FI124282B - Mobile access to the media service - Google Patents

Description

5 MOBILE USE OF THE MEDIA SERVICE

The present invention relates generally to the implementation of a mobile service for a media service such as a television broadcast or video service.

IPTV is an Internet protocol based technology for the distribution of television and video broadcasts. For example, in various IPTV services, the customer can watch TV shows, record the desired TV shows on a network storage and watch them at any time, and rent and watch movies provided by video rental companies 10.

US 2011041076 discloses a solution for delivering content to client devices in background mode. US 2007055660 relates to proactive download of information. The system seeks to predict what information 15 will be needed based on the action being performed and the person performing the action.

A new solution is now being offered for mobile use of a media service such as IPTV.

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The first aspect of the invention provides a method of providing a media service to mobile devices. The method comprises establishing an IP connection between the mobile device and the media service, receiving at least one identifier used in the mobile network over said IP connection, automatically identifying the mobile device user based on said at least one identifier used in the mobile network, and? 30 transmitting download information from the selected media record for pre-loading to the mobile device for future downloading, before receiving a subsequent paging request Q_ for said media recording from said mobile device, allowing said mobile device to select the time to the selected mobile device.

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In one embodiment, said transmission is performed in response to a request received from a mobile device.

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In one embodiment, transferring said media record selected for pre-loading to said mobile device is initiated before receiving any subsequent paging request for said media record from said mobile device.

In one embodiment, the mobile network systems ensure that the identified user is a valid user.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method in a mobile device client software using a media service. The method comprises establishing an IP connection between the client software and the media service, automatically transmitting from the client software to the media service at least one identifier in the mobile network associated with said mobile device for identifying the mobile device user in the media service, receiving information from at least one media record selected for pre-loading, and transferring a media recording to said mobile device prior to receiving, at a later stage, a request to view 20 media records for said media recording from said user of said mobile device, and selecting a time for transferring the selected media recording to said mobile device.

In one embodiment, the identification information is transmitted and received in encrypted or compressed form.

In one embodiment, a request is sent to the media service for media recordings suitable for pre-loading, and receiving said information from at least one media record selected for pre-load in response to a query c1_00 In one embodiment, transferring the selected media record to said | to the mobile device in such a way as to minimize interference with other uses of said mobile device.

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In one embodiment, transferring the selected media record to said o 00 mobile device, when said mobile device has 3 processing capacities, the characteristics of the mobile network used by the mobile device are very suitable for charging and / or the mobile device has sufficient battery charging.

5 The above identification information may comprise an international mobile subscription identifier, an IMSI, number or an international mobile equipment identifier, IMEI, number.

A third aspect of the invention provides a device comprising at least one processor 10 and at least one computer program stored in memory configured together with said at least one processor to control said device to perform a method according to the first or second aspect or an embodiment thereof.

A fourth aspect of the invention provides a computer program comprising computer executable program code which, when executed, directs the device to execute a method according to the first or second aspect or an embodiment thereof.

The computer program according to the third aspect may comprise program code which may be executed, for example, by any of the following: a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit and a digital signal processor. The computer program according to the third aspect may be stored on computer-readable media. Such media may be ^ 25 for example a floppy disk, CDROM, DVD, BD (Bluray Disc), flash drive or other

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^ magnetic or optical storage medium.

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The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: cc

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The figure illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the invention; m

Fig. 2 shows a message diagram according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 shows a device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 illustrates a method according to an embodiment of the invention; and 4

Figure 5 illustrates a method according to another embodiment of the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, the media service is implemented in such a way that mobile users are automatically identified without the user having to enter specific login information (for example, a username and password). User authentication utilizes mobile network identification information, such as that provided on a mobile device's SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card.

In one embodiment of the invention, content that is likely to be of interest to the user is proactively downloaded to the mobile device. Because the user is automatically recognized, the proactive download does not require any action on the part of the user, but can be executed completely automatically without the user even knowing about performing the proactive download.

15 In this context, a mobile device is an electronic device suitable for wireless communication, and in particular an electronic device using a mobile communication network. The mobile device may be, for example, a mobile device, a smartphone or a finger computer, or other portable communication device.

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Figure 1 shows a system according to an embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that the pattern comprises both separate physical devices and various logical components, the operation of which may be performed in one or more physical devices.

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The system comprises a portal 101 providing an IPTV service or the like.

co In practice, portal 101 is, for example, a web site hosted on a server, x In addition to the IPTV service, the portal may also be another media portal providing media content.

£ 30m ^ Portal 101 is connected to IP network 105 and thereby to wireless network

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103 and further to the mobile device 102. Wireless network 103 may be, for example, a GSM / GPRS network or a UMTS network or other mobile network or WLAN.

5 network. Mobile device 102 may be, for example, a mobile station, a finger computer, or other electronic device using a mobile network or a wireless network, or other device suitable for wireless viewing of a moving image / video. The IP network 105 may consist of a number of different networks, such as the Internet and various broadband networks, such as ADSL, VDSL, and Ethernet networks, as well as wireless networks, such as WLAN networks.

Portal 101 is connected to a user database 111 (user DB) which identifies users of portal 101. Portal 101 also communicates with 10 recommendation engine elements 112 that provide user and user group specific program and / or content recommendations. The recommendation engine element 112 communicates with the statistical database 113, which collects usage information about the actual use of the portal 101 from different client devices 102. The recommendation engine element 112 is configured to use the information contained in the statistical database 113 to generate program and / or content recommendations.

Moreover, the portal 101 is connected to storage media 114. Storage media 114 may include media records and / or portal 101 itself managed by the provider of the content offered by a third party. There may be one or more media stores 114.

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Portal 101 is adapted to distribute media broadcast, such as TV or video broadcast, to mobile device 102 over IP network 105 and wireless network 103 based on, for example, IPTV technology. The distribution can be performed using, for example, Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTTS), Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 25. Distribution may be performed via E1 portal 101 or portal 101 may direct distribution directly from the media repository co 114 to the IP network 105 and thereby to the mobile device 102. In one embodiment x, the media repository 114 is connected to the media server 115 and thereby to the IP network 105. search directly from ^ 30 media repositories 114 via media server 115.

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In one embodiment, Portal 101, User Database 111, Statistics Database 113, Preferred Engine 112 and Media Warehouse 114 of Figure 1 are each separate 6 physical devices. In another embodiment, the functionality of the Portal 101, User Database 111, Statistical Database 113, and Preferred Engine 112 of Figure 1 may be combined into a single logical entity provided by one physical device (or multiple parallel devices). In other words, all service intelligence is located on a single device and the service utilizes content and program information available from external sources (media store 114). Alternatively, it is also possible that the media store 114 and the potential media server 115 are also located on the same physical device or at least under the control of the provider providing the IPTV service of the portal 101. In this case, the contents 10 of the media store 114 may be retrieved, downloaded or stored from an external source.

Thus, the functionality of the components 101, 111-115 of the system of Figure 1 may be implemented in one or more devices. If necessary, there may be several devices providing an identical function in parallel, for example for load balancing.

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Figure 2 shows a message diagram according to an embodiment of the invention, which may be implemented, for example, in the system of Figure 1.

201: Mobile client software sends 20 logon requests to the media service portal. The login request includes at least one of the identification information associated with that mobile device, primarily for use in a wireless / mobile network. This identification information can be, for example, an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identifier) or IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) and the client software can retrieve this information from, for example, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in the mobile device. In one embodiment, the identification information is transmitted in an encrypted or otherwise protected form to ensure data security. For example, a hash can be calculated from the identification information x, which is sent to the media service portal.

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^ 30 This step can be performed automatically without the user ^ having to perform any actions, for example, when the mobile device is turned on

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or when the client software is launched.

7 202: Portal authenticates based on the personalization information received in the user login request and the user information stored in the user database. This step may also include a separate assurance that the identification information in question is not on any of the mobile network blacklist. In this way, it can be ensured, for example, that the mobile device in question has not been reported stolen. Similarly, it is possible to verify that the user has a valid subscription to the media service.

203: Portal acknowledges client software login successful.

10 204: The client software may ask the portal if any content in the portal should be pre-downloaded. The client software may be configured to send such an inquiry, for example, in response to the client software detecting that the mobile device is not actively used for other purposes and / or that the mobile device 15 has free processing capacity. Alternatively or additionally, the client software may be configured to send such a request on a regular basis. However, transmitting the inquiry 204 is not essential to the various embodiments of the invention, and embodiments of the invention can be well implemented without this inquiry.

20 205: Portal asks for recommendation engine for user-specific recommendation for pre-load.

206: The recommendation engine generates a recommendation based on o 25 usage data from the statistical database. The recommendation engine can generate recommendations cvj in real time when needed or the recommendations can be pre-stored 0 i co in the recommendation engine. In the latter case, 1 recommendation engine need not be connected to the statistical database every Ω.

every time it is asked for a recommendation to a user.

£ 30 m ^ 207: Recommendation engine returns a user-specific recommendation to the portal.

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8 208: The Portal sends download information to the client software, which explains where the client software can proactively download content recommended for that client. Such content may comprise one or more media recordings.

5 209: The client software sends a download request to the portal to proactively download a media recording. The client software may be configured to send a download request in response to, for example, the client software detecting that the mobile device is not actively used for other purposes and / or that the mobile device has free processing capacity and / or that the mobile network 10 transmit power) and / or that the mobile device has sufficient battery charge.

210: The portal authorizes the user to access the 15 media records requested to be downloaded.

211: The portal sends a request to the media repository to start sending the requested media record to the mobile device.

21212: In the example shown, the media recording is sent directly from the media repository to the storage medium of the mobile device. Alternatively, the media recording may be delivered to the mobile device via the portal, and in the mobile device, the media recording may be delivered to the client software, which further stores it on the mobile device storage medium.

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£ j 213: The mobile user wants to preview the downloaded recording.

co Retrieving a recording from a storage medium rather than having to download it from the x portal. However, in one embodiment, part of the recording may be retrieved from the portal. This may be the case, for example, when only a portion of the recording has been ^ 30 proactively downloaded to the storage medium when the user starts watching the recording,

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9 It should be noted that Figure 2 illustrates only one exemplary embodiment and that not all of the steps shown are necessarily required. In addition, implementation details may vary from one embodiment to another. For example, a download request 209 may be sent directly to a media repository or a front-end computer providing access to media repository 5 (e.g., media server 115 of Figure 1) instead of a portal. In Figure 1, the connections through which recordings can be downloaded directly from media repository 114 are shown in dashed lines. In this case, the media server 115 may be configured to authorize, by means of the user database 111, the user's access to the content requested to be downloaded.

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Figure 3 shows an example of an apparatus 30 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the invention. The device may be, for example, a general purpose computer or server and may be adapted to provide, for example, the functionality of one or more components 101, 111-115, 102 of Figure 1.

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The device 30 comprises a processor 31 for controlling the operation of the device and a memory 32 comprising a computer program / software 33. The computer software 33 may comprise instructions for the processor to control the device 30, such as an operating system and various applications. Further, the computer software 33 may comprise an application comprising instructions for controlling the device 30 to provide functionality according to an embodiment of the invention.

The processor 31 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP 25), a graphics processor, or the like. The figure shows one processor, but a cm device may have multiple processors.

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x The memory can be, for example, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), EPROM (erasable ^ 30 programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (Electronically erasable ^ programmable read) -only memory), random access memory, flash-

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memory, optical or magnetic memory or the like. Your device may have multiple memories. The memory may be part of the device 30 or it may be a separate module which can be connected to the device 30 10. The memory can only be used to store data or it can also be used for data processing.

The device 30 further comprises a communication unit 35. The communication unit 5 provides an interface for communicating with other devices. The interface can be, for example, a wired connection such as an Ethernet connection or an ADSL / VDSL connection or a wireless connection such as WLAN, Bluetooth, GSM / GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA or LTE. The communication interface module may be integrated in the device 30 or may be part of an adapter, card or the like which may be connected to the device 30. The communication unit may support one or more communication technologies or the device may have multiple communication units.

To receive input from the user and output to the user, the device 30 may also comprise a user interface unit (not shown), which may include, for example, a display and keyboard (not shown) which may be an integral part of the device 30 or independent parts connectable to the device 30. However, the user interface may not be needed or the user interface may be implemented remotely through the communication unit 35.

In addition to the elements shown in Figure 3, the device 30 may comprise other elements.

Figure 4 illustrates a method according to an embodiment of the invention which can be applied, for example, to the system portal 101 of Figure 1 and the device 30 of Figure 3 25.

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cp & In step 41, an IP connection is established between the mobile device and the media service.

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In step 42, at least one of the identification information used in the mobile network 30 is received over the IP connection and the mobile device user is automatically identified based on this identification information. The identification information may be sent with the identification information

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00 in sealed or otherwise encrypted form.

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In step 43, at least one media recording for pre-load is automatically selected based on the user information of the identified user.

In step 44, transferring said media record selected for pre-loading to said mobile device is started, or at least sending information to the mobile device from the media record selected for pre-download (e.g., information on where to download that media record). In one embodiment, the transmission / transmission of media recording is initiated before receiving any subsequent view request 10 from the user of said mobile device for that media recording.

In one embodiment, the user is informed of the new media recording after the media recording has been downloaded to the mobile device. Correspondingly, the user can be informed already while the media recording is being downloaded.

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Figure 5 illustrates a method according to an embodiment of the invention which can be applied, for example, to the mobile device 102 of the system of Figure 1 and the device 30 of Figure 3.

In step 51, an IP connection is established between the client software of the mobile device and the media service.

In step 52, the client software automatically transmits over the IP connection established to the media service at least one of the mobile device identification information used in the mobile network to identify the mobile device user in the g service. The identification information (s) may be transmitted, for example, whenever the client software co is started, or whenever the mobile device is booted, or x in response to a user authentication request from the mobile device.

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^ 30 In step 53, information is received on at least one media recording selected for pre-loading ^.

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In step 54, transferring said media recording selected for pre-loading to said mobile device is initiated. In one embodiment, the transfer of a media recording is initiated before receiving any subsequent request for viewing 5 of that media recording from the user of said mobile device.

The automatic user identification according to embodiments of the invention enables the mobile device to be able to proactively load content that the user of the mobile device wishes to view with at least a reasonable probability. On the other hand, pre-loading content allows you to watch recordings in the coverage areas of the mobile network or when the data transfer capacity of the mobile network is, for some reason, too low for smooth live streaming and even when moving completely away from the mobile network. In this way, the recordings based on the user's profile, which are likely to be favored by the user, are automatically available to the user at the moment of his or her request.

The foregoing description provides non-limiting examples of some embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details set forth, but that the invention may also be practiced in other equivalent ways. For example, it will be appreciated that in the disclosed methods, the order of the individual process steps may be rearranged and that some steps may be repeated several times or omitted entirely. It is also to be understood that in this document the terms embrace and include are open expressions and are not intended to be restrictive.

? Furthermore, some features of the disclosed embodiments of the invention may be utilized without the use of other features. The above explanation must be kept as it is

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00 only as an explanation of the principles of the invention and not a limitation of the invention.

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The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims, m δ

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Claims (19)

A method for providing a media service to mobile devices (102), characterized in that method 5 establishes (41) an IP connection between the mobile device (102) and the media service (101), receiving at least one identification information (201) used in the mobile network over said IP connection. identifying (202,42) the mobile device user on the basis of said 10 at least one identifier used in the mobile network, automatically selecting (205,207,43) based on the identified user user information at least one media record for pre-loading, and transmitting (208) to the mobile device for said pre-loading download information of the selected media record prior to receiving any subsequent 15 requests for viewing of said media record from said mobile device, based on which download information allows said mobile device to select the time v transmitting (212) a low media record to said mobile device. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said identification information is received in encrypted or compressed form. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method performs said transmission in response to a request (204) received from a mobile device. A method according to claim 1,2 or 3, characterized in that method C \ J x initiates the transfer of said media recording selected for preloading to said mobile device CC CL (212, 44) before said media recording that may be received later. received a view request ^ from said mobile device. The method of claim 4, characterized in that the method comprises transmitting (212) the selected media record to said mobile device so as to minimize interference with other use of said mobile device and / or transmitting (212) the selected media record to said mobile device when free processing capacity is available on said mobile device. 5 The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein said identifying information comprises an international mobile subscription identifier, an IMSI, number. The method of any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that said identification information comprises an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) number. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the method ensures from the mobile network systems that the identified user is a valid user. 15 A method for (51) establishing an IP connection between a client software and a media service using a media service, automatically transmitting (52) from the client software to the media service 20 over said IP connection at least one mobile device identification information (201) associated with said mobile device. identifying the user in the media service, and receiving (53), for preloading, download information (208) from at least one media recording selected for the preloading, and? cp CO CM x 10. The method of claim 9, characterized by initiating transfer (212, 54) of said media recording selected for the preload of CC0_ to said ^ 30 mobile device before receiving any subsequent viewing request of said ^ media record from said user of said C \ J mobile device. . The method of claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the method informs the mobile device user of a new media recording after the media recording has been downloaded to the mobile device or while the media recording is being downloaded. 5 The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that said identification information is transmitted in encrypted or compressed form. The method of any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, in method 10, an inquiry (204) is sent to the media service about suitable media recordings suitable for pre-loading; and receiving said information (208) from at least one media recording selected for preload in response to said query. The method of any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the method performs said selection of a transmission time so as to minimize interference with other use of said mobile device. Method according to one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that method 20 initiates the transfer (212) of the selected media record to said mobile device in response to detecting that the mobile device is not actively used for other purposes and / or that the mobile device has free processing capacity and The features of the cellular network you are using are well suited for charging and / or your mobile device has enough battery power. The method of any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that said cp co identification information comprises an international mobile subscription identifier, an IMSI, number. CC CL The method of any one of claims 9 to 16, characterized in that said? 30 identification information comprises an international mobile equipment identifier (IMEI) number. δ CVJ A device (101, 102, 30), the device comprising at least one processor (31) and at least one computer program (33) stored in memory (32) configured in association with said at least one processor to control said hardware to perform any of the claims 1. -17. A computer program comprising computer executable program code, characterized in that, when executed, the program code directs the computer to execute any method according to claims 1-17. δ CvJ CvJ cp co CvJ X X Q. m δ CvJ 13