System and method for construction, delivery and display of iTV content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10602225-B2
Application number	US-201313771592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2013
Priority date	Sep 19, 2001
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

iTV content is created and deployed using a server component adapted to allow content developers to create applications according to an authoring specification that describes a framework for same; a transport component including an operator-deployed application management system configured to optimize and deliver the applications to one or more clients; and a client component adapted to render the applications through a television so as to permit user interaction therewith. The authoring specification provides for the presentation of content through one or more templates defined therein, allowing application definition and behavior to remain common across multiple client device types, middleware platforms, and/or iTV operating environments. The framework for applications accommodates advertising, promotions, content placement packages and/or programming campaign definitions, so as to permit a selection of a specific advertisement, promotion or content at a time of preparation of the iTV content by the server, and/or a time of execution of the applications by the client.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving an application template comprising a layout of an application related to video:
receiving a plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application related to video;
selecting, from a database and based on the plurality of selection criteria, content;
generating, based on rules corresponding to the application related to video, a data file comprising the selected content;
converting, by a processor, the application template and the data file to a plurality of files that are in a format associated with a client device; and
sending, to the client device via a distribution network, the plurality of files.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application related to video comprises one or more of an interactive program guide, a television menu, a content service, a virtual channel, a video-on-demand application, a personal-video-recorder application, a broadcast-on-demand application, an enhanced-television-services application, a help application, a customer-support application, a self-service application, a game, or a data-service application.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the plurality of files comprises sending, based on a request from the client device, the plurality of files.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application are configured to be utilized across disparate television services.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application comprises one or more of location criteria, current channel criteria, current channel family criteria, current channel category criteria, offering category criteria, current program criteria, current program genre criteria, current application criteria, or current content type criteria.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving user-specific rules uniquely associated with a user profile, wherein the user-specific rules comprise user-defined responses to user interactions with the application related to video at the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of selection criteria comprises selection criteria for:
determining content that is selected by one or more servers; and
determining content that is selected by and sent to the client device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating an updated plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application related to video; and
sending, to the client device via the distribution network, the updated plurality of selection criteria.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an updated plurality of selection criteria; and
sending, to the client device via the distribution network, one or more updated files based on the received updated plurality of selection criteria.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from one or more client devices, application-usage statistics for the application related to video.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sending, to a report manager, the application-usage statistics for the application related to video.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating, using the application-usage statistics, an application-usage report for the application related to video.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
mapping an existing data source to a content area defined by the application template,
wherein changes to data in the existing data source are dynamically reflected in the application related to video.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the existing data source comprises a website, and the changes to the data in the existing data source comprise changes in content posted on the website.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, from the application related to video, a command comprising a user interaction with the website; and
sending, to the website, the user interaction with the website.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining one or more system resources of the client device; and
wherein converting the application template and the data file to the plurality of files comprises optimizing the application template and the data file based on the one or more system resources of the client device.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application related to video comprise time of day criteria.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an amount of memory available at the client device; and
determining, based on the amount of memory available at the client device, a number of services to include in the application template, wherein the plurality of files comprise the determined number of services.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distribution network comprises an in-band carousel or an out-of-band carousel.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application template comprises an extensibility hook.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the format associated with the client device comprises a format associated with a network topology and set-top platform.

22. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive an application template comprising a layout of an application related to video;
receive a plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application related to video;
select, from a database and based on the plurality of selection criteria, content;
insert, based on rules corresponding to the application related to video, the selected content into the application template;
convert the application template to a plurality of files that are in a format associated with a network topology or device platform; and
send, to a client device via a distribution network, the plurality of files.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein one or more of the plurality of selection criteria are used for:
determining content that is selected by the apparatus; and
determining content that is selected by the client device.

24. A method comprising:
receiving an application template comprising a layout of an application related to video;
receiving a plurality of selection criteria for populating the layout of the application related to video;
selecting, from a database and based on the plurality of selection criteria, content;
generating, based on rules corresponding to the application related to video, a data file comprising the selected content;
retrieving, based on parsing the application template, one or more sub-pages or external assets referred to in the application template;
converting, by a processor, the application template, the data file, and the one or more sub-pages or external assets to a plurality of files that are in a format associated with a network topology and device platform; and
sending, via a distribution network, the plurality of files.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein converting the application template, the data file, and the one or more sub-pages or external assets to the plurality of files comprises separating a user interface of the application related to video from data asse

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Communications Man Llc

Inventors

• Carney John
• De Andrade David
• Niranjan Sithampara Babu
• Brandyberry David
• Franzen Leon
• Chane Lena
• Marenghi Matt
• Hegde Prakash
• Chung Alex
• Chu Viva
• Thomson Greg
• Dawson Ruth

Classifications

• H04N21/4786

  e-mailing {(message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00)} · CPC title

• H04N5/45

  Picture in picture {, e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen} · CPC title

• H04N21/812

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · CPC title

• H04N21/2668

  Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles {(information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4438

  Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface · CPC title