Proxy for video on demand server control
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a video-on-demand application including plural user terminals and an infrastructure linking the terminals to one or more video servers, a method comprising:
- presenting a user interface on a screen associated with one of said terminals, the user interface comprising plural elements;
specifying a first group of user interface elements in accordance with first instructions stored in the user terminal; and
specifying a second group of user interface elements in accordance with second instructions received by the user terminal from the infrastructure, wherein the user interface elements of the first and second groups allow the user to input commands;
wherein the infrastructure further comprises a head end and a proxy server, the proxy server positioned between the plural user terminals and the one or more video servers so that communications pass from the one or more video servers through the proxy server to the plural user terminals;
the proxy server comprising a control point for administering the second group of user interface elements on the plural client terminals so that the first and second groups of user interface elements are shared between the user terminal and the proxy server for displaying the shared user elements on the user terminal, the first group of user interface elements including a play button and the second group of user interface elements including a control, the play button and the control forming a portion of the user interface on the screen so that the user interface includes a combination of user interface elements provided by both the user terminal and the proxy server, and the method further comprises;
receiving a video-selection via a graphical control presented on the screen, the video-selection made from among plural videos presented for selection as provided from a library of available videos maintained at the proxy server, the proxy server maintaining the library based on communications with the head end data;
the graphical control comprising an element of the second group of user interface elements sent from the proxy server.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A video on demand system includes a head-end coupled through a proxy server to plural client terminals. The proxy server performs (or cooperates with another component in performing) various functions, including user interface definition, security, system administration (e.g. channel management, load distribution, and failover), and protocol translation.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. In a video-on-demand application including plural user terminals and an infrastructure linking the terminals to one or more video servers, a method comprising:
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presenting a user interface on a screen associated with one of said terminals, the user interface comprising plural elements; specifying a first group of user interface elements in accordance with first instructions stored in the user terminal; and specifying a second group of user interface elements in accordance with second instructions received by the user terminal from the infrastructure, wherein the user interface elements of the first and second groups allow the user to input commands; wherein the infrastructure further comprises a head end and a proxy server, the proxy server positioned between the plural user terminals and the one or more video servers so that communications pass from the one or more video servers through the proxy server to the plural user terminals; the proxy server comprising a control point for administering the second group of user interface elements on the plural client terminals so that the first and second groups of user interface elements are shared between the user terminal and the proxy server for displaying the shared user elements on the user terminal, the first group of user interface elements including a play button and the second group of user interface elements including a control, the play button and the control forming a portion of the user interface on the screen so that the user interface includes a combination of user interface elements provided by both the user terminal and the proxy server, and the method further comprises; receiving a video-selection via a graphical control presented on the screen, the video-selection made from among plural videos presented for selection as provided from a library of available videos maintained at the proxy server, the proxy server maintaining the library based on communications with the head end data; the graphical control comprising an element of the second group of user interface elements sent from the proxy server. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A video on-demand system comprising a screen coupled to a set-top box, a remote control controlling the set-top box, a remote head-end comprising video entertainment, and a proxy server interposed between the set-top box and the remote head end so that the video entertainment passes from the remote head-end to the proxy server and the proxy server delivers the video entertainment to the set-top box, the video on-demand system further comprising:
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a user interface presented on the screen; the presented user interface specified via textual mark-up language elements comprising a first group and a second group of textual mark-up language elements; the first group of textual mark-up language elements stored in the set-top box; and the second group of textual mark-up language elements stored in the proxy server and sent to the set-top so that the first and second groups of textual mark-up language elements are shared between the set-top box and the proxy server so that some of the textual mark-up language elements are supplied from the proxy server and some from the user terminal so that the combination of textual mark-up language elements from the proxy server and textual mark-up language elements from the set-top box together form the user interface presented on the screen, the textual mark-up language elements from the set-top box including a first selectable button and the textual mark-up language elements from the proxy server including a second selectable button. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. One or more computer readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions of a distributed video-on-demand application, the distributed video-on-demand application facilitating video-on-demand for plural user terminals, a head-end, and a proxy server positioned between the head-end and the plural user terminals, the computer-executable instructions comprising:
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instructions for presenting a user interface on a screen associated a user terminal, the user interface comprising plural elements; instructions for specifying a first group of user interface elements in accordance with first instructions stored in the user terminal; and instructions for specifying a second group of user interface elements in accordance with second instructions received by the user terminal from the proxy server so that the first and second groups of user interface elements are shared between the user terminal and the proxy server for displaying the shared elements on the user terminal. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification