Method and apparatus for creating dynamic webpages in a media communication system

• US 9,973,820 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Mary, Davis, Bryan P., Coldwell, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US15/586,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• 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 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Internet Protocol Television system having a controller to create a template defining a format of presentation of an webpage or HTML page using an iTV or IPTV application system, receive a request for the page from a subscriber of the iTV or IPTV system. The system can access application system subscriber data for the subscriber and a presentation of the page is dynamically adapted according to the application system subscriber data. In one alternative at, the page can be dynamically adapted by changing in content or by changing a look and feel of an HTML page or webpage. In another alternative, the webpage or HTML page can be dynamically adapted by modifying graphic user interface elements based on the application system subscriber data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A web server, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

creating a webpage to define a presentation of media content for equipment of a subscriber of a media service, wherein the webpage includes subscriber data to identify available subscribed-to services for the equipment from the media service;

providing the webpage to the equipment, wherein the equipment adapts a presentation of the webpage to exclude services provided by third party service providers that are not identified by the subscriber data;

receiving a selection of the third party service provider from the equipment; and

providing the subscriber data related to the selection of the third party service provider to equipment of the third party service provider responsive to receiving the selection of the third party service provider.

2. The web server of claim 1, wherein the media service is managed by an interactive television service provider, and

wherein the third party service provider is a voice communication service provider that manages a voice communication service, wherein the communication service provider is different from the interactive television service provider.

3. The web server of claim 1, wherein the equipment changes a functionality of the webpage according to the available subscribed-to services for use at the equipment.

4. The web server of claim 1, wherein the equipment changes a portion of a graphical user interface of the webpage according to the available subscribed-to services for use at the equipment.

5. The web server of claim 1, wherein the equipment dynamically adapts the presentation of the webpage according the subscriber data.

6. The web server of claim 1, wherein the webpage is created according to a template that defines a format of the presentation of the webpage.

7. The web server of claim 1, wherein the available subscribed-to services presented in the webpage include information that is only related to content provided by a content provider of each of the available subscribed-to services.

8. The web server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining communication resources of the equipment as the subscriber data,

wherein the third party service provider comprises a voice communication service provided to the equipment, and

wherein the presentation of the webpage includes the voice communication service of the third party service provider.

9. The web server of claim 8, wherein the receiving the selection of the third party service provider is performed through a selection via a graphical user interface of the webpage.

10. A communication device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

providing a request for a webpage to server for a media service;

receiving a uniform resource locator for the webpage from the server, wherein the webpage includes subscriber data to identify available subscribed-to services for the communication device;

adapting a presentation of the webpage via a graphical user interface to exclude services provided by third party service providers that are not identified by the subscriber data;

receiving a selection of the third party service provider; and

providing the selection of the third party service provider to the server and receiving subscriber data related to the selection of the third party service provider from the server in response to providing the selection of the third party service provider.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the adapting the presentation of the webpage via the graphical user interface comprises dynamically presenting the available subscribed-to services.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface is created using a template for defining a format of the presentation of the graphical user interface.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the available subscribed-to services presented in the graphical user interface include information related only to content provided by a content provider of each of the available subscribed-to services.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the available subscribed-to services includes a third party voice communication service includes a voice communication service managed by a communication service provider different from the media service.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the adapting further comprises changing a portion of the graphical user interface to accommodate the media service and the third party voice communication service.

16. A method, comprising:

creating, by a processing system including a processor, a webpage including subscriber data to identify available subscribed-to services for equipment of a user from a media service;

providing, by the processing system, the webpage to the equipment of the user, wherein the equipment of the user adapts a presentation of the webpage to exclude services provided by third party service providers that are not identified by the subscriber data;

receiving, by the processing system, a selection of the third party service provider from the equipment of the user; and

providing, by the processing system, the subscriber data related to the selection of the third party service provider to equipment of the third party service provider responsive to receiving the selection of the third party service provider.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the available subscribed-to services includes a media service managed by an interactive television service provider.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein communication resources of the processing system include a voice communication service initiated by the processing system, and

wherein the voice communication service is managed by a communication service provider different from the interactive television service provider.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the processing system is part of a mobile phone, and wherein the webpage provides a graphical user interface for the mobile phone.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the webpage is dynamically adapted to present a voice communication service and a media service managed by a television service provider.