METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING DIGITAL ACCESS TECHNOLOGY FOR PROGRAMMING AND DATA DELIVERY

• US 20180316969A1
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Published: 11/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hasek, Charles A., Markley, Jeffrey P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,743,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6371 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for selecting digital access technology for programming and data delivery over, e.g., a content-based network. In one embodiment, the network comprises an HFC cable or satellite network that includes a server process interfacing with a plurality of customer premises equipment (CPE), and/or associated client devices, each having different capabilities profiles. The server determines the one or more capabilities possessed by the CPE, and evaluates one or more program or content choices for possible delivery to that CPE based on its profile. The server generates a list of programs or content based on this evaluation, and transmits this list to the CPE, which displays the list for viewing by a user. The user is therefore offered a list of available content that is compatible with their specific configuration. A business and operational rules engine is also optionally employed to control the operation of the foregoing processes to accomplish particular business, or operational goals.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A computerized client apparatus for use within a content delivery network, the computerized client apparatus comprising:

display apparatus;

network interface apparatus;

processor apparatus in data communication with the display apparatus and the network interface apparatus; and

non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus in data communication with the processor apparatus and comprising one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus;

receive at least one plurality of digitally rendered content element from a computerized network apparatus of the content delivery network;

evaluate the at least one digitally rendered content element based at least on data relating to a plurality of functional capabilities of the computerized client apparatus;

based at least on the evaluation, process the received at least one digitally rendered content element via at least a portion of the plurality of functional capabilities of the computerized client apparatus, the at least one digitally rendered content element configured for at least the computerized client apparatus based at least on the at least portion of the plurality of functional capabilities.

44. The computerized client apparatus of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus:

receive, via the network interface apparatus, data relating to one or more functional capabilities of a second computerized client apparatus;

generate data indicative of a super-set of functional capabilities, the super-set inclusive of both (i) the at least portion of the plurality of functional capabilities of the computerized client apparatus, and (ii) the one or more capabilities of the second computerized client apparatus.

45. The computerized client apparatus of claim 44, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus:

based on an evaluation of the data indicative of the super-set of functional capabilities and the received at least one digitally rendered content element, designate the received at least one digitally rendered content element as being available to the second computerized client apparatus only.

46. The computerized client apparatus of claim 44, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus:

based on an evaluation of the data indicative of the super-set and the received at least one digitally rendered content element, remove the at least one digitally rendered content element from an available content listing rendered via the display apparatus.

47. The computerized client apparatus of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus:

discover the plurality of functional capabilities of the computerized client apparatus, the discovery comprising computerized polling of a registry apparatus of the computerized client apparatus via a software process of the computerized client apparatus.

48. The computerized client apparatus of claim 43, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus:

generate capabilities profile data, the capabilities profile data indicative of at least the plurality of functional capabilities of at least the computerized client apparatus;

transmit the capabilities profile data to a computerized network server apparatus; and

receive one or more digitally rendered program streams, the one or more digitally rendered program streams having one or more digitally rendered secondary content elements inserted therein, the one or more digitally rendered secondary content elements selected by at least one of (i) the computerized network apparatus, and/or (ii) the computerized network server apparatus, based at least on the capabilities profile data.

49. The computerized client apparatus of claim 48, wherein the selection of the one or more digitally rendered secondary content elements by at least one of (i) the computerized network apparatus, and/or (ii) the computerized network server apparatus, based at least on the capabilities profile data, comprises selection of a version of the at least one digitally rendered content rendered in a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4/H.264 format, the MPEG-4/H.264 format supported by the computerized client apparatus, such support indicated by the capabilities profile data;

wherein the selection of the version is based at least in part on an available communications delivery channel accessible by the computerized client apparatus.

50. A computerized method for operating a computerized gateway device for use in a content delivery network, the computerized method comprising:

evaluating one or more capabilities of a first computerized client device and one or more capabilities of a second computerized client device, the first and second computerized client devices each in data communication with the computerized gateway device, to identify one or more common capabilities between the first and second computerized client devices;

generating, via the computerized gateway device, capabilities profile data, the capabilities profile data indicating at least the one or more common capabilities; and

based at least in part on the generated capabilities profile data, delivering a digital media stream comprising digitally rendered content to the first and second computerized client devices in a media encoding format which is compatible with the one or more common capabilities.

51. The computerized method of claim 50, further comprising:

receiving data comprising a dynamically modifiable listing of available digitally rendered programs, the available digitally rendered programs being compatible with the one or more common capabilities;

wherein the delivering of the digital media stream to the first and second computerized client devices comprises delivering one or more respective variants of a particular digitally rendered program to each of the first and second computerized client devices, the one or more respective variants comprising at least some content that is specific to respective geographic locations of the first and second computerized client devices.

52. The computerized method of claim 50, further comprising transmitting the capabilities profile data to a computerized network entity;

wherein the transmitting the capabilities profile data to the computerized network entity comprises transmitting a session-based protocol message to a server process of the content delivery network, the session-based protocol message identifying at least one network interface capability on which the media stream is to be received.

53. The computerized method of claim 50, wherein:

the evaluating the one or more respective capabilities of the first and second computerized client devices comprises polling, via at least one application programming interface (API), one or more functional elements of each of the first and second computerized client devices for respective capabilities thereof; and

the generating the capabilities profile data comprises generating the capabilities profile data based at least on data returned by the first and second computerized client devices pursuant to the polling; and

the computerized method further comprises transmitting the capabilities profile data to a computerized network entity, wherein the transmitting the capabilities profile data comprises the at least one API further causing transmitting the capabilities profile utilizing a session-based protocol.

54. The computerized method of claim 50, further comprising:

receiving data relating to a list of available network interfaces, the available network interfaces in the list being prioritized based at least on one or more criteria;

based at least on the one or more respective capabilities of the first and second computerized client devices, select at least one appropriate one of the available network interfaces for the delivering of the media stream to each of the first and second computerized client devices, the selection comprising an application of one or more criteria relating to then-current QAM channel contention or loading of at least a portion of the content delivery network used for the delivering.

55. The computerized method of claim 50, further comprising:

receiving data comprising a dynamically modifiable listing of available digitally rendered programs, the available digitally rendered programs being compatible with the one or more common capabilities;

wherein;

the data comprising the dynamically modifiable listing of the available digitally rendered programs comprises a plurality of Uniform Resource Locators (URL'"'"'s), each URL corresponding to at least a portion of an individual one of the available digitally rendered programs; and

the delivering the delivering of the multimedia stream comprises receiving and processing the individual one of the available digitally rendered programs utilizing an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol.

56. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a digital processing apparatus:

determine one or more functional hardware or software capabilities supported by at least one computerized client device;

evaluate digitally rendered content based at least on data relating to the determined one or more functional hardware or software capabilities supported by the at least one computerized client device;

based at least on the evaluation, cause processing of at least a portion of the digitally rendered content via at least a portion of the determined one or more functional hardware or software capabilities supported by the at least one computerized client device.

57. The computer readable apparatus of claim 56, wherein the determination of the one or more functional hardware or software capabilities supported by the at least one computerized client device comprises access of a computerized registry function, the computerized registry function comprising one or more data records, the one or more data records being respectively related to one or more non-standardized hardware or software features of the at least one computerized client device.

58. The computer readable apparatus of claim 57, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus:

cause at least a portion of an application computer program to run on the at least one computerized client device, the portion of the application computer program configured to access the one or more non-standardized hardware or software features via at least one standardized application programming interface (API) associated with the one or more non-standardized hardware or software features.

59. The computer readable apparatus of claim 58, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus:

utilize the portion of the application computer program to control at least one of the one or more non-standardized hardware or software features via the at least one standardized API associated therewith.

60. The computer readable apparatus of claim 59, wherein the at least one of the one or more non-standardized hardware or software options relate to functionality needed by the at least one computerized client device to decode the portion of the digitally rendered content.

61. The computer readable apparatus of claim 56, wherein the determined one or more capabilities supported by the at least one computerized client device relate to conditional access (CA) capabilities available to the at least one computerized client device, the CA capabilities comprising at least a digital rights manager (DRM).

62. The computer readable apparatus of claim 56, wherein the causation of processing of at least a portion of the digitally rendered content via at least a portion of the determined one or more functional hardware or software capabilities supported by the at least one computerized client device comprises causing transmission of at least one protocol message to a computerized server entity of a content delivery network with which the computerized client device is in data communication, the at least one protocol message configured to cause the computerized server entity to perform the processing.