Virtualizing user interface and set top box functionality while providing media over network

• US 9,338,479 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guest-tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Guest-tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
• Inventors: Hulse, David Andrew, Duke, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US14/672,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42623 involving specific decryption arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for providing digital content to televisions or other devices having media playback capabilities over a network infrastructure using virtual set top boxes (VSTBs).

Claims

1. A system providing media over a network, the system comprising:

one or more servers deployed on the network and operable to manage operation of a plurality of virtual set top boxes (VSTBs) and virtual user interfaces (VUIs);

one or more media servers deployed on the network and operable to make available to the VSTBs a plurality of digital media streams via the network; and

a plurality of display devices coupled to the network;

wherein the display devices cannot directly access and playback the digital media streams from the media servers;

the one or more servers are operable to receive an alert via the network upon a user activating a display device at a start of a user session;

the one or more servers are operable to allocate resources in order to instantiate both a VSTB and a VUI for the display device in response to receiving the alert, the VSTB connecting to the VUI via a first connection in order to receive graphical updates representing a graphical user interface as generated by the VUI, the VSTB further combining the graphical user interface with one or more of the digital media streams received from the media servers;

the one or more servers are further operable to transmit the combined graphical user interface and the one or more media streams from the VSTB to the display device as a single media stream having a frame format and codec supported by the display device;

the one or more servers are further operable to receive user input and provide the user input to the VUI via a second connection, at least some of the user input representing interaction of the user with a representation of the graphical user interface as shown on the display device;

the one or more servers are further operable to send updates of the graphical user interface as driven by the user input from the VUI to the VSTB via the first connection;

the one or more servers are further operable to change media stream inputs to the VSTB such that the VSTB combines the graphical user interface with a different one or more of the digital media streams selected according to actions of the user interacting with the graphical user interface provided by the VUI; and

the one or more servers are further operable to release the resources allocated for the VSTB and VUI when the user session is complete.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the VUI and the VSTB are instantiated on different servers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more servers comprise one or more transcoding servers operable to receive at least some of the digital media streams and provide transcoded versions of the digital media streams to the VSTBs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the display devices include a heterogeneous mix of target devices and the transcoding servers pre-process the digital media streams by suitably pre-shaping content in order to support the heterogeneous mix of target devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more servers are further operable to transmit the single media stream to the display device via a particular Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channel on a coaxial cable infrastructure and to remotely control the display device to tune to the particular QAM channel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display devices correspond to any of a television, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook device, a tablet device, a handheld device, a netbook, or a smart phone.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display control unit coupled between the network and the display device;

wherein the display control unit comprises a first interface operable to receive the single media stream from the one or more servers and a second interface operable to transmit the single media stream to the display device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control unit further comprises a third interface operable to interact with and control operation of the display device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a number of pairs of the VSTBs and the VUIs running on the one or more servers at any time corresponds to a number of active display devices currently in use.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the VSTB is further operable to encrypt the single media stream for transmission across the network.

11. A method of providing media over a network in a system, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of digital media streams on the network;

receiving an alert via the network upon a user activating a display device at a start of a user session;

wherein the display device is one of a plurality of display devices, and the display devices cannot directly access and playback the digital media streams;

allocating resources in order to instantiate both a virtual set top box (VSTB) and a virtual user interface (VUI) for the display device in response to receiving the alert;

connecting by the VSTB to the VUI via a first connection;

receiving by the VSTB via the first connection graphical updates representing a graphical user interface as generated by the VUI;

combining by the VSTB the graphical user interface with one or more of the digital media streams available on the network;

transmitting the combined graphical user interface and the one or more media streams from the VSTB to the display device as a single media stream having a frame format and codec supported by the display device;

receiving user input and providing the user input to the VUI via a second connection, at least some of the user input representing interaction of the user with a representation of the graphical user interface as shown on the display device;

sending updates of the graphical user interface as driven by the user input from the VUI to the VSTB via the first connection;

changing media stream inputs to the VSTB such that the VSTB combines the graphical user interface with a different one or more of the digital media streams selected according to actions of the user interacting with the graphical user interface provided by the VUI; and

releasing the resources allocated for the VSTB and VUI when the user session is complete.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising instantiating the VUI and the VSTB on different servers.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving at least some of the digital media streams and providing transcoded versions of the digital media streams to the VSTBs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the display devices include a heterogeneous mix of target devices and the method further comprises pre-processing the digital media streams by suitably pre-shaping content in order to support the heterogeneous mix of target devices.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the single media stream to the display device via a particular Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channel on a coaxial cable infrastructure and remotely controlling the display device to tune to the particular QAM channel.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the single media stream from the one or more servers at a first interface of a display control unit and transmitting the single media stream to the display device by a second interface of the display control unit.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a number of pairs of the VSTBs and the VUIs running on the one or more servers at any time corresponds to a number of active display devices currently in use.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by one or more computer servers cause the one or more computer servers to perform the method of claim 11.

19. A system for providing media over a network, the system comprising one or more processors coupled to a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processors cause the one or more processors to:

receive an alert via the network upon a user activating a display device at a start of a user session;

wherein the display device is one of a plurality of display devices, and the display devices cannot directly access and playback a plurality of digital media streams made available on the network;

allocate resources in order to instantiate both a virtual set top box (VSTB) and a virtual user interface (VUI) for the display device in response to receiving the alert;

connect the VSTB to the VUI via a first connection;

receive by the VSTB graphical updates representing a graphical user interface as generated by the VUI via the first connection;

combine by the VSTB the graphical user interface with one or more of the digital media streams available on the network;

transmit the combined graphical user interface and the one or more media streams from the VSTB to the display device as a single media stream having a frame format and codec supported by the display device;

receive user input and provide the user input to the VUI via a second connection, at least some of the user input representing interaction of the user with a representation of the graphical user interface as shown on the display device;

send updates of the graphical user interface as driven by the user input from the VUI to the VSTB via the first connection;

change media stream inputs to the VSTB such that the VSTB combines the graphical user interface with a different one or more of the digital media streams selected according to actions of the user interacting with the graphical user interface provided by the VUI; and

release the resources allocated for the VSTB and VUI when the user session is complete.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a number of pairs of the VSTBs and the VUIs at any time corresponds to a number of active display devices currently in use.