MANAGEMENT OF GENERIC SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS FOR TELEVISION SERVICES

• US 20090158331A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jerding, Dean F., Rodriguez, Arturo A.
• Application Number:
  US12/372,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158331A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method for providing a television service enhancement includes receiving a first user input requesting a television service, providing the user with an option to receive an enhancement to the television service for a charge, and receiving a second user input selecting the option to receive the enhancement to the television service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

registering, by a generic service enhancement application (SEA), with a server in a subscriber television system (STS), the generic SEA capable of enhancing functionality of more than one type of service; and

communicating, by the installed generic SEA, information to one or more other server components in the STS, the information including an indication of compatibility with one or more television service applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering is responsive to installation of the generic SEA at a headend.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a service application manager (SAM) server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising assigning by the server an identifier to the generic SEA.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier comprises a numeric application identifier (ID).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises an identifier of the generic SEA.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a textual description of the service enhancement suitable for display in a parent application server configuration screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a price for the service enhancement, the price configured by a system operator through an enhancement application configuration screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a status of the generic SEA as a generic SEA.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic SEA comprises a generic application programming interface (API) that is capable of functioning with a parent service application already present in the STS, the parent service application providing a base television functionality.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein an indication of the generic service enhancement is added by a system operator as an option to a list of available enhancements for a given television service.

12. A system, comprising:

memory having a generic service enhancement application (SEA) encoded thereon; and

a processor configured to execute the generic SEA, the generic SEA configured to;

register with the server, the server located in a subscriber television system (STS), the generic SEA capable of enhancing functionality of more than one type of service; and

communicate information to one or more other server components in the STS, the information including an indication of compatibility with one or more television service applications.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the generic SEA is further configured to register responsive to installation of the generic SEA at a headend.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server comprises a service application manager (SAM) server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the generic SEA is further configured to receive an assignment by the server to an identifier.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the identifier comprises one of a uniform resource identifier (URI) and a numeric application identifier (ID).

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the information further comprises one or more of an identifier of the generic SEA, a textual description of the service enhancement suitable for display in a parent application server configuration screen, a price for the service enhancement, the price configured by a system operator through an enhancement application configuration screen, and a status of the generic SEA as a generic SEA.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the generic SEA comprises a generic application programming interface (API) that is capable of functioning with a parent service application already present in the STS, the parent service application providing a base television functionality.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the parent service application comprises one of an interactive programming guide (IPG) application and a video-on-demand (VOD) application.