Systems and methods for provisioning a host device for enhanced services in a cable system

• US 7,730,513 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MK Systems USA Inc.
• Original Assignee: TANDBERG Television, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Addington, Timothy, Lehrman, Ira
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce; Jason P
• Application Number:
  US11/560,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20070074240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 725/91, 725/98, 725/114, 725/116, 725/117, 725119-120, 725/138, 725/144, 725/146, 709201-203, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14

Abstract

Flexible systems and methods are disclosed that may be used for provisioning, configuring, and controlling a host embodied in a cable set top box or other digital device attached to a digital communication network, such as cable distribution network. An enhanced services system maintains various host files for various types of hosts that a cable subscriber may purchase and connect to the cable network. The Enhanced Services Server interacts with the host using the host files. The host files may be downloaded from the host manufacturer into a database that distributes the modules as required to the various enhanced services systems. The host may be purchased by the cable subscriber and provisioning may be initiated by the retailer at the time of purchase using a provisioning network interacting with the appropriate cable system serving the subscriber. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a host comprising:

receiving at an enhanced services system a service identifier and a first identifier associated with a host wherein the host is a device capable of processing digital video data and is associated with a host type;

determining the host type using the first identifier, the host type determined in part by accessing a table in a memory associating the first identifier with the host type;

retrieving a host protocol file from the memory using the host type wherein the host protocol file comprises at least one configuration command and an associated host protocol, wherein the configuration command pertains to an operation capable of being performed in the host and the host protocol comprises protocol data for generating a host-specific protocol configuration message recognized by the host for executing the configuration command, wherein the host protocol file associated with the host type;

deriving the host-specific protocol configuration message from the host protocol by using the service identifier to select the configuration command from the host protocol file; and

sending the host-specific protocol configuration message from the enhanced services system to the host.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at a billing system the service identifier and the first identifier from a provisioning input system; and

sending the service identifier and the first identifier to the enhanced services system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first identifier comprises either a subscriber identifier or a host identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the host type identifies a manufacturer and a model of the manufacturer.