Methods for delivering and receiving interactive multimedia

• US 9,124,774 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Xu, Jun, Li, Jun, Du, Lin, Shangguan, Si Nan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US12/661,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method used in a service providing device for delivering interactive multimedia content to a plurality of client devices, comprising: receiving a request for the interactive multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices; disabling the plurality of client devices from sending the request to the service providing device, according to a predetermined condition; and delivering the interactive multimedia content to the plurality of client devices.

Claims

1. A method used in a service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices;

in response to a predetermined condition, disabling all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device; and

delivering the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disabling comprises informing the plurality of client devices according to the predetermined condition, to disable sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, even if the further requests are made at the plurality of client devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises receiving requests for a given interactive second multimedia content from a predetermined number of clients.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises reaching the end of a predetermined time interval following receiving the first request for the interactive second multimedia content.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interactive second multimedia content comprises information relating to a video program transmitted from the service providing device to the plurality of client devices.

6. A method for receiving interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content, used in a client device of a communication network, comprising:

receiving a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content to be sent to a service providing device of the communication network, from an input device of the client device;

in response to a predetermined condition, disabling sending a request message corresponding to the user request to the service providing device; and

displaying the second multimedia content received from the service providing device after said disabling of the client device from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of disabling comprises disabling sending the request for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, even if a request is input at the client device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition comprises receiving a disabling command from the service providing device.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving an interactive multimedia content list from the service providing device before the step of receiving the request.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition comprises reaching the end of a predetermined time interval from receiving the interactive second multimedia content list.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the interactive second multimedia content comprises information relating to a video program transmitted from the service providing device to the plurality of client devices.

12. A service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

a transmission processing device configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices, comprising;

a disabling device configured to disable all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition; and

a communication interface configured to deliver the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

13. The service providing device according to claim 12, wherein the transmission processing device is configured to inform the plurality of client devices to disable sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, even if the further requests are made at the plurality of client devices.

14. The service providing device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition comprises receiving requests for a given interactive second multimedia content from a predetermined number of clients.

15. The service providing device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition comprises reaching the end of a predetermined time interval following receiving the first request for the interactive second multimedia content.

16. The service providing device according to claim 12, wherein the interactive second multimedia content comprises information relating to a video program transmitted from the service providing device to the plurality of client devices.

17. A client device of a communication network, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content, associated with the first piece of multimedia content to be sent to a service providing device of the communication network, from an input device;

a disabling device, configured to disable sending a request message corresponding to the user request to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition,

wherein the user interface is further configured to display the second multimedia content received from the service providing device after said disabling from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

18. The client device according to claim 17, wherein the disabling device is configured to disable sending the request for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, even if a request is input at the client device.

19. The client device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined condition comprises receiving a disabling command from the service providing device.

20. The client device according to claim 17, further comprising a communication interface configured to receive an interactive multimedia content list from the service providing device before the user interface receives the request.

21. The client device according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined condition comprises reaching the end of a predetermined time interval from receiving the interactive second multimedia content list.

22. The client device according to claim 17, wherein the interactive second multimedia content comprises information relating to a video program transmitted from the service providing device to the plurality of client devices.

23. A method used in a service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices;

in response to a predetermined condition, disabling all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, said predetermined condition comprising receiving requests for a given interactive second multimedia content from a predetermined number of clients; and

delivering the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

24. A method used in a service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

receiving a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices;

in response to a predetermined condition, disabling all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, said predetermined condition comprising reaching the end of a predetermined time interval following receiving the first request for the interactive second multimedia content; and

delivering the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

25. A service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

a transmission processing device configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices, comprising;

a disabling device configured to disable all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition, said predetermined condition comprising receiving requests for a given interactive second multimedia content from a predetermined number of clients; and

a communication interface configured to deliver the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

26. A service providing device for delivering interactive second multimedia content associated with a first piece of multimedia content to a plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content, comprising:

a transmission processing device configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content associated with the first piece of multimedia content, from at least one of the plurality of client devices, comprising;

a disabling device configured to disable all of the plurality of client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition, said predetermined condition comprising reaching the end of a predetermined time interval following receiving the first request for the interactive second multimedia content; and

a communication interface configured to deliver the second multimedia content to the plurality of client devices that are receiving the first piece of multimedia content after said disabling of the client devices from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

27. A client device of a communication network, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content, associated with the first piece of multimedia content to be sent to a service providing device of the communication network, from an input device;

a disabling device configured to disable sending a request message corresponding to the user request to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition, said disabling device being further configured to disable sending the request for said second multimedia content to the service providing device, even if a request is input at the client device,

wherein the user interface is further configured to display the second multimedia content received from the service providing device after said disabling from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

28. A client device of a communication network, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content, associated with the first piece of multimedia content to be sent to a service providing device of the communication network, from an input device;

a disabling device configured to disable sending a request message corresponding to the user request to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition comprising receiving a disabling command from the service providing device;

wherein the user interface is further configured to display the second multimedia content received from the service providing device after said disabling from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.

29. A client device of a communication network, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a request for a second multimedia content, associated with the first piece of multimedia content to be sent to a service providing device of the communication network, from an input device;

a disabling device configured to disable sending a request message corresponding to the user request to the service providing device in response to a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition comprising reaching the end of a predetermined time interval from receiving the interactive second multimedia content list;

wherein the user interface is further configured to display the second multimedia content received from the service providing device after said disabling from sending further requests for said second multimedia content.