Utilizing an electronic program guide (EPG) for customized content service in a gateway

• US 9,130,998 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Chen, Xuemin, Diab, Wael William, Garrett, David, Lundgren, David Albert, Prodan, Rich
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US12/982,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 725 39- 54
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 : for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 : involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 : Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1023 : Media gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 : in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 : Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 : Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 : Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 : Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 : involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 : Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6106 : specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6371 : directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 : Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 : using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 : taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A broadband gateway, which that enables communication with a plurality of devices, handles at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider. The broadband gateway may identify EPG information from service providers. The identified EPG information may be adapted to device attributes such as display resolution, and/or user profiles to generate user-specific EPG information for the corresponding devices. The generated user-specific EPG information may be dynamically configured in response to updates in the identified EPG information, the device attributes and/or the user profiles. The configured user-specific EPG information may be communicated to the corresponding devices, either upon the requests from the devices or by initiation of the broadband gateway, for content selection and/or content scheduling. Advertising content, selected based on analysis of the user behavior and/or the user feedbacks, may be communicated in the user-specific EPG information to the devices to support behavioral marketing.

Claims

1. A method for networking, the method comprising:

in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein said broadband gateway is configured to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a plurality of corresponding network access service providers;

obtaining information for a plurality of electronic program guides provided by said corresponding network access service providers, the information being based at least in part on data for at least one of a programming quality, a bandwidth, a resolution, or a power consumption;

accessing power consumption related information of one or more of said plurality of devices stored in said broadband gateway, said power consumption related information comprising content adaptation options;

generating, using a combination of at least a portion of the information for the electronic program guides and said power consumption related information, an adapted electronic program guide that corresponds to a power consumption level for at least one of said devices that is reduced relative to that for an electronic program before adaptation; and

communicating said adapted electronic program guide to said at least one of said devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of said physical layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said corresponding access service providers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said adapted electronic program guide is further generated according to a device attribute comprising at least one of a display resolution, a supported decoding algorithm, a power consumption level, a quality of service (QoS), a number of a plurality of program channels supported, a bandwidth, or any combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising generating an updated version of said adapted electronic program guide in response to an update for at least one of said electronic program guides, an update for said power consumption level, or any combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising communicating said updated version of said adapted electronic program guide to at least one of said devices.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein communicating said updated version of said adapted electronic program guide is initiated by said broadband gateway or in response to a request from at least one of said devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing energy related information of one or more links in a local network and generating said adapted electronic program guide based at least in part on said energy related information of said one or more links.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said adapted electronic programming guide is configured to be displayed in at least one of said devices to facilitate a content selection, a content scheduling, or any combination thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

analyzing a user behavior, a user feedback, or any combination thereof; and

selecting an advertising content to include in conjunction with said adapted electronic program guide based on said analyzing.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising communicating said advertising content in said adapted electronic program guide to at least one of said devices.

11. A system for networking, the system comprising:

one or more circuits for use in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein said broadband gateway is configured to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, said one or more circuits being configured to;

obtain information for a plurality of electronic program guides provided by said corresponding network access service providers;

access power consumption related information of one or more of said plurality of devices stored in said broadband gateway, said power consumption related information comprising content adaptation options;

generate, using the information for at least one of the electronic program guides and said power consumption related information, an adapted electronic program guide that corresponds to a power consumption level for at least one of said devices that is reduced relative to that of an electronic program before adaptation; and

communicate said adapted electronic program guide to said at least one of said devices.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein each of said physical layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said corresponding access service providers.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein:

said one or more circuits are further configured to generate the adapted electronic program guide according to a device attribute comprising at least one of a display resolution, a supported decoding algorithm, a power consumption level, a quality of service (QoS), a number of a plurality of program channels supported, a bandwidth, or any combination thereof.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to generate an updated version of said adapted electronic program guide in response to an update for at least one of said electronic program guides, an update for said power consumption level, an update for said user profile, or any combination thereof.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to communicate said updated version of said adapted electronic program guide to at least one of said devices.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to communicate said updated version of said adapted electronic program guide initiated by said broadband gateway or in response to a request from at least one of said devices.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to access energy related information of one or more links in a local network and generating said adapted electronic program guide based at least in part on said energy related information of said one or more links.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said adapted electronic programming guide is configured to be displayed in at least one of said devices to facilitate a content selection, a content scheduling, or any combination thereof.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to:

perform an analysis on a user behavior, a user feedback, or any combination thereof; and

select an advertising content to be included with said adapted electronic programming guide based on said analysis.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to communicate said advertising content in said adapted electronic program guide to at least one of said devices.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the information for the electronic program guides comprises data for at least one of a programming quality, a bandwidth, a resolution, or a power consumption.

22. A method, comprising:

obtaining, in a broadband gateway device, information for a plurality of electronic program guides from a plurality of network access service providers;

accessing power consumption related information of one or more of said plurality of devices stored in said broadband gateway, said power consumption related information comprising content adaptation options;

generating, in the broadband gateway device, an adapted electronic program guide that corresponds to a power consumption level for a device that is reduced relative to that for an electronic program before adaptation, using a combination of the information for the electronic program guides and said power consumption related information, said device in communication with the broadband gateway device; and

providing the adapted electronic program guide to said device.