Virtual service delivery platform

• US 9,807,456 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neill, Richard, Khisti, Pradip
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B
• Application Number:
  US14/800,406
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 709220, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A system, computer-implemented method and a computer-readable medium for accessing content on a plurality of computing devices from a plurality of independent frameworks. The system includes a virtual backend service (VBS) platform. A plurality of independent frameworks hosted on the VBS platform, where each independent framework is configured to provide access to an independent set of applications that provide a service over a network. The system also includes a configuration module for configuring each computing device in the plurality of computing devices to access the set of applications particular to the independent framework, wherein the configuring dynamically switches access of each computing device between the independent frameworks, and access the service from each framework by the configured computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a domain in a plurality of domains of a virtual backend service (VBS) platform, the domain being independent of other domains in the plurality of domains and including an application to provide targeted content; and

configuring a set top box (STB) to access the application included in the domain to provide the targeted content to the STB.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a compatibility check to verify compatibility between the STB and the application included in the domain.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing the compatibility check comprises:

determining a component within the STB that is incompatible with the application included in the domain; and

upgrading the component within the STB with an upgraded component that is compatible with the application included in the domain.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

when the compatibility check fails, upgrading a resource within the domain with an upgraded resource that is compatible with the STB.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing the compatibility check comprises:

retrieving a profile of the STB, the profile including components installed within the STB; and

determining whether the application included in the domain is compatible with the components.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second domain, including a second application, from the plurality of domains; and

reconfiguring the STB to access the second application included in the second domain.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second application included in the second domain is a different version of the application included in the domain.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing a second compatibility check to verify compatibility between the STB and the second application included in the second domain; and

based on the compatibility check, upgrading the STB to be an upgraded STB that is compatible with the second application included in the second domain.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second application included in the second domain provides targeted content different from the targeted content provided by the application included in the domain.

10. A system, comprising:

a dynamic application loader system, coupled to a virtual backend service (VBS) platform configured to be executed on a processor, the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, configuring the processor to;

access a domain in a plurality of domains of a virtual backend service (VBS) platform, the domain being independent of other domains in the plurality of domains and including an application to provide targeted content; and

configure a set top box (STB) to access the application included in the domain, whereby the application included in the domain provides the targeted content to the STB.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to:

perform a compatibility check to verify compatibility between the STB and the application included in the domain.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein when the compatibility check fails, the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to:

determine a component within the STB that is incompatible with the application included in the domain; and

upgrade the component with an upgraded component that is compatible with the application included in the domain.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein when the compatibility check fails, the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to upgrade a resource within the domain with an upgraded resource that is compatible with the STB.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein to perform the compatibility check, the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to:

retrieve a profile of the STB, the profile including components installed within the STB; and

determine whether the application included in the domain is compatible with the components.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the dynamic application loader system, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to:

select a second domain, include a second application, from the plurality of domains; and

reconfigure the STB to access the second application included in the second domain.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second application included in the second domain is a different version of the application included in the domain.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the dynamic application loader, when executed on the processor, further configures the processor to:

perform a second compatibility check to verify compatibility between the STB and the second application included in the second domain; and

based on the compatibility check, upgrade the STB to be an upgraded STB that is compatible with the second application included in the second domain.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the second application included in the second domain provides targeted content different from the targeted content provided by the application included in the domain.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a virtual backend service (VBS) platform, causes the VBS platform to distribute content by performing operations, the operations comprising:

providing a domain in a plurality of domains of the VBS platform, the domain being independent of other domains in the plurality of domains including an application to provide targeted content; and

configuring a set top box (STB) to access the application included in the domain to provide the targeted content to the STB.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing a compatibility check to verify compatibility between the STB and the application included in the domain;

based on the compatibility check, determining a component within the STB that is incompatible with the application included in the domain; and

upgrading the component with an upgraded component that is compatible with the application included in the domain.