Method and Apparatus for Customized Provisioning of On-Line Application Channels

• US 20140330940A1
• Filed: 07/21/2014
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Inventors: Wood, Anthony, Stern, David, Westerhoff, David, Ataras, Bill, Goodwin, Mark, Graham, Aaron, Emerson, Matt, Phillips, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,705,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

A method for a computer system includes receiving an identifier associated with a client streaming player, determining one or more attributes associated with the identifier from a data structure in response to the identifier, determining available channels from a plurality of channels that are to be made available to the client streaming player in response to the identifier, wherein available channels comprises a first channel, but not the second channel, determining a first graphical identifier associated with the first channel, providing the first graphical identifier to the client streaming player, receiving a user selection of the first graphical identifier indicating a user request to associate the first channel with the computer system, and providing an indicator of a server network address associated with the first channel to the client streaming player.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a server an identifier for a streaming player configured to receive on-demand services for display on an attached video display;

determining streaming player attributes based upon the identifier, wherein the streaming player attributes characterize the physical characteristics of the streaming player;

determining demographic data based upon the identifier, wherein the demographic data is associated with a user of the streaming player;

selecting available content based upon the streaming player attributes and the demographic data; and

supplying indicia of the available content to the streaming player.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is at least one of a hardware revision identifier, a firmware revision identifier and an application software identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the streaming player attributes are selected from processor type, processor speed, memory capacity, port configuration, wireless capability, removable memory interface and memory interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the available content includes a software application, a video channel, an audio channel and a game channel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the demographic data is selected from income, marital status, geographic location, internet service provider, political region and purchasing habits.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicia includes an image for each instance of available content.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising supplying on-demand content in response to receiving a selection of available content.