Method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand services for an interactive information distribution system

• US 7,917,934 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gordon, Donald F., La Rocca, Tobie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shang; Annan Q
• Application Number:
  US09/922,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,522 Days
• Field of Search: 725 87-104, 726 87-104, 709217-231
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing subscription-on-demand (SOD) services for a interactive information distribution system, where a consumer may subscribe to packages of on-demand programs for a single price and view the programs in the subscribed package at any time for no additional cost. The apparatus and method are embodied in a combination of software, which provides a so called navigator, and hardware, including a subscriber terminal that provides certain functionality for the navigator and service provider equipment that supports the functionality of the terminal. As such, graphical user interface functionality is distributed between the service provider equipment and subscriber equipment (subscriber terminal). Such distribution provides an enjoyable, real time interactive process for accessing SOD services that allows the subscriber to rapidly identify and access a subscription service. In addition, a non-subscriber of a particular service is quickly identified and provided the opportunity to, through the use of a graphical user interface, subscribe to the programming provided by the system.

Claims

1. In an interactive information distribution system containing service provider equipment and subscriber equipment that is interconnected by a communications network, a method of providing a subscription-on-demand service, comprising:

providing a set of more than two on-demand programs;

packaging the set into a subset having at least two on-demand programs of the set of on-demand programs;

providing, at the subscriber equipment, a user interface for the user to view program options;

providing, at the subscriber equipment, a first applet for execution by the subscriber equipment for visually presenting a plurality of selectable objects for user selection through the user interface including a first selectable object for selecting subscription-on-demand services to cause subscription-on-demand packages to be visually presented in response to selection of the first object by a user, wherein the subscription-on-demand packages visually presented includes at least the subset of the at least two on-demand programs as a subscription-on-demand package;

receiving, at a session manager, a selection of the first selectable object identifying one of the subset of the at least two on-demand programs;

determining, at the session manager, a subscription status associated with the user and the selected first selectable object identifying one of the subset of the at least two on-demand programs;

providing a second applet to the subscriber equipment for execution to visually present to the user a second selectable object based on the determination of the subscription status associated with the user and the selected first selectable object, including a start option when a price of said selection is zero; and

immediately providing said selection in its entirety when the price of said selection is zero and the user selects the start option or providing a third applet to the subscriber equipment for execution based on the determination of the subscription status associated with the user and the selected first selectable object to visually present to the user an option to purchase the selection a la carte when the price of said selection is non-zero.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising in response to selection of the first selectable object representing the subset of the at least two on-demand programs, causing subscription to the subscription-on-demand package.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a time limited access period to the subset of the at least two on-demand programs without incurring an additional fee.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a time limited to access period to the subset of the at least two on-demand programs.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing subscription to the subscription-on-demand package at a predefined price.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the predefined price is a one-time access fee.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the one-time access fee has a timelimited period of access.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two on-demand programs comprise a hierarchical subscription-on-demand package.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the hierarchical subscription-on-demand package comprises multiple subscription-on-demand packages including a top level subscription-on-demand package including all of the at least two on-demand programs and at least one particular subscription-on-demand package including only a portion of the at least two on-demand programs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the at least one particular subscription-on-demand packages includes a respective portion of the at least two on-demand programs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the respective portion of the at least two on-demand programs is defined according to content categories.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the top level subscription-on-demand package comprises sports content, and the particular subscription-on-demand packages comprise one or more of particular sports, particular teams, amateur sports, professional sports, team sports, individual sports and player genders.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one particular subscription-on-demand package is user defined to enable a personal subscription-on-demand package comprising user selected programs for inclusion in the subscription-on-demand package.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

dynamically adapting programming subsets associated with a personal subscription-on-demand package, the personal subscription-on-demand package providing the content subsets at a predefined price for a predefined time period.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

automatically renewing a subscription-on-demand package upon expiration of a predefined time period.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to selection of a selectable object representing a top level of the hierarchical subscription-on-demand package, causing subscription to the top level of the hierarchical subscription-on-demand package.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to selection of a selectable object representing a particular level of the hierarchical subscription-on-demand package of programming, causing subscription to the particular level of the hierarchical subscription-on-demand package.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to selection of multiple selectable objects representing respective subscription-on-demand package, causing subscription to the multiple subscription-on-demand package.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

constraining the pricing of the subscription to the multiple subscription-on-demand package to a predefined price for a predefined time period.