| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 725002000 | Data stored locally (e.g., at set-top box) | 17 |
| 20080256567 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PACKAGED PROGRAMMING TO ELECTRONIC MEDIA PLAYERS - The present invention relates to providing packaged programming for use on electronic media players. In particular the present invention relates to providing entertainment programming packaged together with advertising, in downloadable form, for use on electronic media players. The service may be supported by subscription fees, by advertising fees, are a combination thereof. The service provider, in turn, uses a portion of the moneys generated for operating expenses and profit, as well as to pay pre-negotiated royalty fees to the copyright owners of the aforementioned programming. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20090083777 | ACCOUNTING FOR VIEWING AND RECORDING OF PROGRAMS - A method/system for accounting for viewing/recording of programs via a client device may include: generating an account associated with a client device, the account including a balance; monitoring viewing/recording of programs via the client device; and deducting from the balance based on the viewing/recording of programs via the client device. A method/system for providing viewing/recording of programs via a client device may include: receiving a request to view/record a program via a client device; evaluating the request in view of an account associated with the client device; and allowing the program to be viewed/recorded via the client device based on the evaluation. A method of generating such an account may include: receiving a user request for an account associated with a client device; and setting an initial balance of the account based on the user request, the initial balance including an amount of viewing/recording of programs via the client device. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090178069 | INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER CALLBACK FOR SATELLITE SYSTEMS - A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for delivering purchase information comprising storing purchase information for a purchase of a user in a set top box. The set top box (STB) is configured to receive and display the broadcast signals through a tuner onto a display device. The STB establishes a connection to the Internet through a user initiated action (e.g., when the user accesses the Internet using the STB). A new transmission control/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) connection is obtained using the established user-initiated Internet connection without the user requesting the connection. A secure electronic connection is established with a server through the new TCP/IP connection. The purchase information is then transmitted from the STB through the secure electronic connection to the server. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090254930 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTING AND REDEEMING CREDITS ON A BROADCAST SYSTEM - Methods and systems enable receiving on mobile devices credits, tokens or coupons from mobile TV broadcast service providers. Credits may be delivered via direct unicast messages such as SMS or e-mail, or via broadcast provisioning messages. Subscription response messages may be used to deliver credits to mobile devises which transmit a request for service. Broadcast service providers may push credits to mobile devices by transmitting a solicited pull message or a credit grant push message. Credits may be sent to mobile devices within a credit response message or a long term decryption key message. Credits may be used a purchase transaction, with the broadcast service provider controlling redemption of credits by sending an a long term decryption key message via a unicast network or a short term decryption key message via the broadcast network to cause mobile devices to decrement their stored credits. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20090300668 | OPEN CABLE APPLICATION PLATFORM (OCAP) AND SET-TOP BOX (STB)-BASED BILL NOTIFICATION AND PAYMENT APPLICATION - One exemplary aspect is advanced multimedia communications via OCAP using customer specific profiles resident in the STB for bill management. Aspects of the invention also relate to managing payment preferences, auto payment of bills or invoices, managing bill notification preferences, triggering a notification to be sent to one or more of an associated device and the STB upon receipt of a bill, analyzing an incoming bill with an intelligent agent and optionally initiating a communication to the vendor associated with a bill based on the analysis, acquiring additional information about the bill including an image of the bill and/or additional details, and forwarding invoice information to a destination associated with the STB. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20100011387 | METHOD FOR VALIDATING ACCESS TO A PRODUCT BY MEANS OF A SECURITY MODULE - A method for validating access to a product by a security module associated with a user unit unidirectionally connected to a managing center MC transmitting management messages being generated following the receipt of a request for an access right to the product, said method comprises the steps of purchasing a product, determining a code representing the product, displaying said code on a display device, transmitting to the MC, a request comprising said code and an security module identifier, transmitting a right confirmation message addressed to the user unit associated with said security module, wherein, at purchasing of the product, a temporary right is registered in the security module, said temporary right being replaced by a definitive right by the right confirmation message received from the MC, said definitive right authorizing the access to the purchased product by debiting the value amount associated with said product. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20100122274 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTING AND REDEEMING CREDITS ON A BROADCAST SYSTEM - Methods and systems enable receiver devices to receive electronic coupons from mobile TV broadcast service providers. Coupon templates may be broadcasted to mobile devices. Coupon templates may be used to communicate with coupon managers to receive digitally signed coupons. Coupon managers may use received data to create digitally signed coupons for delivery to receiver devices via a unicast networks. Digitally signed coupons may also be broadcasted to receiver devices. A receiver device may verify received electronic coupons using the digital signature to identify those coupons intended for them. The electronic coupons may be redeemed at a point of sale. Merchants may locally verify coupons using their digital signature. Coupon digital signatures may be generated using a chain of X.509 certificates leading to a root X.509 coupon-signing authority to enable recipients to confirm that coupons originated from a trustworthy entity. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20110247026 | Apparatus, system and method for audio-visual content viewing using advertisement credit - An alternative system and method for charging to provide audio visual services typically made available by providers, namely DVR services, rDVR services, on-demand services, broadcast and switch video television services, and pay-per-view services, for example. A customer/user may be enabled to access certain services from a provider in exchange for viewing one or more commercials, advertisements, overlays, watermarks, logos, or the like, preferably in real time, before, during, or following viewing an audio visual work provided in accordance with the services. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110271294 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST AUDIO/VIDEO WORKS AND FOR ENABLING A CONSUMER TO PURCHASE THE RECEIVED AUDIO/VDEO WORKS - A system and method for purchasing broadcast audio and/or video (audio/video) works. According to one embodiment, the system includes a data stream processor that receives a broadcast audio/video data stream and produces from the broadcast audio/video data stream a first audio/video output data stream and a second audio/video output data id stream, wherein the broadcast audio/video data stream contains information corresponding to an audio/video work and the first audio/video output stream is in a format that can be recognized and processed by conventional audio/video reproducing equipment; a storage device that stores data included in the second audio/video output data stream, wherein the data corresponds to the audio/video work; and a user interface that enables a user of the system to input to the system an indication that the user desires to purchase the audio/video work. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110307912 | CARD-BASED AND INDEPENDENT SERVER-BASED BILLING AND AUTHORIZATION SYSTEM IN A MEDIA EXCHANGE NETWORK - A system for communicating multimedia information in a communication network includes at least a first communication device deployed in a first geographic location and coupled to the communication network, and a card carrying information related to one or more user-defined selections of information content. When the card is communicatively coupled to the first communication device, the card allows the first communication device to access at least a first portion of the one or more user-defined selections of information content. The first portion is located at a second communication device deployed at the first geographic location. The card also allows the first communication device to access at least a second portion of the one or more user-defined selections of information content. The second portion is located at a third communications device deployed at a second geographic location and coupled to the communication network. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20120072934 | CALL ORDERING SYSTEM USING A PRE-FILLED TRANSACTION RECORD IN A CALL CENTER TRANSACTION FROM A MOBILE PHONE - A call-ordering system and method enables convenient ordering in a call center transaction from a mobile phone. User profiles with identification data and a mobile phone number are matched to advertiser offers. Text messages are sent to the mobile phone numbers for matched users with a direct inward dialed (DID) number for response. Upon receiving an incoming call to the DID number from a responding user, an OfferRouter uses the caller and DID numbers to retrieve identification data for the user and offer data for the advertiser offer. The incoming call is then routed to a call center associated with the advertiser offer and the retrieved data are pushed to the call center's terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record for the offered item. The system may also be operated in tandem with a hotel guest registration system to register traveler profiles, the hotel's purchase management system to bill call center transactions to a guest's hotel bill, and the hotel's networked TV system to give guests an option to respond to an offer by using signals sent from the TV remote control unit to complete a transaction. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120185886 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERACTING WITH A SET-TOP BOX USING WIDGETS - An approach is provided for enabling direct user interaction with specific items of content as presented by a content delivery system. Content is presented via a set-top box concurrently with a widget, indicating one or more items specified in content. User input relating to selection of one of the items is received. An interactive platform, in response to the input, generates a request specifying the selected item for purchase. | 07-19-2012 |
| 20130174186 | EXCLUDING SPECIFIC APPLICATION TRAFFIC FROM CUSTOMER CONSUMPTION DATA - Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption-based data billing counts. This is useful for excluding traffic from consumption totals where the application traffic has been accounted for using other means, such as through billing as a separate or technically distinct service. In practice, a tablet computer (or other end user device) can run a video application that uses a high-speed data network via a cable modem. This video application may be included as part of a core video package associated with a distinct cable television service. The system then provides accurate consumption billing of customer traffic that is outside of any other managed services by creating separate logical data service flows at a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for excluding specific traffic counts. | 07-04-2013 |
| 20130232513 | METHOD AND ACCESS DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING IP BROADBAND VIDEO SERVICE - Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an access device for implementing an IP broadband video service, the method is executed by an access device, includes: receiving a request for demanding a program from the user terminal; checking a right of a user corresponding to the user terminal; if the user has right to demand the program and is the first member joining the program group, sending the request to the multicast router and then sending the user terminal a multicast stream of the program received from the multicast router; if the user has right to demand the program and is not the first member joining the group, sending the multicast stream to the user terminal; the method further comprises: generating a record comprising program information and time information that indicates program join and leave activities and sending the record to a video service support system. | 09-05-2013 |
| 20150082328 | Content Recording And Storage Allocation - Methods and systems for providing content are disclosed. An example method can comprise providing content based on a subscription agreement or other arrangement. An example method can comprise identifying a portion of the content relevant to a user and providing an offer to the user to record the portion of the content. The offer can comprise an offer price and an access condition. An example method can comprise allocating storage and recording the portion of the content. Further, access to the stored portion of the content can be provided in accordance with the access condition. | 03-19-2015 |
| 20150382036 | METHOD AND ACCESS DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING IP BROADBAND VIDEO SERVICE - Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an access device for implementing an IP broadband video service, the method is executed by an access device, comprising: receiveing by an access device located between a user terminal and a router, a request for demanding a program from the user terminal; determining by the access device that the user terminal has a watching or previewing right for the program; sending by the access device a multicast stream of the program to the user terminal; generating by the access device a billing record comprising the program on demand and information indicating a view duration of the program; and sending by the access device, the billing recording to a video service support system for billing purpose. | 12-31-2015 |
| 20160066002 | AUTOMATED ACCOUNT CREDITING AFTER INTERRUPTION OR FAILURE OF PAID CONTENT DELIVERY - One or more devices may receive activity logs from multiple set-top-boxes (STBs); determine that an outage has occurred based on the activity logs; identify one or more STBs, of the plurality of STBs, that failed to play back paid content during the outage, or where playback of paid content, by the one or more STBs, was interrupted during the outage; and credit corresponding accounts associated with the one or more STBs. | 03-03-2016 |
