Indirect control of content consumption

• US 10,834,155 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 11/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Holden, Danial, McMahon, Michael D., Broome, Gregory Allen, Mao, Weidong, Gilson, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin T
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCray, Clarence D
• Application Number:
  US14/884,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 709217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to control of consumption of content in an appliance. The content can include linear programming and non-linear assets. Such control can permit (i) changing a channel in the appliance (e.g., a CPE without upstream functionality) and thus selecting a linear-programming asset, a non-linear asset, and so forth, and (ii) controlling consumption of such assets. In one aspect, a device with upstream network connectivity can control the consumption of media in the appliance. The device can leverage data management and control functionality of a service provider network to acquire information related to assets available for consumption and to transmit asset requests to the service provider network, which can transmit content and signaling to the appliance in accordance at least in part with the asset request, thus controlling media consumption in the appliance.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first device in communication with a first network, a first message comprising a command to tune to a specified channel associated with one or more frequencies, wherein the first message is received via a second device in response to a synchronization message received at the second device via a third device associated with a second network;

tuning, at the first device, to the specified channel in response to receiving the first message;

receiving, at the first device via the specified channel, a second message comprising an instruction to change a rendering, at the first device, of at least one content asset; and

rendering, at the first device, the at least one content asset according to the instruction to change the rendering of the at least one content asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is in communication with the third device via the second network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second message is received via the second device in response to a control message received at the second device via the third device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified channel comprises a virtual channel comprising a non-empty set of downstream frequencies available to a service group for transmission of data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a digital terminal adaptor configured to receive in-band signaling without using an out-of-band channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one content asset comprises a video on demand asset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a command for synchronizing a channel pathway for communication to the first device.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first device associated with a first network, data indicative of a plurality of assets for consumption, wherein the first device is configured to control navigation, via a second device in communication with a second network, of at least one content asset;

sending, via the first device associated with the first network, a first message to a network component in communication with the second device via the second network, the first message comprising a command for the second device to tune to a specified channel associated with one more frequencies of the second network; and

sending, via the first device associated with the first network, a second message to the network component, the second message comprising an instruction to change a rendering, at the second device, of the at least one content asset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the specified channel comprises a virtual channel comprising a non-empty set of downstream frequencies available to a service group for transmission of data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second device comprises a digital terminal adaptor configured to receive in-band signaling without using an out-of-band channel.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first message comprises a command for synchronizing a channel pathway for communication to the second device.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating the first message based on a packet switching protocol and generating the second message based on a quadrature amplitude modulation based transport stream.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising assigning a first identifier to the first message and a second identifier to the second message, wherein the second identifier indicates that the second message comprises a control message and the first identifier indicates that the first message comprises a synchronization message.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first device via a first network, a first message directed to a second device, the first message comprising a command for the second device to tune to a specified channel associated with one or more frequencies;

sending, via the first device to the second device via a second network, the first message;

receiving, at the first device via the first network, a second message directed to the second device, the second message comprising an instruction to change a rendering of content at the second device;

determining, at the first device, a first amount of network resources available for delivery of the second message; and

sending, based at least on the first amount of network resources, via the first device and to the second device, the second message on the specified channel of the second network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first message and the second message are each received at the first device via a third device in communication with the first network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises a command for synchronizing a channel pathway for communication between the third device and the second device, and wherein the second message comprises an instruction to change rendering of a data stream.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the specified channel comprises a virtual channel comprising a non-empty set of downstream frequencies available to a service group for transmission of data.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second device comprises a digital terminal adaptor configured to receive in-band signaling without using an out-of-band channel.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a second amount of network resources for delivery of the first message.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising assigning a first priority to the second message and a second priority to the first message, wherein the first priority is based at least on the second message being a control message and the second priority is based at least on the first message being a synchronization message.