Systems and methods for distributing software for a host device in a cable system
First Claim
1. A method for distributing software comprising:
- producing a host software file by a host software manufacturer;
providing the host software file from the host software manufacturer to a certification entity;
testing the operation of the host software file by the certification entity;
certifying the host software file for operation in a host;
establishing a first connection from a data processing system to a host file database;
transferring the host software file from the data processing system to the host file database;
receiving confirmation of receipt of the host software file from the host file database;
identifying an enhanced services system to receive the host software file;
establishing a second connection from the host file database to the enhanced services system; and
transferring the host software file from the host file database to the enhanced services system.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Flexible systems and methods are disclosed that may be used for provisioning, configuring, and controlling a host embodied in a cable set top box or other digital device attached to a digital communication network, such as cable distribution network. An enhanced services system maintains various host files for various types of hosts that a cable subscriber may purchase and connect to the cable network. The Enhanced Services Server interacts with the host using the host files. The host files may be downloaded from the host manufacturer into a database that distributes the modules as required to the various enhanced services systems. The host may be purchased by the cable subscriber and provisioning may be initiated by the retailer at the time of purchase using a provisioning network interacting with the appropriate cable system serving the subscriber. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope of the claims.
154 Citations
58 Claims
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1. A method for distributing software comprising:
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producing a host software file by a host software manufacturer;
providing the host software file from the host software manufacturer to a certification entity;
testing the operation of the host software file by the certification entity;
certifying the host software file for operation in a host;
establishing a first connection from a data processing system to a host file database;
transferring the host software file from the data processing system to the host file database;
receiving confirmation of receipt of the host software file from the host file database;
identifying an enhanced services system to receive the host software file;
establishing a second connection from the host file database to the enhanced services system; and
transferring the host software file from the host file database to the enhanced services system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of downloading software, comprising:
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producing host software by a host software manufacturer to control a host;
providing the host software to a certification entity;
receiving a certification indication from the certification entity indicating the host software is compatible with the host;
establishing a connection from a first data processing system to a second data processing system, the second data processing system comprising a database for storing host software to be downloaded to a host;
authenticating the first data processing system to the second the data processing system;
transferring a copy of the host software comprising an host protocol file and a host profile file to the second data processing system; and
receiving a confirmation indication from the second data processing system of the receipt of the host software. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of downloading software, comprising:
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receiving a host software file at a host file database, the host software file for configuring a host;
maintaining a first list of at least one enhanced services system, the enhanced services system further associated with a destination address and the host software file;
maintaining a second list of the destination address associated with a set of communication parameters, the set of communication parameters including authentication information;
establishing a communications path between the host file database and the enhanced services system, the communications path using the destination address;
authenticating the host file database to the enhanced services system using in part the set of communications parameters;
transmitting the host software file from the host file database to the enhanced services system;
receiving a confirmation of the receipt of the host software file from the enhanced services system; and
recording an indication of the confirmation of the receipt of the host software file, the indication recorded in the host file database. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of downloading host software comprising:
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receiving a host software file associated with a specific host manufacturer and a model associated with the specific host manufacturer;
determining an enhanced services system to receive the host software file;
establishing a connection from the enhanced services system to a host file database;
authenticating the enhanced services system to the host file database;
transferring the host software from the host file database to the enhanced services system; and
recording an indication of the date and time associated with the transferring of the host software to the enhanced services system. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for downloading software, comprising:
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communicating a software module associated with a brand and model of a consumer electronics host device to a host file database;
communicating a certification indication associated with the software module to the host file database, the host file database recording the certification indication in association with the software module;
communicating the software module from the database to an enhanced services system, the enhanced services system comprising a server and database, the server operatively connected to a cable distribution network;
detecting activation of a host, the host associated with the host manufacturer and further associated with a model of the host manufacturer, the host connected to the cable distribution network; and
transmitting the software module from the server to the host. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of loading software comprising:
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loading a host protocol file associated with a type of host;
loading a host profile file associated with the type of host;
processing the host profile file to provide a user-interface for selecting at least one service related parameters associated with a service;
receiving a user input to determine the at least one service related parameter;
using the protocol file and the at least one service related parameter to generate a host configuration message; and
associating the host configuration message with the type of host. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A system for downloading host software file to a database, comprising:
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a data processing system capable of transmitting a host software file comprising a database capable of receiving and storing the host software file and maintaining an association of the host software file with a host manufacturer, the host software file further associated with a specific host model of the host manufacturer, the database capable of storing a certification file associated with the host software file, the database associating the host software file with an enhanced services system; and
a communications network, operatively connected to the data processing system, capable of receiving the host software file from the data processing system and transferring the host software file to the enhanced services system. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
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52. A system, comprising:
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an enhanced services system operatively connected to a communications network, capable of receiving and storing at least one host software file in a database, wherein the database stores at least one host address associated with the host software file; and
a cable distribution network, operatively connected to the enhanced services system capable of receiving the host file from the enhanced services system and transmitting the host software file to a host associated with the host address. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A system for distributing software to a host, comprising:
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means for communicating a host software file from a host software manufacturer to a host file database, the host software file containing an indication of certification for operation in the host;
means for communicating the host software file from the host file database to an enhanced services system, the enhanced service system comprising a server and database for storing the host software file;
means for triggering the download of host software from the database to the host; and
means for communicating the host software file from the server to a host using a cable distribution network.
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Specification