Service gateway for interactive television

• US 7,961,743 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Alao, Rachad, Delpuch, Alain, Dureau, Vincent, Henrard, Jose, Huntington, Matthew, Lam, Waiman
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US11/949,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20080075099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 : for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 : for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A service gateway provides a proxy between a client protocol and a plurality of standard communication protocols. The service gateway provides asymmetrical routing, data compression and encryption to optimize client processing power and communication link bandwidth. The service gateway enables content translation between clients and service providers. The service gateway keeps track of client available memory and sequence numbers in messages to generate error codes when applicable. A store and forward message capability is provided along with abstract session identifiers. The service gateway supports user datagram protocol.

Claims

1. A server for use in an interactive television system, wherein the server comprises:

a first interface configured to receive a message from a client device targeted to a service provider, wherein the message includes a client device identifier;

a component configured to replace the client device identifier with a session identifier in the message;

a second interface configured to;

send the message with the session identifier to a service provider; and

receive a cookie from the service provider in response to the message;

a component configured to use a cookie to session identifier translation to answer a client device identifier name request from the service provider; and

a component configured to use the client device identifier to extract user information from a central registry.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the session identifier does not identify a client device to the service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to answer the client device hardware identifier name request, the server is further configured to convey at least a portion of the user information to the service provider.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the server is further configured to determine the at least a portion of the user information based on a business rule depending on an agreement between the service provider and a network operator.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least a portion of the user information includes cumulative user profiles that do not identify individual users.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to receive the message from the client device in a client device compatible protocol and translate the message to a service provider compatible protocol.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the message includes at least one of application code, control data, and audio/visual data and the client device compatible protocol encapsulates HTTP.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the service provider compatible protocol is HTTP.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to store the client device hardware identifier in a network operator hardware identifier list that is not accessible to the service provider.

10. A method for communication in a distributed computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a client device targeted to a service provider, wherein the message includes a client device hardware identifier;

associating a session identifier with the client device hardware identifier;

replacing the client device hardware identifier with the session identifier in the message;

sending the message from the server to the service provider;

receiving a cookie from the service provider in response to the message;

caching the cookie at the server;

generating a cookie to session identifier translation table;

using the cookie to session identifier translation table to answer a client device hardware identifier name request from the service provider; and

using the client device hardware identifier to extract user information from a central registry.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the session identifier does not identify a client device to the service provider.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein to answer the client device hardware identifier name request, the method further comprises conveying at least a portion of the user information to the service provider.

13. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising determining the at least a portion of the user information based on a business rule depending on an agreement between the service provider and a network operator.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least a portion of the user information includes cumulative user profiles that do not identify individual users.

15. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising receiving the message from the client device in a client device compatible protocol and translating the message to a service provider compatible protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the message includes at least one of application code, control data, and audio/visual data and the client device compatible protocol encapsulates HTTP.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the service provider compatible protocol is HTTP.

18. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising storing the client device hardware identifier in a network operator hardware identifier list that is not accessible to the service provider.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause a computer to:

receive a message from a client device targeted to a service provider, wherein the message includes a client device hardware identifier;

associate a session identifier with the client device hardware identifier;

replace the client device hardware identifier with the session identifier in the message;

send the message from the server to the service provider;

receive a cookie from the service provider in response to the message;

cache the cookie at the server;

generate a cookie to session identifier translation table;

use the cookie to session identifier translation table to answer a client device hardware identifier name request from the service provider; and

use the client device hardware identifier to extract user information from a central registry.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the session identifier does not identify a client device to the service provider.

21. The medium of claim 19, wherein to answer the client device hardware identifier name request, the medium further comprises instructions that cause the computer to convey at least a portion of the user information to the service provider.

22. The medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to determine the at least a portion of the user information based on a business rule depending on an agreement between the service provider and a network operator.

23. The medium of claim 21, wherein the at least a portion of the user information includes cumulative user profiles that do not identify individual users.

24. The medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to receive the message from the client device in a client device compatible protocol and translate the message to a service provider compatible protocol.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the message includes at least one of application code, control data, and audio/visual data and the client device compatible protocol encapsulates HTTP.

26. The medium of claim 24, wherein the service provider compatible protocol is HTTP.

27. The medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to store the client device hardware identifier in a network operator hardware identifier list that is not accessible to the service provider.