System and method for providing network support services and premises gateway support infrastructure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018131571-A1
Application number	US-201715799368-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2017
Priority date	Dec 29, 2006
Publication date	May 10, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A service management system communicates via wide area network with gateway devices located at respective user premises. The service management system remotely manages delivery of application services, which can be voice controlled, by a gateway, e.g. by selectively activating/deactivating service logic modules in the gateway. The service management system also may selectively provide secure communications and exchange of information among gateway devices and among associated endpoint devices. An exemplary service management system includes a router connected to the network and one or more computer platforms, for implementing management functions. Examples of the functions include a connection manager for controlling system communications with the gateway devices, an authentication manager for authenticating each gateway device and controlling the connection manager and a subscription manager for managing applications services and/or features offered by the gateway devices. A service manager, controlled by the subscription manager, distributes service specific configuration data to authenticated gateway devices.

First claim

1 . A media delivery device for streaming media to a television, the media delivery device comprising:
memory; one or more processors; one or more wireless network interfaces, wherein the one or more wireless network interfaces provide:
a connection with a remote control device;
a connection to a computing device, separate from the remote control device, that executes a software client serving as a control point, via the media delivery device, for one or more of multiple endpoint devices; and
connections to at least two of the multiple endpoint devices including audio playback equipment or a WiFi enabled phone;
a first wired communication interface enabling communication, via a wide area network, with a remote service management center;
wherein one or more logic modules in the memory of the media delivery device services are remotely activated or deactivated by the remote service management center;
wherein the first wired communication interface receives video and audio sent for delivery from the remote service management center;
wherein the remote service management center maintains a roster of multiple associated media delivery devices, including the media delivery device, and wherein receiving the video and audio delivered from the remote service management center is in response to a user interaction, in relation to the roster, providing a selection of the media delivery device;
a digital rights manager configured to perform digital decryption of the received video or audio prior to transferring the video or audio to the television for playback; a media converter that converts the video or audio, received in a first format via the wide area network, into a second format for display on the television; a second wired communication interface enabling transfer and display, of pictures and the received video and audio, from the media delivery device to the television,
wherein the second wired communication interface further transfers data for display in a menu, on the television, wherein the menus are operable for interaction from the remote control device via at least one of the one or more wireless network interfaces;
a local peering system that receives, via peer-to-peer communication utilizing one of the one or more wireless network interfaces, visual information from a personal computer and outputs the visual information to the television; a voice control system that provides application services, in relation to streaming the media to the television, that are controlled through one or more voice commands; and a home automation services component that sends control instructions for automating at least one of the multiple endpoint devices.

2 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more voice commands are entered through one of the multiple endpoint devices.

3 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein implementing the one or more voice commands is, at least in part, remotely managed, via the wide area network, by a service management system.

4 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the implementing the one or more voice commands comprises controlling functions on one or more of the multiple endpoint devices.

5 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the digital rights manager is further configured to:
mange content lease expiration, prohibit content copying, or restrict media delivery device functions during content playback.

6 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the local peering system further controls functionality of the personal computer based on user interactions with the media delivery device or the television.

7 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the control instructions sent by the home automation services component are managed by a computing device that remotely accesses the home automation services component, wherein the remote access is via the first wired communications interface.

8 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the video or audio, received via the wide area network, is provided from a content provider to the service management center, from which it is streamed to the media delivery device.

9 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the video and audio from the remote service management center, in response to a user interaction with the roster, comprises receiving the video and audio from another media system that uses a data path, to transfer the video and audio, that includes the service management center.

10 . The media delivery device of claim 1 ,
wherein the automation of the at least one of the multiple endpoint devices is managed through a graphical user interface associated with one of the multiple endpoint devices; and wherein the graphical user interface provides 1) a list of enabled services and 2) controls to add or remove enabled services.

11 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the automation of the multiple endpoint devices comprises at least:
managing of one or more video cameras at or within the location, streaming of video data captured by the managed one or more video cameras, managing of one or more sensors located at or within the location, and controlling of lighting at or within the location.

12 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the local peering system if further configured to receiving data from a first of the multiple endpoint devices and provide the data, to a second of the multiple endpoint devices, for display.

13 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising a new services manager configured to receive and install packages that extend services provided by the media delivery device.

14 . The media delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the connections to the at least two of the multiple endpoint devices comprise connections to at least three of the multiple endpoint devices that further include a gaming device.

15 . A method for streaming media to a television from a media delivery device, the method comprising:
communicating, using one or more wireless network interfaces, with a remote control device; communicating, using a first one of the or more wireless network interfaces, with at least two of multiple endpoint devices including audio playback equipment or a WiFi enabled device; communicating, using a second one of the or more wireless network interfaces via a wide area network, with a remote service management center; activating or deactivating one or more logic modules in response to commands in the communications with the remote service management center; receiving video and audio from a remote media provider; performing digital decryption of the received video or audio prior to transferring the video or audio to the television; converting the video or audio, received in a first format via the wide area network, into a second format for display on the television; transferring, using a wired communication interface, the received video and audio, to the television; transferring, using the wired communication interface, data to display menus, on the television, wherein the menus are operable for interaction from the remote control device via at least one of the one or more wireless network interfaces; and providing application services that are controlled through one or more voice commands.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the video or audio, received via the wide area network, is provided from the remote media provider to the service management center, from which it is streamed to the media delivery device.

17 . Th

Assignees

• Kip Prod P1 Lp

Inventors

• Ansari Amir
• Cowgill George A
• Nicholls Leon E
• Ramayya Jude P
• Masina Ramprakash
• Mcquarters Alvin R
• Raissyan Atousa

Classifications

• H04L12/2812

  describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content (retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95) · CPC title

• H04L67/104

  Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N7/181

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• H04L63/20

  for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227) · CPC title