# US 7,613,790 B2 · Apparatus for and method of executing customized interactive computing services in a broadband network environment

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- Number: US 7,613,790 B2
- Document ID: US7613790B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/173,565
- Filed: 2002-06-18
- Published: 2003-01-02
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2000-07-13
- Assignees: BIAP Systems, Inc.
- Inventors: Louis P. Slothouber; Aaron Y. Ye; M. Ellen Dudar; Kelly F. Lent; John J. Wiecek, Jr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613790B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/64322: {IP}
- G06F 9/445: Program loading or initiating (bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57)
- G06F 16/951: Indexing; Web crawling techniques
- H04L 65/764: {at the destination (reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355)}
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04N 7/17318: {Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests}
- H04N 21/23106: {involving caching operations (prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568)}
- H04N 21/23614: {Multiplexing of additional data and video streams (arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28)}
- H04N 21/23617: {by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel (arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16)}
- H04N 21/2402: {Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available (traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876)}
- H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)}
- H04N 21/26266: {for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance (arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16)}
- H04N 21/26291: {for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client (deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25)}
- H04N 21/422: Input-only peripherals {, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices}, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] {(input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104)}
- H04N 21/4312: {involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations}
- H04N 21/4314: {for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid}
- H04N 21/4348: {Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams}
- H04N 21/4786: e-mailing {(message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00)}
- H04N 21/8173: {End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game}
- H04N 21/8543: using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] {(information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80)}
- H04L 67/30: Profiles
- H04L 67/34: {involving the movement of software or configuration parameters (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416)}
- H04L 67/565: Conversion or adaptation of application format or content (adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561)
- H04L 67/567: Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Apparatus for and method of executing customized interactive computing services in a broadband network environment. A device on the broadband network is capable of retrieving user-defined data over the network and format and display it on an associated display along with data broadcast over the broadband network. The device may be customer premises equipment such as a set-top-box, gaming console, or home gateway connected to the broadband network. In the case of a set-top-box, the broadcast data would be television programming. The device is preferably capable of retrieving data from a source on the internet. Retrieval and formatting are preferably carried out by compact software agents which are sent to the device through the network to be stored in and to execute on the device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for providing customizable interactive television service using a broadband network, said system comprising:
a plurality of CPE devices, said plurality of CPE devices being configured to implement at least one customizable interactive computer service, to bi-directionally communicate using an IP protocol over a broadband network to request, based on user supplied criteria, information from data sources connected to external computer networks, said information supplied in response to the request, to process the retrieved information, and to internally generate, format and display graphical elements representing at least a portion of the processed retrieved information locally on a television display device, wherein each of the plurality of CPE devices comprises a software application, wherein the software application performs substantially all computational tasks required to implement said at least one customizable interactive computer service, wherein performing substantially all computational tasks comprises: retrieving data indicative of the customizable interactive computer service from at least one external data source communicatively coupled to said broadband network, analyzing the retrieved data, and integrating the retrieved data in the customizable interactive computer service, and wherein said software application is adapted to be personalized by a user; and
a remote server computer configured to provide persistent storage services to each of said plurality of CPE devices; and
a remote server computer to optimize network bandwidth utilization, said remote server computer is configured to store customized application preferences for the plurality of CPE devices, wherein said customized application preferences are used to provide statistical data that is used to configure a bandwidth optimization service.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said broadband network environment is a digital cable television environment.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said broadband network environment is a digital satellite television environment.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said CPE has no persistent storage.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said broadband network environment is a game console network environment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said broadband network environment is a home gateway environment.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical elements are animated.

### Claim 8

A system for interactive television content distribution using customer premises equipment having a capability to internally generate, format and display graphics, the system comprising:
a server connected to a broadband network;
a plurality of local user devices for customizable two-way interaction with said server over said broadband network, each of said plurality of local user devices being connectable to a television display respectively and being adapted to cause said television display to show content broadcast over said broadband network to each of said plurality of local user devices respectively, each of said plurality of local user devices including a data structure representing a software application which, when executed, enables each of said plurality of local user devices to interface with said broadband network to provide, respectively, at least one customizable interactive computer service in response to a user request, each of the plurality of local user devices configured to be able to internally generate, format and display graphics elements reflecting said at least one customizable interactive computer service respectively, wherein internally formatting graphics elements comprises: managing the graphical elements to provide one or more levels of transparency, user-customizable regions and scrolling functionality, and wherein said plurality of local user devices are capable of performing substantially all computational tasks required to implement said at least one customizable interactive computer service, and wherein the software application of each said plurality of local user devices is adapted to be personalized by a user respectively; and
a remote support server connected to the broadband network, wherein the remote support server is configured to provide support services to augment capabilities of said plurality of local user devices, to provide remote persistent storage services for said plurality of local user devices, and to store preference data for respective users of said plurality of local user devices.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at least one customizable interactive computer service comprises customizable retrieval of data from internet, wherein the customization is performed locally in the plurality of local user devices.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the support server is configured to optimize bandwidth utilization of the broadband network.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said support server is further configured for storing customized application preferences.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said support server is further configured to provide data carousel services to repeatedly broadcast out carousel data to said plurality of devices simultaneously.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said carousel data is selected based at least in part on said preference data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of devices is a CPE device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said CPE device is configured to use an IP protocol to upload customized preferences data to said support server after a user makes changes to said customized preferences data, and to download said customized preferences data from said support server.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said CPE device is additionally connected to an external IP-based network through said broadband network.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said external IP-based network is additionally connected to a plurality of network data sources.

### Claim 18 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network is a wired network.

### Claim 19 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network is a wireless network.

### Claim 20 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises a cable television network.

### Claim 21 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises a satellite television network.

### Claim 22 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises a local area network (LAN).

### Claim 23 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises a wide area network (WAN).

### Claim 24 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises an analog telephone network.

### Claim 25 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises a digital telephone network.

### Claim 26 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network comprises the Internet.

### Claim 27 (depends on 8)

The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said broadband network is capable of carrying TCP/IP network traffic.