Method and apparatus for location based broadcast channel selection and update for mobile devices

• US 10,812,852 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2019
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Das, Manoj Kumar, Akhtar, Perwaiz, Shaikh, MohammedYusuf M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierorazio, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US16/404,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20200359077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 725132
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus for location based broadcast channel selection and update for mobile devices. The location based broadcast channel selection and update method includes determining a location of a mobile device. The location is checked against a current location area. A query is sent to a license server with the location if the location is beyond the current location area. A list of television broadcast channels associated with the location is sent by the license server and the received list of television broadcast channels are mapped against the current list of television broadcast channels. The mobile device is reconfigured with the mapped list of television broadcast channels.

Claims

1. A method for location based broadcast channel selection and update, the method comprising:

determining a location of a mobile device;

checking whether the location is within a current location area;

querying a license server with the location if the location is beyond the current location area;

receiving a list of television broadcast channels associated with the location;

mapping the received list of television broadcast channels as compared with a current list of television broadcast channels; and

reconfiguring the mobile device with the mapped list of television broadcast channels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location may be determined using a combination of global positioning system (GPS), triangulation, WiFi service set identifier (SSID), and Internet Protocol (IP) address by using most accurate available location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is associated with a geographic area and the received list of television broadcast channels is associated with the geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification to the mobile device of an impending reconfiguration based on a changed location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the notification pauses active streaming on the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining content data for at least one of active streaming content, paused streaming content, or saved streaming content on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the content data includes at least one of a name of active content, a name of paused content, a name of saved content, television broadcast channel for the active content, television broadcast channel for the paused content, television broadcast channel for the saved content, time data associated with the active content, time data associated with the paused content, time data associated with the saved content, content status, active streaming data, paused streaming data, and saved streaming data, the method further comprising:

configuring streaming settings at the mobile device based on the content data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the reconfiguring causes active streaming to pause and resume on a reconfigured television broadcast channel using the content data.

9. A method for location based broadcast channel reconfiguration, the method comprising:

checking whether a location of a mobile device is inside a licensed area absent content viewing status at the mobile device;

sending a real-time query to a license server when the mobile device is leaving or has left the licensed area, the real-time query including the location;

receiving a list of television broadcast channels associated with a new licensed area associated with the location;

generating a map from the received list of television broadcast channels as compared with a current list of television broadcast channels; and

sending a reconfiguration command to the mobile device with the map.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location may be determined using a prioritized list of global positioning system (GPS), triangulation, WiFi service set identifier (SSID), and Internet Protocol (IP) address.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the location is associated with a geographic area and the received list of television broadcast channels is associated with the geographic area, and wherein the licensed area and the new licensed area are geographic areas.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a reconfiguration alert to the mobile device when the mobile device is leaving or has left the licensed area.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the reconfiguration alert pauses active streaming on the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining content data for at least one of active streaming content, paused streaming content, or saved streaming content on the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the content data includes at least one of a name of active content, a name of paused content, a name of saved content, television broadcast channel for the active content, television broadcast channel for the paused content, television broadcast channel for the saved content, time data associated with the active content, time data associated with the paused content, time data associated with the saved content, content status, active streaming data, paused streaming data, and saved streaming data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the reconfiguration command causes active streaming to pause and resume on a mapped television broadcast channel using the content data.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a location server; and

an Internet Protocol (IP) video application server configured to;

obtain a location of a mobile device from the location server;

send a query to a license server when the location is outside a current location area;

receive a list of television broadcast channels associated with a geographic area which includes the location;

generate map and content data from the received list of television broadcast channels as compared to a current list of television broadcast channels, and content data for at least one of active streaming content, paused streaming content, or saved streaming content on the mobile device; and

send a message to the mobile device with the map and the content data to reconfigure the mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the location server is configured to determine the location using at least one of global positioning system (GPS), triangulation, WiFi service set identifier (SSID), and Internet Protocol (IP) address based on accuracy of location data.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the IP video application server is further configured to send a pause command to permit reconfiguration of the mobile device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the message causes the mobile device to resume streaming on a mapped television broadcast channel using the content data.