Method and system for providing on-demand and pay-per-view content through a hospitality system

• US 9,277,249 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Guzman, Jorge H., Tatem, Richard B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hance, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, WILLIAM JW
• Application Number:
  US13/557,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20140033236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 725/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312

Abstract

A method and system for providing content to a receiving device from a local headend is set forth. The local headend communicates channel data for content stored at a video server to a receiving device, receives a selection of the channel data to form selected content from the receiving device and communicates content corresponding to the selection to the receiving device. The local headend stores a purchase record corresponding to the selection at the local headend, associates the purchase record with the receiving device within the local headend and communicates a request for a callback from the local headend to the receiving device. The receiving device communicates a callback signal from the receiving device to an external headend comprising purchase data corresponding to the purchase record.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating content from an external headend to a local headend, said local headend coupled to a plurality of receiving devices comprising a first receiving device through a local communication network;

storing the content in a video server of the local headend to form local content;

at the local headend, assigning local channels of the local communication network to communicate the local content;

at the local headend, generating local channel guide data for the local content stored at the video server in response to assigning;

communicating the local channel guide data to the first receiving device in communication with the local headend;

receiving a selection based on the local channel guide data from the first receiving device;

communicating selected local content corresponding to the selection to the first receiving device through one or more of the local channels;

storing a purchase record corresponding to the selection at the local headend;

associating the purchase record with the first receiving device within the local headend;

communicating a request for a callback from the local headend to the first receiving device;

in response to the request for the callback, communicating a callback signal from the first receiving device directly to the external headend, the callback signal comprising purchase data corresponding to the purchase record for the first receiving device; and

storing a billing record for the local headend at the external headend in response to receiving the callback signal, said billing record comprising the purchase data for the plurality of receiving devices.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to communicating the local channel data, storing pay-per-view content in the video server.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein communicating the selected local content comprises communicating the pay-per-view content to the plurality of receiving devices using a single channel at a predetermined start time.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein communicating the local channel data comprises communicating pay-per-view channel data to the first receiving device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to communicating the local channel guide data, storing on-demand content in the video server.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein communicating the selected local content comprises communicating the on-demand content to a single receiving device immediately after being requested.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the local channel data to a receiving device comprises communicating the local channel guide data to a satellite television receiving device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the local channel guide data to a receiving device comprises communicating the local channel guide data to a set back box.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein communicating the local channel guide data comprises communicating pay-per-view channel guide data to the receiving device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating a checkout signal at the local headend and wherein communicating the request for the callback comprises communicating the request for the callback in response to the checkout signal.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein storing the purchase record comprises:

communicating the purchase record from a pay-per-view manager to a property management system; and

storing the purchase record in the property management system.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein communicating the request for the callback comprises communicating the request for the callback from the pay-per-view manager to the receiving device associated with the checkout signal.

13. A system comprising:

a plurality of receiving devices comprising a first receiving device; and

a local headend in communication with the receiving device through a local communication network having a video server therein in communication with the first receiving device and an external headend, the local headend configured to receive content from the external headend, assign local channels of the local communication network to communicate local content therethrough, store the content in the video server to form local content, generate and communicate local channel guide data for the local content stored at the video server to the first receiving device, receive a selection of the local channel guide data from the first receiving device and communicate selected local content corresponding to the selection stored in the video server to the first receiving device through one or more of the local channels;

said local headend configured to store a purchase record corresponding to the selection, associate the purchase record with the receiving device and communicate a request for a callback to the first receiving device;

said first receiving device configured to directly communicate a callback signal to the external headend in response to the request for the callback, the callback signal comprising purchase data corresponding to the purchase record; and

said external headend located remotely from the local headend storing a billing record for the local headend in response to the callback signal, said billing record comprising the purchase data for a plurality of receiving devices.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the local content comprises pay-per-view content having a predetermined start time.

15. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the local channel data comprises pay-per-view channel data.

16. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the local content comprises on-demand content.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the local headend streams the on-demand content to a single receiving device immediately after being requested.

18. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the receiving device comprises a satellite television receiving device.

19. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the receiving device comprises a setback box.

20. The system as recited in claim 19 further comprising a channel manager allocating channels to the local content in the local headend.

21. The system as recited in claim 20 wherein the local headend comprises a property management system generating a checkout signal at the local headend and the local headend communicates the request for the callback in response to the checkout signal.

22. The system as recited in claim 21 further comprising a pay-per-view manager that communicates the purchase record to the property management system, wherein said property management system stores the purchase record.

23. The system as recited in claim 22 wherein the pay-per-view manager communicates the request for the callback to the first receiving device associated with the checkout signal.