Enhanced video programming system and method for providing a distributed community network

• US 6,513,069 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: ACTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Abato, Michael R., Ullman, Craig D., Harrington, Jeffrey M., Duda, Carl R.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/396,693
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/205, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/230, 709/231, 709/238, 709/250, 709/329
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/0825 the ejection arrangement being of the push-push kind
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A distributed community network for providing services to an arbitrarily large community of end users by distributing the load among many machines. The network uses hubs on the machines for routing packets. The hubs obtain routing instructions from a router and use those instructions for routing the packets. The packets include content for the machines based upon a particular network service, such as a chat service for permitting users to interact in chat rooms or a push/pull service for pushing content to the user machines either directly or based upon information received from the users.

Claims

1. A method for routing application layer packets of information in a network, comprising:

receiving a packet at a first routing machine including an indication of hierarchical routing information and content using a particular network service;

accessing a directory based upon the hierarchical routing information in order to obtain routing instructions for the packet;

the directory including an identification of one or more targets in the network for receiving the packet;

the one or more targets including at least one client machine and at least one second routing machine;

transmitting the packet to the at least one client machine; and

transmitting the packet to the at least one second routing machine to distribute the routing of packets.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises receiving routing instructions for use in determining the targets.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the packet including content using a content push/pull service.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the packet including a uniform resource identifier for use in pushing content to the user.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the packet including a uniform resource identifier for selection by the user for pulling content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises determining the targets in a wide-area network, a local area network, an intranet, or the Internet.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the packet containing video, audio, or multimedia content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting routing instructions for transmitting the packet.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a program to the targets.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the program and the packet for simultaneous processing and display of the program and the content on a display monitor associated with the targets.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the program and the packet for simultaneous processing and display of the program and the content on a television associated with the targets.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the packet including an indication of the directory for use in obtaining the routing instructions.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the packet including an indication of an action associated with the service.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the packet containing executable code, data, or executable code with associated data.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the packet containing an object, the object specifying executable code, data, or executable code with associated data.

16. An apparatus for routing application layer packets of information in a network, comprising:

a receive module for receiving a packet at a first routing machine including an indication of hierarchical routing information and content using a particular network service;

a determination module for determining targets in a network for receiving the packet based upon the hierarchical routing information, the determination module including a module for accessing a directory in order to obtain routing instructions for the packet;

the directory including an identification of one or more targets in the network for receiving the packet;

the one or more targets including at least one client machine and at least one second routing machine to distribute routing of the packets; and

a transmission module for transmitting the packet to the at least one client machine and the at least one second routing machine to distribute routing of the packets.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the determination module comprises a module for receiving routing instructions for use in determining the targets.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the transmission module comprises a module for transmitting the packet including content using a content push/pull service.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the transmission module comprises a module for transmitting the packet including a uniform resource identifier for use in pushing content to the user.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the transmission module comprises a module for transmitting the packet including a uniform resource identifier for selection by the user for pulling content.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the determination module comprises a module for determining the targets in a wide-area network, a local area network, an intranet, or the Internet.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the receive module comprises a module for receiving the packet containing video, audio, or multimedia content.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a module for requesting routing instructions for transmitting the packet.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a program source for transmitting a program to the targets.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a module for transmitting the program and the packet for simultaneous processing and display of the program and the content on a display monitor associated with the targets.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a module for transmitting the program and the packet for simultaneous processing and display of the program and the content on a television associated with the targets.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a module for transmitting the program for display of the program on a television associated with the targets; and

a module for transmitting the packet for display of the content on a display monitor associated with the targets.

28. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the receive module comprises a module for receiving the packet including an indication of the directory for use in obtaining the routing instructions.

29. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the receive module comprises a module for receiving the packet including an indication of an action associated with the service.

30. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the receive module comprises a module for receiving the packet containing executable code, data, or executable code with associated data.

31. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the receive module comprises a module for receiving the packet containing an object, the object specifying executable code, data, or executable code with associated data.

32. A system for routing application layer packets of information in a network, comprising:

a network;

a plurality of client machines connected to the network;

an authoring client machine; and

a server connected to the network and the authoring client machine, wherein the server comprises;

a receive module for receiving from the authoring client machine a packet including an indication of hierarchical routing information and content using a particular network service;

a determination module for determining targets among the plurality of client machines in the network for receiving the packet based upon the hierarchical routing information;

the determination module including a directory module for accessing a directory in order to obtain routing instructions for the packet;

the directory including an indication of one or more targets in the network for receiving the packet;

the one or more targets including at least one client machine and at least one second routing machine; and

a transmission module for transmitting the packet to the at least one client machine and the at least one second routing machine to distribute routing the packet.

33. A distributed community network comprising:

a client machine, wherein the client machine provides an interface through which a user may communicate a request and receive content;

a network accessible to the client machine;

at least one service provider connected to the network; and

at least one server connected to the network, wherein the server further comprises a hub, the hub facilitating a connection between the service provider and the client machine;

wherein content is communicated between the service provider and the client machine over the network, wherein the content is provided by the service provider to the client machine in a packet transmitted over the network wherein the packet includes hierarchical information and content information, and wherein the hierarchical information directs a router to obtain from a directory an identification of a hub associated with the client machine such that the content is communicated from the service provider to the client machine via the hub, the network, and at least one server associated with the service provider.

34. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the client machine further comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a television, a digital television, a set top box, a computer workstation, a personal computer, a hand-held computer, and a wireless device.

35. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the client machine further comprises a device capable of presenting to a user a signal in a form selected from the group consisting of:

a video signal, an audio signal, a multimedia signal, a combined audio and video signal, video stills, animations, text, graphics, slow frame video, and a sequence of individual frames.

36. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the network further comprises a network selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, intranet, private network, and a public network.

37. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the network is accessed by the client machine utilizing a communications medium selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet, intranet, private network, public network, radio frequency broadcast, wireless connection, satellite broadcast, cable, telephone circuit, and a fiber optics circuit.

38. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the at least one service provider provides at least one service selected from the group consisting of:

a donut service, a chat service, a whiteboard service, and a content push/pull service.

39. The distributed community network of claim 38, wherein the donut service provides content to the user based upon a user profile.

40. The distributed community network of claim 38, wherein multiple services are provided to the user by utilizing at least two service providers connected to the network.

41. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the hierarchical information further comprises an identification of a source, a server, a room, and a target.

42. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the directory farther comprises a data storage device connected to a server, the data storage device containing a listing of users subscribed to a service and a listing of hubs associated with the users.

43. The distributed community network of claim 33, wherein the content relates to at least one program selected from the group consisting of:

an advertisement, a game show program, a motion picture program, a live program, an audio program, a music video program, a pre-recorded program, a news program, and a sports program.