Method and apparatus providing process independence within a heterogeneous information distribution system

• US 7,634,796 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Colligan, Michael Robert, Son, Yong Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Sumaiya A
• Application Number:
  US11/134,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 725/60, 725/61, 725/86, 725/87, 725/105, 725/114, 725/115, 709/219, 709/228
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• 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 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for adapting the delivery of assets and/or content to set top terminals within a heterogeneous information distribution system based on graphics and/or processing capability of set top terminals receiving the assets and/or content.

Claims

1. Apparatus for adapting asset delivery within a heterogeneous multimedia video-on-demand distribution system having service provider equipment and at least one set top terminal, comprising:

means for determining at the service provider equipment, for each set top terminal (STT) requesting a session for video content in the heterogeneous multimedia video-on-demand distribution system, a capability level of said STT and a capability level of the distribution network;

means, coupled to the means for determining, for selecting, from a plurality of available versions of video content for provisioning at the STT and a plurality of available versions of navigation assets for navigating video content stored on said service provider equipment, one of said versions of video content and one of said versions of navigation assets for navigating the selected version of video content in response to a request for content from the STT, wherein the versions of video content and navigation assets are selected to be appropriate to said capability level of said STT; and

means, coupled to the means for selecting, for mapping the selected navigation asset to said selected video content and providing the mapped navigation asset and video content to the STT in response to STT communications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said capability level is defined in terms of at least one of a graphics processing capability, a command processing capability, a video processing capability, an audio processing capability, and a bandwidth capability.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said navigation assets are stored in a navigation asset database, each of said stored navigation assets being associated with at least one STT capability level.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said means for selecting comprises means for selecting, from said navigation asset database, a navigation asset having associated with it the capability level of the STT requiring said navigation asset.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an initial navigation asset provided to a STT comprises associated control information, said control information being indicative of related navigation assets within said navigation asset database having associated with them a capability level of said STT receiving said initial navigation asset.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said navigation assets comprises a plurality of applets including said video information, graphic information and control information that are provided to a set top terminal in response to user interaction with control information at said set top terminal indicative of a need for said stored applets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said STT is configured to selectively tune, downconvert, and depacketize said video content and assets received via said transmission channels.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for adapting said selected navigation asset version provided to said at least one set top terminal without reprocessing the selected video content, wherein said selected video content includes a plurality of interspersed NULL packets, such that at least a portion of said NULL packets are replaced by navigation asset packets associated with said selected video content version.

9. In an interactive multimedia video-on-demand distribution system including video-on-demand provider equipment coupled to subscriber equipment via a communications network, apparatus for adapting provided information to a set top terminal (STT) comprising:

means for storing a plurality of versions of multimedia video-on-demand (VOD) information at the provider equipment, said versions of VOD information corresponding to differing capability levels associated with various types of STTs;

means for determining at the service provider equipment, during a video-on- demand session initiation, a capability level of said STT, said determination being made by comparing STT configuration information to a database of STT capability information;

means, coupled to the means for determining, for selecting, from the versions of VOD information versions of video content and versions of navigation assets for navigating the video content, one of said versions of video content and one of said versions of navigation assets for navigating the selected version of video content in response to an STT request for content from the STT, wherein the versions of video content and navigation assets are selected to be appropriate to said capability level of said STT;

means, coupled to the means for selecting, for providing, to said STT in response to the STT request for information via at least one of a plurality of transmission channels, navigation assets adapted to said determined capability level of said STT, wherein said navigation assets are mapped to said selected video content, the selected navigation assets comprise a plurality of applets stored at said service provider equipment, said applets comprising video information, graphics information, and control information; and

each of said set top terminals having a common video information processing architecture, one of a plurality of control architectures, and one of a plurality of graphics processing architectures, wherein said navigation assets are optimized to each of the possible STT capability levels to provide a plurality of respective navigation assets, each of said respective navigation assets having associated with it a respective STT capability level.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said provided information is optimized, either in real time or before storage, to each of the possible STT capability levels.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said determined capability level of said STT is defined in terms of at least one of a graphics processing capability, a command processing capability, a video processing capability, an audio processing capability, and a bandwidth capability.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said navigation assets including video information, graphics information and control information are provided by said information provider in response to requests from subscriber equipment.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said STT selectively tunes, downconverts, and depacketizes said navigation assets received via said transmission channels.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for interspersing NULL packets amongst each version of multimedia video-on-demand (VOD) information; and

means for adapting navigation assets provided to said STT without reprocessing requested video content, such that at least a portion of said NULL packets are replaced by navigation asset packets associated said requested video content version.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each applet includes links to other applets stored at said provider equipment.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising formatting said navigation assets and video content into MPEG packets.