Streaming content navigation

• US 7,685,306 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McEnroe, Elizabeth Rose, Wagner, Mark, Potrebic, Peter J., Taylor, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/275,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

Streaming content navigation techniques are described. In an implementation, techniques are described to provide a non-modal message when navigation is attempted to a stream of content that is not permitted for consumption by a client device. In another implementation, techniques are described to provide an alternate content stream when sequential navigation between streams of content is attempted.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a television-based entertainment or information system for managing a plurality of streams of content output from a content provider, the method comprising:

managing authorization for a client device to receive a stream of content output from the content provider at least in part through the use of a limited number of separate and distinguishable types of tokens, the managing including;

designating, by the content provider, a first token to the stream of content based at least in part on an amount of bandwidth used by the stream of content,

assigning a second token to the client device by a manager client device,

wherein authorization is granted for the client device to receive the stream of content if the first token assigned designated to the stream of content matches the second token assigned to the client device, and authorization is not granted for the client device to receive the stream of content if the first token designated to the stream of content does not match the second token assigned to the client device;

receiving a request at the client device to navigate to a stream of content available from the content provider over a communication network; and

when the client device is not permitted to consume the requested stream of content, outputting a non-modal message which includes a portion that is selectable to cause an output of information describing stream of content consumption by another client device;

receiving a sequential navigation input at the client device to navigate from a first stream of content to a second stream of content that is sequentially ordered in relation to the first stream of content;

when the second stream of content uses an amount of bandwidth that is not authorized for output to the client device, navigating, by the client device, to a third stream of content that matches content available via the second stream of content, the third stream of content not being sequentially ordered in relation to the second stream of content, wherein the third stream of content uses less bandwidth than the second stream of content; and

when another sequential navigation input is received, navigating, by the client device, to a fourth stream of content that is sequentially ordered in relation to the second stream of content, wherein sequentially ordered comprises following in a predetermined assigned order.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the client device is not permitted to consume the stream of content when the stream of content uses an amount of bandwidth which is greater than an amount of bandwidth that is permitted to be consumed by the client device.

3. The method as described in claim 1,

wherein:

consumption of streams of content is managed in a viewing system, which includes the requesting client device and the other client device, through the use of tokens; and

the information indicates that the other client device includes a respective said token that permits consumption of the requested stream of content.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein:

a fifth said stream of content uses a first amount of bandwidth when communicated over the communication network that is greater than a second amount of bandwidth used by a sixth stream of content when communicated over the communication network;

the permission to consume the amounts of bandwidth by each said client device is managed through use of a plurality of tokens; and

one or more said tokens permit consumption of the first amount of bandwidth but not the second amount of bandwidth.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein at least one said token permits consumption of both the first and the second amounts of bandwidth.

6. The method as described in claim 1,

wherein:

each said client device is included in a viewing system;

the content provider allocates a number of streams of content to the viewing system;

a standard definition token is designated to each said allocated stream of content that is standard definition;

a high definition token is designated to each said allocated stream of content that is high definition; and

when the requested stream of content is high definition and the requesting client device is not assigned the high definition token, the requesting client device is not permitted to consume the requested stream of content.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the streams of content include television programs.

11. The method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the client device is included in a viewing system; and

the content provider allocates a number of said streams of content to the viewing system for concurrent consumption.

8. A method implemented in a television-based entertainment or information system comprising:

managing authorization for content to be output from a content provider to a client device at least in part through the use of a limited number of separate and distinguishable types of tokens, the managing including;

designating, by the content provider, a first token to each of a plurality of streams of content based at least in part on an amount of bandwidth used by each of the plurality of streams of content,

assigning a second token to the client device by a manager client device,

wherein authorization is granted for one of the plurality of streams of content to be output to the client device if the first token designated to the one of the plurality of streams of content matches the second token assigned to the client device, and authorization is not granted for the one of the plurality of streams of content to be output to the client device if the first token designated to the one of the plurality of streams of content does not match the second token assigned to the client device;

receiving a sequential navigation input at the client device to navigate from a first stream of content to a second stream of content that is sequentially ordered in relation to the first stream of content;

when the second stream of content uses an amount of bandwidth that is not authorized for output to the client device, navigating, by the client device, to a third stream of content that matches content available via the second stream of content, the third stream of content not being sequentially ordered in relation to the second stream of content, wherein the third stream of content uses less bandwidth than the second stream of content; and

when another sequential navigation input is received, navigating to a fourth stream of content that is sequentially ordered in relation to the second stream of content, wherein sequentially ordered comprises following in a predetermined assigned order.

9. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the sequential navigation input is input via a remote control.

10. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the first stream of content, the second stream of content, and the fourth stream of content are sequentially ordered television channels.

12. The method as described in claim 8, wherein at least one said stream of content includes television programs.

13. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the second stream of content is high-definition content.

14. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the first stream of content, the second stream of content, and the fourth stream of content are sequentially ordered, one to another, in a program guide.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a client device implemented in a television-based entertainment or information system, direct the client device to:

determine whether the client device is permitted to use an amount of bandwidth employed by a first television channel when a sequential navigation input is received to navigate to the first television channel,

wherein the client device is assigned a token by a manager client device and the first television channel is assigned another token by a content provider,

and wherein the client device is permitted to use the amount of bandwidth if the token assigned to the client device matches the other token assigned to the first television channel, and the client device is not permitted to use the amount of bandwidth if the token assigned to the client device does not match the other token assigned to the first television channel;

navigate to a second television channel that is not sequentially ordered in relation to the first television channel, the second television channel including content that matches content available via the first television channel, when the determination indicates that the client device is not permitted to use the amount of bandwidth; and

navigate to a third television channel that is sequentially ordered in relation to the first television channel when another sequential navigation input is received during output of content from the second television channel.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein:

the client device is one of a plurality of client devices in a viewing system; and

the viewing system is allocated a number of said television channels that are concurrently viewable.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein the sequential navigation input is a channel up or channel down command.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 15, wherein the amount of bandwidth corresponds to bandwidth consumed when communicating high-definition content over a communication network.