Method and apparatus for communicating interactive content in a broadcast communication system

• US 9,113,204 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, Thai, Takamoto, Mark T.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, CAI Y
• Application Number:
  US12/482,179
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00

Abstract

A system and method for communicating with a user device includes an interactive headend having an interactive content manager, an interactive event scheduler and queue manager communicating with a queue. A broadcast channel management system communicates bandwidth allocation data to the interactive head end. The interactive head end forms a queue corresponding to the bandwidth allocation data. The interactive event scheduler schedules the interactive broadcast with the queue and issues a start command. The queue manager pulls content from the interactive content manager and communicates interactive content from the queue to the user device.

Claims

1. A method for comprising:

allocating a bandwidth for an interactive broadcast;

forming a queue corresponding to the bandwidth;

scheduling the interactive broadcast to the queue;

issuing a start command;

pulling content from an interactive content manager using a queue manager; and

communicating the interactive content from the queue to a user device using the queue manager.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein allocating a bandwidth comprises allocating a bandwidth at a broadcast operation management system and communicating a bandwidth allocation to a queue.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein allocating a bandwidth comprises allocating a bandwidth at a broadcast operation management system and communicating a bandwidth allocation to a queue and an interactive content system.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing content in the interactive content manager in a file-based system.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising updating content in the interactive manager prior to pulling content.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein updating content forming an updating file and updating the updating file.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising replacing a current file with the updating file after updating the updating file.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising formatting content in the interactive manager prior to pulling content.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising injecting content in the interactive manager prior to pulling content.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising assigning a service channel identifier to a queue.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein broadcasting content comprises streaming content to a transport system from the queue.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating a start command and a stop command to a queue manager.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the interactive content comprises communicating the interactive content through a satellite.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the interactive content comprises communicating the interactive content through a transport processing system.

15. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the interactive content comprises communicating the interactive content through a broadband system.

16. A system for communicating with a user device comprising:

an interactive headend having an interactive content manager, an interactive event scheduler and queue manager communicating with a queue;

a broadcast channel management system communicating bandwidth allocation data to the interactive headend;

wherein said interactive headend forms a queue corresponding to the bandwidth allocation data, said interactive event scheduler schedules the interactive broadcast with the queue, issues a start command, said queue manager pulls interactive content from the interactive content manager and communicates the interactive content from the queue to the user device.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the queue manager pulls interactive content from a file based system of the interactive content manager.

18. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the queue manager pulls content the interactive content manager in chunks of data.

19. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the broadcast channel management system communicates the bandwidth allocation to the queue manager and the interactive event scheduler.

20. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the interactive content manager stores interactive content therein.

21. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the interactive content manager updates the prior to pulling content.

22. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the interactive content manager formats content to communicating the interactive content to the queue manager.

23. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the interactive content manager injects content in the interactive manager prior to pulling content.

24. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising assigning a service channel identifier to a queue.

25. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a transport processing system communicating interactive content from the queue through a satellite.