one of the multiple configuration definitions, wherein the viewer selects one of the multiple configuration definitions from a list of multiple configuration definitions presented via the display interface;

selectively acquiring, by the client device, portions of broadcast data based on the selected one of the multiple configuration definitions; and

displaying via the display interface at the client device, according to the language and the layout format associated with the selected configuration definition, at least a portion of the broadcast data selectively acquired.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the data configuration module comprises:

a task object configured to selectively acquire a portion of the data associated with a particular data type; and

a client object configured to manage a plurality of task objects.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the client object is further configured to enable viewer selection of one of multiple data configurations.

25. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the client object is further configured to select a previously selected data configuration based on a stored configuration value.

26. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the client object is implemented as a state machine.

27. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the task object is implemented as a state machine.

28. The system as recited in claim 22, further comprising a memory component configured to maintain a configuration value associated with a selected data configuration to configure subsequent selection of the same data configuration.

29. A computer-readable storage media encoded with computer executable instructions which executed by a processor, perform steps comprising:

selectively acquiring at a client device, based on a region identifier, a region configuration file from multiple region configuration files that are broadcast, wherein the region configuration file includes;

multiple configuration definitions presented for selection by a viewer through a display interface; and

a name based on the region identifier;

wherein each of the multiple configuration definitions;

define out-of-band data including electronic program guide data, the out-of-band data being decoded and rendered in parallel with video and audio data;

define a data grouping according to one of multiple different languages;

define a layout format for presenting the out-of-band data to the viewer via the display interface, the layout format being associated with a viewer interest and different from other layout formats in the region configuration file; and

include;

a client type table storing data that identifies different types of client devices capable of supporting one or more configuration definitions;

a data types table storing a list of data types associated with a configuration definition; and

a tags table recording details associated with each configuration definition, wherein the tags table includes;

at least one metadata tag specifying a configuration identifier and a configuration name that can be presented to the viewer for selection;

at least one required data tag specifying a data type for which a client device must acquire data; and

one or more optional tags identifying data downloaded after data specified by the at least one required data tag is downloaded;

receiving at the client device a viewer selection of one of the multiple configuration definitions, wherein the viewer selects one of the multiple configuration definitions from a list of multiple configuration definitions presented via the display interface;

selectively acquiring, by the client device, portions of broadcast data based on the selected one of the multiple configuration definitions; and

displaying via the display interface at the client device, according to the language and the layout format associated with the selected configuration definition, at least a portion of the broadcast data selectively acquired.

30. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the steps further comprise:

determining a configuration value associated with a previously selected configuration; and

selecting the selected configuration based on the configuration value.