System for interactively distributing information services

• US 7,865,926 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Goode, Christopher, Knight, Stanley, Gordon, Donald, Van der Star, Jack, Chin, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US12/637,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20100095322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 725 25- 30, 725/86, 725/87, 725/31, 725/93, 725/105
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An interactive information distribution system includes service provider equipment for generating an information stream that is coupled to an information channel and transmitted to subscriber equipment. The service provider also generates a command signal that is coupled to a command channel and transmitted to the subscriber equipment. The service provider also receives information manipulation requests from the subscriber via a back channel. A communication network supporting the information channel, command channel and back channel is coupled between the service provider equipment and the subscriber equipment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a terminal via a back channel, a request for at least one program of a plurality of programs, said request having a personal identification number (PIN) associated with a requesting viewer and a unique terminal identification number (TID) assigned to the terminal;

comparing the received TID from the request to a stored TID at a service provider to confirm the received TID;

comparing the received PIN from the request to a stored PIN at said service provider to confirm the received PIN;

sending, in response to confirming the received TID and the received PIN in the steps of comparing, the requested at least one program via a forward channel, said requested at least one program comprising data stream packets containing the received TID;

assigning, periodically by the service provider, a randomly altered TID to said terminal;

associating each of the requested at least one program with a unique program identification number (PID); and

randomly assigning and altering each PID.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, from the service provider, each PID to a server storing said plurality of programs; and

receiving, at the service provider, the requested at least one program from the server upon completion of said comparing steps.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a database particular to the requesting viewer;

associating the PIN of the requesting viewer with at least one authorized menu tree;

providing said at least one authorized menu tree to the requesting viewer for browsing and selection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising randomly assigning and altering the PIN.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing at least one application program that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to;

receive, from a terminal via a back channel, a request for at least one program of a plurality of programs, said request having a personal identification number (PIN) associated with a requesting viewer and a unique terminal identification number (TID) assigned to the terminal;

compare the received TID from the request to a TID stored at the apparatus to confirm the received TID;

compare the received PIN from the request to a PIN stored at the apparatus to confirm the received PIN;

send, in response to confirming the received TID and the received PIN in the steps of comparing, the requested at least one program via a forward channel, said requested at least one program comprising data stream packets containing the received TID;

periodically assign a randomly altered TID to said terminal;

associate each of the requested at least one program with a unique program identification number (PID); and

randomly assign and alter each PID.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

send each PID to a server storing said plurality of programs; and

receive the requested at least one program from the server upon completion of said comparing steps.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

maintain a database particular to the requesting viewer;

associate the PIN of the requesting viewer with at least one authorized menu tree;

provide said at least one authorized menu tree to the requesting viewer for browsing and selection.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

randomly assign and alter the PIN.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive, from a server storing said plurality of programs, a reference clock signal;

modulate a plurality of data streams comprising at least two of the plurality of programs based on the received reference clock signal; and

transmit the plurality of modulated data streams to the terminal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

an oscillator source phase-locked to the reference clock signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a first modulator configured to send the requested at least one program at a first modulation frequency via the forward channel at a first instance of time; and

a second modulator configured to send the requested at least one program at a second modulation frequency different from the first modulation frequency via the forward channel at a second instance of time different from the first instance of time,

wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to;

instruct the terminal to decode from the second modulator during the second instance of time.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

allocate at least one channel to the terminal based on a load associated with the terminal relative to a load associated with at least one other terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

open a session for the terminal responsive to receiving the request for the at least one program.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive an input indicating that a pause was selected by the viewer;

determine that the selection of the pause exceeds a threshold amount of time; and

terminate the session responsive to determining that the selection of the pause exceeds the threshold amount of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the data stream packets is of a fixed length.

16. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one control channel modem configured to send the requested at least one program via the forward channel to the terminal using a broadcast mode.

17. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one control channel modem configured to send the requested at least one program via the forward channel to the terminal using a narrowcast mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one control channel modem configured to send the requested at least one program via the forward channel to the terminal using a pointcast mode.

19. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a packetizer configured to generate the data stream packets.

20. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one application program, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

receive the data stream packets from a server.