ES2379370A1 - Receiver and provision procedure at the same. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Receiver and procedure of provision to it. A network-connected receiver is described, said receiver is permanently connected and uniquely linked to a server that delivers multimedia content and manages the firmware and software of the receiver. The receiver object of the invention allows to reproduce or record television while also being able to provide an improved entertainment experience including internet streams, the capacity of video on demand and an improved epg function thanks to the interaction of the received dvb-t information table in addition to information retrieved from the internet and hosted on the server. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

RECEIVER AND PROVISION PROCEDURE AT THE SAME

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The receiver of the invention offers the possibility of an improved television experience by adding value-added content and services to the television.

The object of the invention is a receiver, STB for its English singles Set Top Box, provided with different modules that interact to deliver multimedia content from multiple sources and allow real-time updates of the STB.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Digital television has become the standard in television broadcasting since the analog signal disappeared. In addition, IPTV Internet television is really popular on the Internet and is now coming to television sets that offer Internet television using the subscriber's broadband connection to obtain transmissions. On-screen widgets allow you to choose from a wide variety of services, from weather forecasting to YouTube video streaming services.

With personal video recorders (PVRs) users can record television, music or radio signals on hard drives or even portable USB drives, time shifting is also possible thanks to real-time recording of television programs or movies where the user can virtually control frame transitions.

The Premium DVB-T that offers pay-per-view or pay-per-view television is also currently offered by various providers worldwide using an encrypted DVB signal.

The widgets related to the weather forecast or any OTT service offer data and multimedia content that are sent from the web as video transmissions directly to computers or entertainment devices, such services are really popular, for example Youtube has become One of the most popular services on the Internet. Such video streams are normally decoded on the client side, where the user can watch the video once it has been decoded. The latest TVs offer integrated OTT services similar to Hulu, YouTube or similar streaming services.

The receivers are open and can be connected to any service, there are no subscription services that offer on-demand content to subscribers, eliminating the complication of searching for widgets, or local content, or content filtered according to customer preferences.

DESCRIPTION

The receiver, hereinafter STB or device, object of the invention offers a networked device that is permanently linked through a router or any other network adapter or at least one server that acts as a content server and a back-end server, which hosts the different contents and that includes data capable of providing software or firmware updates whenever necessary. The receiver is part of a service subscription with a provider that implies that the STB is linked to a server, which belongs to the provider, through a two-way connection that uses a file transfer protocol or any other suitable protocol such as an IP . This connection assigns the content and software updates without user intervention, so that the content is always stored on the provider's remote content server, and the necessary updates are assigned on the provider's remote backoffice server; Since the subscription service includes a broadband connection, it is supplied to the subscriber's STB from the providers' servers, obtaining an improved multimedia experience without complications; network knowledge is not required and the STB is managed by the provider, so that the user can simply enjoy the services and content offered.

The STB has been designed to connect to a display and basically consists of four different modules in which each module has an individual function but some characteristics of the STB require a combination of two or modules.

The STB comprises a television tuner module that allows a television signal to be received, decoded and displayed on the screen of the selected display. This signal could be a DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C, premium DVB-T or DTT signal or pay-per-view services, pay television requires decryption of the signal received by the conditional access module (CAM ) or integrated common interface (CI) where the subscriber card is inserted to access encrypted content whose signal is encrypted and must be decoded using the information assigned on the subscriber's card.

An integrated PVR module is included to record multimedia content, such as television programs, such content, once it has been recorded and stored in a local storage medium or in a memory, it can be played whenever the user considers it so. This function is closely related to the Timeshift function, which really records in real time what the television or radio is broadcasting, allowing the recording of said content to the storage medium to be reproduced at a more convenient time for the consumer. To configure the recordings, the STB comprises an EPG module (electronic program guide), which can contain programming information of at least 7 days, including the current day.

In addition, the STB includes a multimedia center module, which allows subscribers to play local multimedia content, previously downloaded to the receiver or network, such as music, videos, photos or movies in any format. Said content may be shared by any device present in the network to which the receiver is connected, including the receiver itself, as well as any electronic device that has dLNA functions, such as any extended device (“extenders” such as video consoles) or PC can act as a client or content server. The STB can include UPnP functionalities so it can transmit content from or to any compatible device.

To configure communication links to local networks or to remote servers or even to connect to the Internet, the STB is equipped with a communications module that allows broadband connections through a variety of network adapters. Said communications module may allow wired or wireless connections; such network adapters could be chosen from Bluetooth adapters, mobile network adapters such as PLC adapters, X10, EDGE / 3G / UMTS / GPRS / HSPDA adapters, Ethernet adapters, Gigabit adapters, 802.11 wireless adapters, cable connection adapters or even an ISDN or ISDN modem.

The remote servers to which the STB is connected through the communications module can provide OTT video services or video transmission over the Internet and can also host video files or multimedia content in general, said content assigned on the remote server of content is offered as part of the subscription or at no cost to subscribers; such service could be provided using internal resources or using external accommodation. In addition, the aforementioned servers can complement the EPG data received from the DVB provider thanks to the backoffice service to provide improved EPG information to the STB, this information could be updated by the provider

or by an external provider. The purpose of this enhanced information is to provide a better experience to the end customer by expanding the basic information available in the DVB tables present in the DVB-T / DTT channels. The improved experience is based on on-screen widgets based on RSS feeds, each widget provides access to different services or contents, such widgets can be updated, deleted or replaced by the user or by the provider using the data stored on the aforementioned servers.

The remote backoffice server acts as an update server that is able to identify and manage the entire plant of existing STBs, whose identifiers can be comprised in a database assigned to at least one of the remote servers (the server of content or backoffice). In this database, the identifiers of the STBs could include the MAC address, an IP address, the software version, hardware versions and other parameters of interest. Each STB is associated with the data line through which it is connected, so that the provider can perform selective updates. The remote backoffice server contains a firmware and software database, which allows to host different versions of new and old firmware and software that can be sent to the STB with configurable selection criteria. The server can create the database of the STBs with the statistics received from the devices that include all active and valid STBs present at any time, avoiding duplication and possible fraud; the STB will periodically check if there is any update available, so that the backoffice server is sized and prepared to handle these requests for updating the STBs. Such updates are preferably carried out through the IP, using a filter that can contain the definition of black and white lists based on certain parameters (MAC address, STB identifier, WAN station IP, previous software version ,. ..) to allow a selective update, these updates are sent in a compressed file that, once received by the STB, is expanded and executed.

In another embodiment of the object of the invention, the STB may be able to automatically evaluate whether there are new content uploaded to the servers. The STB will automatically analyze the contents and, if said contents do not have errors but the format is not the one required by the STB, they will be transcoded to the correct format.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the STB may comprise a campaign manager module that can be downloaded from the server or stored on said server. Said module allows the insertion of advertising by means of pre-roll and / or post-roll, said advertising cannot be avoided by end users. A record is created each time content is played and those records can be exported to plain text to perform an analysis that will determine how and what type of ads will be delivered to the subscriber.

In a further embodiment, the STB can provide an interface for remote management (browser or, at least, FTP server) that allows uploading content to a specific site, this feature is restricted to users with sufficient privileges. Such content publication can be uploaded using RSS 2.0 sources; therefore remote servers are able to generate xml files in the correct format and then publish it.

In a further embodiment, both the remote content server and the remote backoffice server are hosted on the same remote server; so that the STB only connects to a provider server that feeds content to the STB.

To access the content and control different functions of the STB, the receiver comprises on-screen selectable widgets using the infrared remote control that give direct access to different services such as VOD on demand video services, weather forecast, OTT, video stream services over the Internet, etc ... These widgets can be removed or updated remotely, obtaining updated services and widgets from remote content or backoffice servers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned and other objects and advantages of the invention will be further appreciated by the following additional description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a diagram of the STB and its parts.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The receiver (1) object of the invention, hereafter referred to as a receiver (1), is connected to a display or similar equipment using audio outputs and video outputs, in this case an HDMI connection offering both audio and digital video is use to connect the receiver (1) to a television with an HDMI connection. The receiver (1) is associated with a subscription and needs to connect to a network such as internet (10) to access a remote content server

(4) from the provider, delivering the multimedia content server, and to a remote backoffice server (3) that offers backoffice services such as software or firmware updates, both belonging to a provider to which a user of the receiver (1) is subscribed. The receiver (1) is connected to an ADSL router, which provides a data line, which uses an Ethernet adapter that acts as a network adapter included in a communications module (9) of the receiver (1); said router offers two-way access to the remote content server (4) and the remote backoffice server (3) both linked to the provider, and also to the Internet through said servers (3, 4) that can act as a gateway or proxy Each receiver (1) is associated to the data line through which it is connected, so that the provider can perform selective updates.

The receiver (1) comprises a unique identifier and a unique IP address, when the receiver (1) connects to one of the aforementioned remote servers (3, 4) then a unique association is created, which links the receiver (1) to said remote servers (3, 4). During the connection a secure link is created, said connection is established by sending information from the receiver (1) to and from the servers (3, 4); This information may include: the firmware version of the receiver (1), widgets, user data of the receiver (1), subscriber data, user privileges, storage

or available content already present in the receiver (1); on the other hand, the remote backoffice server (4) detects if the firmware or software is updated, sending an update request to the receiver (1), once this update request is accepted by a user or the remote server backoffice (3) sends a compressed firmware file that is used to update the firmware of the receiver (1), the same happens with any software integrated in the receiver (1) such as video / audio codecs or new graphic user interfaces or front-ends

The user can watch premium DVB-T TV or DVB-T content using a television module (6) of the receiver (1) in combination with a common interface (CI) / conditional access module (CAM) that allows premium content or pay-per-view television / pay-per-view television sent in encrypted signals, even when the communications module (9) is sending and obtaining information related to the new content or the new software or firmware, downloading any necessary background data to that the user does not notice any action, only when the firmware needs to be updated is a message displayed, then the user can accept or decline said firmware update using a remote control that sends infrared signals to an infrared receiver located on the front face of the receiver (1).

The user or subscriber who watches television can watch Internet television or some OTT content or VOD content, then live television can be recorded as multimedia content on a storage medium (11) using the PVR module (5) of the receiver (1), the software

10 of the receiver (1) controls the DRM of the content to allow or deny the recording of protected data, said recorded multimedia content can be seen whenever the user so decides. The recording is stored in the external storage medium (11) connected to a USB port controlled by a USB host (7) of the receiver (1). In another embodiment of the

15 invention the storage medium (11) is a storage medium

(11) local consisting of an internal hard drive or even an optical drive, so that the USB port is free to connect an external USB device.

Claims (18)

1. Receiver (1) comprising:

-

 a television module (6) comprising at least one DVB tuner intended to receive a television signal,

-

a PVR module (5) comprising storage means intended to store multimedia content,

-

at least one video output intended to send video signals to a display,

- at least one audio output intended to send audio signals,

-

 a USB host (7) comprising a USB port adapted to host USB devices,

-

 at least one main memory module intended to store firmware and software,

-

 a processor adapted to execute the instructions configured by the firmware and software,

-

 a multimedia center module designed to play multimedia content,

characterized in that it comprises a communications module (9) adapted to establish a secure connection to a remote backoffice server (3) and a remote content server (4), both connected to the Internet (10), to obtain multimedia content, manage firmware and receiver software (1) and to connect to the Internet (10) through at least one of the remote servers (3,4) with which the receiver (1) is associated.

2.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the secure connection is an authenticated IP connection.

3.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises a common interface adapted to decrypt encrypted signals.

Four.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 or 3 characterized in that it additionally comprises a storage means (11).

5.

Receiver (1) according to claim 4 characterized in that the storage medium (11) is external and is connected to the USB port.

6.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises an infrared receiver adapted to receive signals from a remote control.

7.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the video output is selected from the group consisting of: HDMI, analog output, scart, S-video and component connections.

8.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the audio output is selected from the group consisting of: HDMI, analog output, scart, SPDIF, coaxial and component connections.

9.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the DVB tuner is a DVB-T tuner.

10.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the communications module (9) comprises a network adapter selected from the group consisting of: PLC adapter, X10, 3g network adapter, Ethernet adapter, wireless adapter, near field transmission adapter and gigabit adapter.

eleven.

Receiver (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the remote content server (4) is adapted to deliver multimedia content and a remote backoffice server (3) is adapted to manage the software and firmware of the receiver (1).

12.

Method of provision to the receiver (1) described in any one of claims 1 to 11 characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

-

 establishment of a single secure connection through IP authentication between at least one server (3,4) and the receiver (1) through the communication module (9) so that the receiver (1) is linked exclusively to the minus one of the remote servers (3, 4), and

-

 data reception of at least one of the remote servers (3, 4).

13. Method according to claim 12 characterized in that it additionally comprises the following steps:

-

 configuration of a secure connection to at least one of the remote servers (3, 4) through the communication module (9) using IP authentication,

- determination of the firmware version of the receiver (1),

-

 firmware update in case the firmware version stored on the remote backoffice server (3) is newer than the firmware determined on the receiver (1),

-

content recovery and widgets from the Internet to the remote content server (4), and

-

delivery of the contents and widgets recovered in the last stage to the receiver (1) using the communication module (9).

14.

Method according to claim 12 characterized in that it additionally comprises the storage of the content received from at least one of the remote servers (3, 4) in the storage medium (11).

fifteen.

Method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 characterized in that it additionally comprises the connection configuration of at least one of the remote servers (3, 4) as a gateway that allows the receiver (1) to connect to the Internet (10).

16.

Method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 characterized in that it additionally comprises updating the widgets assigned in the receiver (1) using RSS feeds.

17. Method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 characterized in that it additionally comprises the generation and display of advertisements by means of a campaign manager module. Method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that it additionally comprises:

-

the detection of new content on the remote content server (4),

-

the determination of a format of said content, and

-

 the transcoding of the content if said content does not have a format recognized by the receiver (1).

SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201030737 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 05/18/2010 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: H04N21 / 435 (2011.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

56 Documents cited Claims Affected

X

MatrixStream Technologies, "MX 1 HD 1080p IP Set Top Box H.264", http://web.archive.org/web/20090301060142/http://www.matrixstream.com/IPTV H.264_HD_1080p_MX_1_IP_STB.php 1-18

X

US 2008298388 A1 (WHITE SCOTT) 04.12.2008, summary; Figures 1-5; paragraphs [11-15,20,21,23,27-29,40]. 1-18

X

US 2008155097 A1 (TAN CHIEW SENG SEAN) 26.06.2008, summary; figures 4.7; paragraphs [34,44,59-63]. 1-18

X

QING WANG; QIANG DU; GUOHUI LIN; IBM China Res. Lab., Beijing "IPTV STB Software Update Scheme Based on SNMP". Electro / information Technology, 2006 IEEE International Conference on 7-10 May 2006 Pages: 197-200 Location: East Lansing, MI -Print ISBN: 0-7803-9592-1 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp .jsp? tp = & arnumber = 4017697 1-18

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of realization of the report 09.04.2012

Examiner B. Pérez García Page 1/4

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Application number: 201030737 Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) H04N Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC, WPI, INSPEC State of the Art Report Page 2/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201030737 Date of Written Opinion: 09.04.2012 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 1-18 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. State of the Art Report Page 3/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201030737 1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

MatrixStream Technologies, "MX 1 HD 1080p IP Set Top Box H.264" 01.03.2009

D02

US 2008298388 A1 (WHITE SCOTT) 04.12.2008

D03

US 2008155097 A1 (TAN CHIEW SENG SEAN) 06.26.2008

D04

QING WANG; QIANG DU; GUOHUI LIN; IBM China Res. Lab., Beijing "IPTV STB Software Update Scheme Based on SNMP". Electro / information Technology, 2006 IEEE International Conference on 7-10 May 2006 Pages: 197-200 Location: East Lansing, MI -Print ISBN: 0-7803-9592-1 05.10.2006

2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement D01 is considered the prior art prior to the object of the invention document. Following the wording of claim 1, document D01 describes a receiver (MX 1 SET TOP BOX) comprising:

-

Implicit elements to an STB or digital TV decoder (tuner, PVR module, audio output, communications ports such as USB or HDMI, memory, processor, multimedia center module intended to play multimedia content such as HD 1080p videos),

characterized in that it comprises a communications module adapted to establish a secure connection (Conditional Access and Anti-Piracy Security) to a remote server (IMX i2410IPTV or IMX v2420 VOD) connected to the Internet (internet streaming), to obtain multimedia content (VOD), manage firmware and receiver software (automatic software updates). Both documents describe an STB receiver that connects to a remote IP server, with which it establishes a secure connection and through which it receives software and content updates. No differences were found between D01 and the first claim and therefore said claim is not new, according to Art. 6 of the Spanish Patent Law. Claim 2 states that the secure connection is with an authenticated IP. This is described in the Conditional Access feature of D01. The same applies to the third claim where it is cited that the receiver has an interface to decrypt signals. This feature is detailed in the D01 anti-piracy system, where it is mentioned that the videos (content) are encrypted and user authentication, IP tracking, and DRM (Digital Rights Management) technologies with 128-bit AES encryption and SSL are used. Claims 4-11 describe some of the usual elements in an STB, such as a storage memory, USB or HDMI port, etc. They are not new since they are implicit in the STB. Claims 12-18 describe a method for updating software of an STB over the Internet (IP) with a secure connection to the server. As in the case of the system, they do not meet the novelty requirement of Law 11/1986. In summary, the application is not new to the first claim, according to article 6 of the Spanish Patent Law. State of the Art Report Page 4/4