CN107079271B

CN107079271B - Method and system for broadcasting content to smart devices using a dedicated gateway box

Info

Publication number: CN107079271B
Application number: CN201580050118.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 齐元吉·查克拉博蒂
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-19
Filing date: 2015-08-31
Publication date: 2020-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 2035-08-31
Also published as: CN107079271A; WO2016041440A1

Abstract

An echo system (100) for transmitting content and a method (300) thereof are disclosed, the echo system operating in a network (104) with a receiving smart device (112) at which a corresponding user accesses the content. The echo system (100) is comprised of: a source (102) of the content for transmitting the content; a gateway box (106) having a multimedia content interface engine (108) to: receiving the content from the source; storing usage of the smart device in relation to access to the content and user preferences of the content. The gateway box is characterized by a content local storage and analyzer engine (110) to: obtaining user preferences from the engine (108); matching the content based on the user preferences; pushing the content to the user using a particular beacon frame based on the content matching the user preferences. The device (112) receives the content pushed by the engine (110).

Description

Method and system for broadcasting content to smart devices using a dedicated gateway box

Technical Field

The present invention described herein relates generally to methods and systems for transmitting content and, more particularly, to methods and systems for broadcasting content to smart devices using a dedicated gateway box.

Background

In database systems, set-top boxes are becoming more intelligent a day. The current trend is for hybrid set-top boxes to implement many features, such as head-end gateways, headless gateways, and IP clients. The gateway acts as an access point for the wireless network through which all smart devices in the home, such as mobile devices, tablet computers, etc., can access the internet and OTT services. The intelligent client also accesses the live channel through the gateway. Internet and OTT services pass through the broadcaster cloud, thereby giving the broadcaster great opportunity to read the usage pattern of the client, and can push the addition content to the gateway according to the usage situation. The usage pattern of the gateway is not only the usage pattern of the gateway itself, but also the usage pattern of all smart devices accessing the internet and Over-the-top (OTT) content through the gateway AP. Furthermore, it is also well known that cable television networks are a popular scheme for delivering multimedia content from a central location to a large number of users. This provides a great opportunity to push content (e.g., but not limited to, advertising content) to all those smart devices indoors or nearby.

However, there is a need for a reliable and simple method of achieving the following: receiving content (e.g., content uploaded by users or content residing on different parts of the internet or various broadcasters) and sending the content to individual users, and receiving the receiving user's consent for such sending (e.g., of advertising content).

However, it is apparent that all smart devices in the room may not access the gateway at the same time. Therefore, there is also a need for an implicit method by which the smart device can be informed of the content or new content pushed by the broadcaster at all times.

Also, traditionally, the content or advertising revenue delivered has been based primarily on delivering linear advertising to a large audience, where all viewers watch the same channel and see the same advertisement at the same time. Broadcasters are increasingly realizing that the media world is changing, with video consumption becoming more personalized and extending to new smart devices, such as tablet computers, smart phones, game consoles, etc. The broadcasters know that their advertisers want to provide more relevant and targeted advertisements, but the prior art limits their ability to provide advertisements more selectively or strategically.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to methods and systems for prioritization and vacuuming of hot database tables, and the concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an echo system (100) for transmitting multimedia content, operating in a network with a large number of receiving smart devices at which a corresponding user accesses multimedia content containing interactive services, comprises:

one or more sources of multimedia content for transmitting the multimedia content;

one or more gateway boxes having

Multimedia content interface engine for

Receiving multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content;

storing usage of the smart device in relation to access to the multimedia content and user preferences of the multimedia content; the gateway box is characterized by comprising:

content local store and parser engine for

Obtaining user preferences from a multimedia content interface engine;

matching multimedia content based on user preferences;

pushing the multimedia content to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preference; and

and an intelligent device for receiving the multimedia content pushed by the content local storage and the analyzer engine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a gateway box for receiving and transmitting multimedia content, operating in a network having a plurality of receiving intelligent devices at which corresponding users access pushed multimedia content containing interactive services, is characterized in that it comprises:

content local store and parser engine for

Acquiring user preference;

matching the received multimedia content based on the obtained user preferences;

the received multimedia content is pushed to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for displaying pushed multimedia content on a multitude of receiving smart devices at which the corresponding users access the pushed multimedia content, said multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system operating in a network, comprises:

scanning multimedia content using a sniffer in a smart device, the multimedia content pushed by a content local storage of a gateway box and an analyzer engine using one or more specific beacon frames;

receiving, using the smart device, the pushed one or more particular beacon frames;

using a smart device to check information associated with one or more particular received beacon frames, wherein the information comprises:

payload information;

information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content; and

multimedia content;

confirming, using the smart device, that the complete multimedia content is received;

matching, using the smart device, the user preferences of the multimedia content with the received complete multimedia content;

and displaying the complete multimedia matched with the user on the interface of the intelligent device.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for transmitting and displaying pushed multimedia content on a large number of receiving smart devices at which the corresponding users access the pushed multimedia content, said multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network, comprises:

transmitting the multimedia content using one or more sources of the multimedia content;

receiving the transmitted multimedia content using a multimedia content interface engine of one or more gateway boxes;

using a multimedia content interface engine of one or more gateway boxes to store in a database: usage of the smart device in relation to access to the multimedia content, and user preferences for the multimedia content;

said method being characterized in that

Obtaining user preferences from the stored multimedia content interface engine using the content local storage and analyzer engine of one or more gateway boxes;

matching multimedia content based on user preferences using a content local storage and analyzer engine of one or more gateway boxes;

pushing, using a content local storage and analyzer engine of one or more gateway boxes, multimedia content to a corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences;

receiving, using an intelligent device, multimedia content pushed by a content local storage and analyzer engine;

The technical problems to be solved are as follows: traditionally, available gateway boxes, which may be boxes (boxes or STBs), are not intelligent, as they are stand-alone devices that mainly display live channels (content) from the head end (broadcaster). The broadcaster displays pre-identified advertisements sent via private services via private (pid). Also, the content or advertisement is targeted only to a particular gateway box or STB, and not to other smart devices in the home. Thus, exposure is limited. There is a need for a more versatile solution where more users can be approached simultaneously and customized advertisements can be presented along with localized advertisements.

The proposed technical solution: the main object of the present invention is to produce an echo system and method thereof, wherein a broadcaster can communicate a single advertisement sent to a gateway box to more users, and can provide customized and even localized content or advertisements, thereby reducing network complexity, cost and response time. This will attract more user attention and thus help the broadcaster enhance its capabilities and also help the broadcaster generate more revenue. In one example, an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) may use the system and also share revenue generated by the broadcaster.

In one embodiment, an echo system and method thereof is disclosed that may be used in a set-top box or any gateway where Wi-Fi beacons are the transmission technology.

In one embodiment, another object of the present invention is to enhance the effect of existing set-top boxes that will not only be used for live tv, but will also be used for OTT services, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) based services, Miracast based services, router based services, gateway device based services and combinations thereof, and also act as gateway devices in the home.

In one implementation, a content analyzer component in a gateway or set top box is disclosed that facilitates analyzing content and sending user preferred content to a particular user.

In one embodiment, a method of broadcasting content through a hybrid head and headless gateway within a home and/or within a close proximity using a broadcaster's broadcast model is disclosed.

In one embodiment, a system for broadcasting content through hybrid head and headless gateways within a home and/or in close proximity using a broadcaster's broadcast model is disclosed.

In one implementation, an advertising revenue generation model for broadcasters' profitability with the advent of hybrid gateways is disclosed.

In one embodiment, a mechanism is disclosed for using an existing Wi-Fi (wifi) network that can be used to access most indoor smart devices to push broadcast content (e.g., advertisements) by using a gateway, thereby maximizing broadcaster revenue.

In one embodiment, a mechanism is disclosed for sending content using Wi-Fi beacon frames sent through a gateway to all those smart devices within 100 to 200 meters of proximity for scanning for APs.

In one implementation, a mechanism is disclosed for parsing and displaying broadcast content (e.g., advertisements) that is pushed through wifi beacons using a gateway.

In one implementation, a mechanism for parsing and displaying broadcast content on a smart device pushed through wifi beacons using a gateway is disclosed.

In one implementation, a mechanism for providing more relevant and targeted content or advertisements is disclosed.

Drawings

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the reference number as first appearing in the drawing. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.

Fig. 1 illustrates an echo system (100) for transmitting multimedia content according to an embodiment of the invention, operating in a network (104) with a large number of receiving smart devices (112) at which the corresponding users access multimedia content comprising interactive services.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method (200) for displaying pushed multimedia content on a large number of receiving smart devices (112) where corresponding users access the pushed multimedia content, including interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104), according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates a method (300) for sending and displaying pushed multimedia content on a large number of receiving smart devices (112) where the corresponding users access the pushed multimedia content, which contains interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104), according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates an entire echo system of a broadcasting company that pushes an advertisement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a mechanism by which user preferences per unique _ id are stored and a method by which user preferences are obtained by an ad analyzer, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates the reception of a Wifi packet by a smart device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates parsing of an advertised wifi beacon and a new beacon format, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 illustrates a beacon frame format that may be used in the prior art according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates a general frame format usable for a prior art cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Today most home users prefer to access OTT and live channel services through an indoor smart device, which may be a mobile phone or a tablet computer or even a smart tv. A preferred method of connecting to a gateway Access Point (AP) is Wi-Fi. Thus, each and every smart device in the home will scan for APs and will probe for the hybrid gateway, which itself acts as an AP. This means that every smart device in the home will receive a beacon frame from the gateway. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a smart device may connect to a gateway by sending a probe request to the gateway when within range, in response to which the gateway sends a probe response in the form of a frame or beacon to the smart device. Also, the connection between the smart device and the gateway may be accomplished through a conventional 802.11 frame type for the connection, where the 802.11 management frame enables the station to establish and maintain communication. Management frames may include, but are not limited to: authentication frames, de-authentication frames, association response frames, re-association request frames, re-association response frames, de-association frames, beacon frames, probe request frames, probe response frames, and the like. In addition, the gateway access point may be managed by a controller, such as a WLAN controller, which handles automatic adjustment of RF power, frequency channels, authentication, and security. The beacon frame may have sufficient space to present or send content (which may include, but is not limited to, advertisements) data and push it to each client smart device. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that "data," "content," "multimedia content" may be used instead for understanding the present invention. Further, it will be understood that the pushed/transmitted data/content may include, but is not limited to, advertisements.

Conventionally, various methods have been proposed in the art that suggest transmitting private data with beacon frames without interfering with the actual wifi protocol. According to the paper on "Beacon padding (Beacon padding)" published in IEEE by r.chandra (R Chandra) and group and the "Bit padding in802.11Beacon Frame" (Bit padding in802.11Beacon Frame) "of visal Gupta (Vishal Gupta) and mucksh Kumar roy (Mukesh Kumar Rohil), the present invention can use existing Beacon frames to transmit private data without hindering the actual wifi protocol. Thus, the beacon frame may become an intelligent method of pushing data (which may include, but is not limited to, advertisements) to the intelligent device through the gateway.

Further, considering that the hybrid gateway becomes an access point for all client traffic, the all client traffic may pass through the broadcaster cloud, so that the broadcaster is aware of the user usage patterns and pushes content (which may include, but is not limited to, advertisements) accordingly. This will lead more meaningful advertisements to the user. Also, because the broadcaster cloud can access the location of the gateway, localized content can be pushed.

Existing mechanisms for pushing content or data through Wi-Fi beacon frames are given as follows:

use of Wi-Fi beacon frames: the beacon frame is used to announce the presence of a Wi-Fi network. Thus, an 802.11 client receives beacons from all nearby APs, even if the client is not connected to any network. In fact, even if a client connects to a particular AP, the client periodically scans all frequency channels to receive beacons from all nearby APs to track the network in its vicinity. Therefore, the gateway will push beacon frames to all clients attempting to scan for APs. Data can be pushed through beacon frames in three ways:

1. service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation:

the SSID field in the beacon carries the name of the wireless network. The maximum length is 32 bytes. Assuming that the unique ID is 1 byte and the sequence number and MoreFlag can be packed in 1 byte, the beacon leaves 29 bytes for the InfoChunk. The slices are sent in successive beacons. The maximum length of the unique message is 3712 bytes. This is easy to implement. But this has disadvantages. Most client devices, such as handheld or laptop computers, contain applications that display the SSID of the network within range of the device. Unless the application is modified, the user interface of the application will be flooded with a large number of pseudo-ssids that may confuse the real SSId.

2. Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) concatenation:

the BSSID is a 6-byte unique identifier of the AP. The BSSID is typically set equal to the MAC address of the wireless NIC in the AP. However, the BSSID may be set to any value. Assuming again that the UniqueID is 1 byte and the sequence number and MoreFlag can be packed in 1 byte, we can send a 4 byte message in the beacon. This gives us a unique message of maximum length of 512 bytes.

3. Beacon cell

The existing generic beacon information element is illustrated in fig. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 illustrates a beacon frame format that can be used in the related art according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 9 illustrates a general frame format that can be used for a related art information element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 8, the header is followed by a variable length frame body, which may be up to 2320 octets long. The frame body consists of a series of fields that are not followed by cells as fields for cells. The information units are presented in a fixed relative order and identified by corresponding unique component IDs.

As shown in fig. 9, each cell has the following three fields:

a) an Element ID (EID) field, 1 octet long, uniquely identifies the cell. Thus, 256 unique cells are possible. According to 802.11-2012, up to 53 EIDs may be part of a beacon frame.

b) Length field 1 octet long

c) Information data field this may be 255 bytes long.

Although the information field is a variable length field, the minimum and maximum lengths are fixed by the 802.11 standard. In other words, the minimum and maximum values that can be stored in the length field of each element ID are known and fixed. These length fields of the cell are suitable for carrying further information because one octet is allocated to the length field and there are many information fields for which the maximum length will always be less than or equal to 255. For example, the BSS average access delay information element (with element ID 63) may have a maximum length of the information field of only one octet. The length field will always contain the value 1, thus having the 7 most significant bits always contain the value 0. The 7-bit valid bit may be used to mark the length of wifi advertisement data, which may be carried with an information field. In addition to the vendor, specific information in the beacon may be carried as part of the specific element ID and data carried in the cell. The IEEE 802.11 standard allows AP providers to add 253 bytes of provider specific Beacon Information Element (BIE) in their beacons.

The present invention uses this feature to define a specialized BIE for broadcast information, where each message is segmented into 253 byte blocks and sent in successive beacons. All beacons set their SSID to a fixed well-known SSID, e.g., Wi-Fi content. A Wi-Fi driver at the client device recognizes this BIE and passes it to the user layer. This method provides 200Kbps of bandwidth. The method may not send spam to the wireless UI of the client device. Only the disadvantageous client driver modifications are required. For this, the calculation result may be obtained from any of the IEEE papers on "Beacon padding" by r.cndela (R Chandra) and the group and/or the prior art/IEEE papers.

Although aspects described as producing an echo system and method thereof may be implemented in any number of different computing systems, environments, and/or configurations in which a broadcaster may communicate a single advertisement sent to a gateway box to more users, and may provide customized and even localized content or advertisements, embodiments are described in the context of the following exemplary system.

Referring now to fig. 1, an echo system (100) for transmitting multimedia content is disclosed, operating in a network (104) having a number of receiving smart devices (112) at which corresponding users access multimedia content comprising interactive services. The echo system (100) consists of: one or more sources (102) of multimedia content for transmitting the multimedia content; one or more gateway boxes (106) having a multimedia content interface engine (108) to: receiving multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content; usage of the smart device in relation to access to the multimedia content and user preferences of the multimedia content are stored.

The gateway box (106) is characterized by having a content local storage and analyzer engine (110) for: obtaining user preferences from a multimedia content interface engine; matching multimedia content based on user preferences; pushing multimedia content to a corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences.

An intelligent device (112) in the echo system (100) is used to receive multimedia content pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine.

In one embodiment, the gateway box (106) may be implemented in a variety of computing systems, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a server, a web server, and the like. It should be understood that the gateway box (106) may be accessed by multiple users through one or more smart devices (hereinafter devices) or clients (112) or applications residing on the user devices (112). Examples of devices (112) may include, but are not limited to: portable computers, personal digital assistants, handheld devices, and workstations. The gateway box (106) may be communicatively coupled to one or other devices (112) using the network (104).

In one embodiment, the one or more sources (102) of multimedia content may be content broadcast sources selected from the group consisting of: internet, cloud, live channels, and combinations thereof. It is to be appreciated that one or more sources (102) of multimedia content can send the content to a gateway box (106) that can be accessed by one or more devices (112). The gateway box (106) may be communicatively coupled to one or more sources (102) of multimedia content using a network (104).

In one embodiment, the network (104) may be a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The network may be implemented as one of different types of networks, such as an intranet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), the internet, and the like. The network may be a private network or a shared network. A shared network represents the association of different types of networks that communicate with each other using a variety of protocols, such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), transmission control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like. Further, the network may comprise a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, and the like.

In one embodiment, one or more smart devices (112) are comprised of a user interface for displaying content sent by a source (102) of the content. The user interface may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, such as a website interface, a graphical user interface, and the like. The user interface may allow the device (112) to interact with a user directly or through another device. Further, the user interface may enable the device (112) to communicate with other gateway boxes (106). The user interface may facilitate a variety of communications within a wide variety of network and protocol types, including: wired networks such as LANs, cables, and the like; and wireless networks such as WLANs, cellular networks, or satellites. The interface may contain one or more ports for connecting multiple devices to each other or to another server.

In one embodiment, the specific beacon frame is a Wifi beacon frame.

In one embodiment, the specific beacon frame is pushed using a wireless transmission mechanism selected from the group consisting of: bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the content local storage and analyzer engine is further for pushing the multimedia content to the smart device in response to a content transfer command received from the smart device.

In one embodiment, the multimedia content interface engine stores user preferences for each smart device operated by the corresponding user in correspondence with a unique identifier (id).

In one embodiment, the content local storage and analyzer engine matches multimedia content with a unique identifier (id), wherein the multimedia content consists of one unique content identifier (id) for matching.

In one embodiment, the content local storage and analyzer engine is further configured to temporarily store multimedia content received from the multimedia content interface engine until the multimedia content matches a unique identifier (id).

In one implementation, the content local storage and analyzer engine is further used to analyze multimedia content and push the corresponding multimedia content to a particular user.

In one embodiment, specific beacon frames are continuously pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine to a large number of receiving smart devices.

In one embodiment, a plurality of receiving intelligent devices are used to receive customized multimedia content and localized multimedia content.

In one embodiment, a particular beacon frame is pushed to a large number of receiving smart devices using at least one method selected from the group consisting of: a Service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation technique, a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) concatenation technique, a beacon cell, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the source of the multimedia content is a content broadcast source selected from the group consisting of: internet, cloud, live channels, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the multimedia content interface engine is configured to store user preferences by scanning for user activity while contacting the gateway box to access the internet and Over The Top (OTT) data, wherein the activity is related to movies, other entertainment content, internet websites, other data, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the gateway box is used to provide various services selected from the group comprising: watching live television, Over The Top (OTT) services, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) based services, Miracast based services, router based services, gateway device based services, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the gateway box (106) may comprise a memory coupled to a processing unit for executing a plurality of modules present in the memory, the plurality of modules consisting of a multimedia content interface engine (108) and a content local memory and analyzer engine (110).

In one embodiment, the gateway box (106) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals based on operational instructions.

In one implementation, the memory may comprise any computer-readable medium known in the art, including, for example: volatile memories such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM); and/or non-volatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memory, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tape.

In one embodiment, the modules stored in memory include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In one embodiment, the modules may contain programs or encoded instructions that may supplement the applications and functions of the gateway box (106).

In one embodiment, a gateway box (106) for receiving and transmitting multimedia content is disclosed, operating in a network (104) having a number of receiving smart devices (112) at which corresponding users access pushed multimedia content containing interactive services. The gateway box (106) is comprised of a content local store and parser engine (110) for: acquiring user preference; matching the received multimedia content based on the obtained user preferences; the received multimedia content is pushed to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences.

In one embodiment, the multimedia content interface engine (108) allows the content local storage and analyzer engine (110) to obtain user preferences.

Referring now to fig. 2, a method (200) for displaying pushed multimedia content on a large number of receiving smart devices (112) at which the corresponding users access the pushed multimedia content, including interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104), is disclosed.

The methods (200) and (300) may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, computer-executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, functions, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The methods (200) and (300) may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where functions are performed by remote processing devices that are associated through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, computer-executable instructions may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

The order in which the methods (200) and (300) are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the methods and (300) or an exchange method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from methods (200) and (300) without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the methods may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. However, for ease of explanation, in the embodiments described below, the methods (200) and (300) may be considered to be implemented in the echo system (100) described above.

At block 202, the smart device scans for multimedia content that is pushed using one or more particular beacon frames.

At block 204, the smart device receives the pushed one or more particular beacon frames.

At block 206, the smart device checks for information associated with the received one or more particular beacon frames, wherein the information includes: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content; and multimedia content.

At block 208, the smart device verifies whether the complete multimedia content was received.

At block 210, the smart device matches the user preferences of the multimedia content with the received complete multimedia content.

At block 212, the complete multimedia matching the user is displayed on the interface of the smart device.

In one embodiment, a particular beacon frame is composed of a plurality of fields including: an element identifier, a length of a current payload, a length to multimedia content, an end of the entire multimedia content, and the multimedia content.

In one embodiment, the specific beacon frame is a Wifi beacon frame.

In one implementation, a method (300) for sending and displaying pushed multimedia content on a large number of receiving smart devices (112) is disclosed, the corresponding users accessing the pushed multimedia content at the receiving smart devices, the multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104).

At block 302, multimedia content is transmitted using one or more sources of the multimedia content.

At block 304, the transmitted multimedia content is received using the multimedia content interface engine of one or more gateway boxes.

At block 306, the multimedia content interface engine using one or more gateway boxes stores in a database: usage of the smart device in relation to access to the multimedia content, and user preferences for the multimedia content.

At block 308, user preferences are obtained from the stored multimedia content interface engine using the content local storage and analyzer engine of one or more gateway boxes. In one embodiment, user preferences for each smart device operated by the corresponding user are stored corresponding to a unique identifier (id).

At block 310, multimedia content is matched using the content local storage and analyzer engine of one or more gateway boxes based on user preferences. In one embodiment, the multimedia content is matched with a unique identifier (id), wherein the multimedia content consists of one unique content identifier (id) for matching.

At block 312, based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences using the one or more particular beacon frames, the multimedia content is pushed to the corresponding user using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes. In one embodiment, the specific beacon frame is a Wi-Fi beacon frame, and the pushing using the content local memory and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes pushes the specific beacon frame using a wireless transport mechanism selected from the group consisting of: bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and combinations thereof.

At block 314, multimedia content pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine is received by using the smart device. In one embodiment, a particular beacon frame is pushed in response to a content transmission command received from a smart device.

At block 316, the matched complete multimedia is displayed to the user using the interface of the smart device. In one implementation, multimedia content received from a multimedia content interface engine is stored, whereby a unique identifier (id) is scanned to check all user preferences, and the received multimedia content is then pushed to a smart device matching the user preferences. In one implementation, if the device is connected for the first time, there are no user preferences to match and so all advertisements are pushed. And, if the smart device is not connected, all advertisements are pushed to the smart device that scans only for APs.

In one embodiment, the multimedia content pushes corresponding multimedia content to a particular user for analysis using a content local store and analyzer engine. Further, the specific beacon frame may be pushed using at least one method selected from the group consisting of: a Service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation technique, a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) concatenation technique, a beacon cell, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, customized multimedia content and localized multimedia content are received using a smart device.

In one implementation, a smart device at which a user accesses pushed multimedia content including interactive services of an echo system operating in a network performs a method for displaying the pushed multimedia content.

Referring now to fig. 4, an overall echo system for a broadcaster pushing advertisements is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the system as shown in fig. 4 consists of a plurality of smart devices capable of scanning for access points. Each smart device will scan the AP for Wifi connectivity. Smart devices accessing the internet or accessing live tv will connect to the gateway. If the smart device is not connected to an AP, the smart device may still receive beacon packets from the corresponding AP because the AP is not the preferred AP for the smart device.

Once connected to the AP, the smart device uses this AP to access the internet through the broadcaster cloud and also to access the broadcaster's live channels through the gateway.

The advertisement interface engine: as shown in fig. 4, any client that sends a request to the gateway will pass through the ad interface engine. The ad interface engine will analyze each request from the client and attempt to generate metadata about the client preferences. Such as whether the client wishes to watch a sporting event or a movie or news and the like. This data will be shared to the broadcaster cloud. Of course, client data privacy will be taken care of to the maximum extent. If the client does not wish to share, then sharing may be disabled. Sharing is allowed by default.

Once the metadata is generated, the advertisement interface engine stores the metadata in the local DB corresponding to each unique ID of the connected smart device.

Broadcasting company cloud: as shown in fig. 4, the broadcaster cloud will analyze this data and will generate or send advertisements according to this preference. Since the entire process is done in the cloud, the local gateway saves a lot of CPU MIPS. Even though the above operations help to generate localized advertisements, the strategy for sending advertisements is still completely up to the broadcaster. The advertisement will be delivered back to the gateway box or back to the broadcaster head end again.

Broadcaster headend:

the broadcaster headend receives advertisements from the cloud that will be inserted into the transport stream as private pids. This would be the portion of the live channel that is multiplexed and sent to all gateways.

The advertisement analyzer engine:

the ad parser engine will obtain the ads from an internet interface or from a live channel from the broadcaster's head end. Once the ad is received, the ad analyzer engine will check the ad type and will match the user preferences per Unique _ id. The ad analyzer engine will then push the ads to the per-user preferred smart clients via beacon frames. The smart client may still receive localized and personalized advertisements if the smart client has already connected to the gateway or previously connected to the gateway. If the smart client is never connected to the AP or for the first time, there is no user preference data in this case and therefore any advertisements can be pushed. Of course, it is possible that the broadcaster may have some advertisements that must be pushed, those advertisements will have a greater preference.

The intelligent equipment:

the smart device application will use the wifi sniffer to receive beacon frames. The wifi sniffer is the entity that receives all wifi beacon packets. This may require fine-tuning in the kernel. The kernel substantially parses the wifi packet. The sniffer will ensure that it sniffs the entire packet. The sniffer concept will be close to the network sniffer but can be used to acquire the entire wifi packet.

Upon receiving the package, the application parses the package and generates the advertisement. The advertisement may be transmitted via multiple beacon frames. Accordingly, provision is provided in the beacon frame structure to indicate the end of the advertisement. Once all packets are received, the packets will be parsed and advertisements will be generated. This advertisement will then be displayed to note whether the smart device user wants to see the advertisement. Options will be provided to the user.

In one embodiment, an echo system is shown in fig. 4 as an exemplary example of a method of attempting to generate more revenue through advertisements with respect to broadcasters generating advertisements meaningful to users and pushing to gateways and contacting smart devices of the gateways. Each indoor smart device scanning for an Access Point (AP) will get a received beacon frame from the gateway box (considering that the gateway box itself acts as an AP). The gateway may push advertisements received from the broadcaster and stored locally when sending beacon frames.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a mechanism by which user preferences per unique _ id are stored and a method by which user preferences are obtained by an ad analyzer, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated. It should be understood that components as described in fig. 4 will not be described again in the components of fig. 5 to avoid confusion.

In one embodiment, the gateway may have an advertisement interface engine that will be in a self-learning mode. The advertisement interface engine will learn the user preferences and preferences of each client that touches the gateway box to access the internet and OTT data. This may be in the context of data, movies, other entertainment content, internet websites, and the like. This data may be passed on to the broadcaster cloud. The ad interface engine will store user preference details with respect to the unique ID of each client contacting the gateway. Thus, when pushing advertisements to a smart client, the client's corresponding preferences may be used.

Broadcasters analyzing user preferences may select advertisements and push data to the gateway through OTT services or to the live channel headend. The headend may push this advertisement to the gateway through a special service such as a private PID. The advertisement will be stored locally. There will be a parser module that will parse those ads and attempt to match them to client preferences, and push those ads to the corresponding clients through Wifi beacon frames. This filtering is unlikely for a new client to be connected for the first time. Further, the smart device may not be connected to the AP. Because the smart device scans for APs, all advertisements can be pushed from APs to smart devices even if the smart devices are not connected. The context will be the same as the device that is connected to the gateway for the first time. In addition to user-preferred advertisements, several other types of advertisements are possible:

1. localized advertisement- (cloud learning gateway location and push related local advertisement)

2. Coupon offer- (offer coupon which can send product to be advertised)

3. Short audio ballad- (sending short audio ballad advertisement)

Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is a Wi-Fi packet received by a smart device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, each smart device in a home with a gateway box may install this broadcaster application along with a broadcaster application for live television. The application may even be a cloud-based application. The application will use a wifi packet sniffer to sniff all packets and take the correct decision for wifi beacon frames. The role of fig. 6 has already been explained in the description of fig. 4 and thus repetition of the content is avoided.

Referring now to fig. 7, a parsing of wifi beacons for advertisements is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, an application installed at the smart device may parse the beacon frame and display the advertisement carried by the beacon frame. To achieve the above result, the beacon information frame may be divided to carry the advertisement via a plurality of beacon packets. In one embodiment, a specific new beacon cell may be used. The new special element consists of a definition of changes to few fields in the existing beacon cell format. Byte 3 (1 byte for total ad length), byte 4 (1 bit LSB indicates the end of the entire ad and the remaining 7 bits reserved), and displaying the ad in each smart device, via wifi beacons. Furthermore, the wifi sniffer concept can be used to receive raw wifi packets and then parse according to the invention. This method can be used for any OS, such as Android (Android), Linux, or IOS. In one embodiment, to receive wifi raw packets from the android kernel or the IOS kernel, the kernel requires a fine-tuning to obtain the raw packets.

Working example: the delivery of advertisements via the internet has become a huge market, and one key reason for this success is that advertisements are targeted, i.e., the advertisements delivered to end users are relevant to search queries entered by the users. The advertisements appear to be location sensitive advertisements, that is, advertisements that are targeted to users based in part on their physical location will be a very important market in the near future.

Existing methods of delivering location sensitive advertisements require two capabilities: the user must be properly connected to the internet and there must be an automatic method for indicating the user's location to the ad delivery service. The advertisement interface engine and the broadcaster cloud will note this. Most existing systems rely on GPS to obtain location (which does not work indoors), and busy internet connectivity can be both costly and difficult to maintain adequate quality of service. In addition, broadcasters need a wide variety of scopes to give advertisements, so that the broadcasters not only satisfy clients by deriving targeted advertisements, but also open up a huge revenue earning model for themselves by generating an advertisement model for all corners of a commercial group. OEMs will benefit by allowing the broadcaster cloud to know the user preference data for targeted advertising and may share the revenue model with the broadcaster.

The present invention is a "push model" based on advertisement delivery. By reloading the 802.11beacon to carry the advertisement message, any 802.11 client can receive advertisements sent from any nearby AP regardless of the client's connection status. Even if a client connects to a particular AP, the client periodically scans all frequency channels to receive beacons from other nearby APs to track other nearby networks in its vicinity. The client does not have to send any message to receive the beacon. The client must listen.

One benefit of the beacon filling method is that it is implicitly location aware, since advertisements are sent from Wi-Fi access points whose locations are known and whose "reach" is limited by the propagation of 802.11 signals (typically 100 meters when the access point is kept at ground level).

Another benefit of this approach is that it eliminates the need to explicitly locate the client, which improves the privacy model as a side effect. Previous approaches to location sensitive advertising required displaying the client's location to some centralized internet infrastructure.

This approach helps broadcasters to increase the range of distributed ads to more than one target STB. The hybrid gateway, which is an AP, helps the broadcaster push the advertisement to all smart devices in the vicinity, even if the smart devices are not connected to the gateway. This will positively impact the revenue generation model for the broadcaster. The OEM facilitates that this model can share this revenue generation.

Another big advantage is that the mixing box is in a self-learning mode for client usage. Thus, more indoor smart devices use the hybrid gateway as an access point and browse several internet websites and OTT services, giving an increased chance of more targeted advertising. The advertisement interface engine notes user preferences.

Not only advertisements, broadcasters may also push offers coupons for specific products to clients, giving a very positive impact on product marketing and revenue generation. In one embodiment, different types of advertisements may be sent, which may include, but are not limited to: targeted advertising, location specific advertising, audio ballad advertising (raw PCM), coupon offers, and enticement advertisements (lime). This mechanism can be extended for pushing more intelligent data, which would benefit the client and thus the broadcaster and its echo system.

The exemplary embodiments discussed above may provide certain advantages. Although aspects of the invention need not be practiced, these advantages may include:

1. the present invention may be extended for other wireless transmission media such as BLE (bluetooth low energy), NFC, and the like.

2. The present invention may be suitable during an initial exchange between the gateway and the client device content to be sent.

3. The invention can be extended from homes to enclosed public places such as coffee shops, malls and the like.

4. The present invention enables operators and/or broadcasters to deliver customized and localized content through gateway set-top boxes.

5. The content analyzer component in the gateway box of the present invention facilitates analyzing advertisements and sending user preference advertisements to particular users.

6. The present invention provides a novel method of parsing and displaying advertisements in each smart device, which is implemented via wifi beacons.

7. The present invention provides the only mention of content transmission using Wi-Fi beacons, which can be extended for other wireless transmission mechanisms, such as BLE and NFC.

Although embodiments of the method and system for broadcasting content to smart devices using dedicated gateway boxes have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. In particular, the specific features and methods are disclosed as examples of implementations of methods and systems for broadcasting content to smart devices using a dedicated gateway box.

Claims

1. An echo system (100) for transmitting multimedia content, operating in a network (104) with a number of receiving smart devices (112) at which corresponding users access said multimedia content containing interactive services, characterized in that said echo system (100) comprises:

one or more sources (102) of the multimedia content for transmitting the multimedia content;

one or more gateway boxes (106) having

A multimedia content interface engine (108) for

Receiving the multimedia content from the source of the multimedia content;

a content local store and analyzer engine (110) for

Obtaining user preferences from the multimedia content interface engine;

matching the multimedia content based on the user preferences;

pushing the multimedia content to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences, the specific beacon frames carrying associated information comprising: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content, and the multimedia content; and

the smart device (112) for receiving the multimedia content pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine, and for: checking information associated with the received one or more specific beacon frames, confirming whether the complete multimedia content is received according to the associated information, wherein the information comprises: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content, and the multimedia content.

2. The echo system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia content interface engine stores the user preferences for each smart device operated by the corresponding user in correspondence with a unique identifier (id).

3. The echo system (100) according to claim 2, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine matches the multimedia content with the unique identifier (id), wherein the multimedia content consists of one unique content identifier (id) for matching.

4. The echo system (100) according to claim 3, wherein the specific beacon frame is a Wifi beacon frame.

5. The echo system (100) according to claim 4, wherein the specific beacon frame is pushed using a wireless transmission mechanism selected from the group comprising: bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and combinations thereof.

6. The echo system (100) of claim 5, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine is further to push multimedia content to the smart device in response to a content send command received from the smart device.

7. The echo system (100) according to claim 6, wherein the content local memory and analyzer engine is further configured to temporarily store the multimedia content received from the multimedia content interface engine, thereby scanning the unique identifier (id) to check all the user preferences and then pushing the received multimedia content to the smart device matching the user preferences.

8. The echo system (100) of claim 7, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine is further configured to analyze the multimedia content and push the corresponding multimedia content to the particular user.

9. The echo system (100) of claim 8, wherein the particular beacon frame is continuously pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine to the number of receiving smart devices.

10. The echo system (100) according to claim 9, wherein the multitude of receiving smart devices are configured to receive customized multimedia content and localized multimedia content.

11. The echo system (100) of claim 10, wherein the particular beacon frame is pushed to the large number of receiving smart devices using at least one method selected from the group consisting of: service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation, Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) concatenation, beacon cells, and combinations thereof.

12. The echo system (100) of claim 11, wherein the source of the multimedia content is a content broadcast source selected from the group consisting of: internet, cloud, live channels, and combinations thereof.

13. The echo system (100) of claim 12, wherein the multimedia content interface engine is configured to store user preferences by scanning for user activity while contacting the gateway box to access internet and Over The Top (OTT) data, wherein the activity is related to movies, other entertainment content, internet websites, other data, and combinations thereof.

14. The echo system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the gateway box is configured to provide various services selected from the group comprising: watching live television, Over The Top (OTT) services, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) based services, Miracast based services, router based services, gateway device based services, and combinations thereof.

15. A gateway box (106) for receiving and transmitting multimedia content, operating in a network (104) having a number of receiving smart devices (112) at which corresponding users access pushed multimedia content containing interactive services, the gateway box (106) being characterized by comprising:

a content local store and analyzer engine (110) for

Acquiring user preference;

pushing the received multimedia content to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences, the specific beacon frames carrying associated information comprising: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content, and the multimedia content.

16. The gateway box (106) according to claim 15, consisting of a multimedia content interface engine (108) configured to:

receiving the multimedia content from a source of the multimedia content;

storing usage of said smart device in relation to access to said multimedia content, and user preferences of said multimedia content for each smart device operated by the corresponding user corresponding to a unique identifier (id);

the content local storage and analyzer engine (110) is allowed to retrieve user preferences.

17. The gateway box (106) according to claim 16, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine matches the multimedia content with the unique identifier (id), wherein the multimedia content consists of one unique content identifier (id) for matching.

18. The gateway box (106) of claim 17, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine is further configured to temporarily store the multimedia content received from the multimedia content interface engine, thereby scanning the unique identifier (id) to check all of the user preferences and then pushing the received multimedia content to the smart device matching the user preferences.

19. The gateway box (106) of claim 18, wherein the content local storage and analyzer engine is further configured to analyze the multimedia content and push the corresponding multimedia content to the particular user.

20. A method (200) for displaying pushed multimedia content on a number of receiving smart devices (112) at which a corresponding user accesses said pushed multimedia content, said multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104), said method being characterized in that it comprises:

scanning (202) multimedia content using a sniffer in a smart device, the multimedia content pushed by a content local storage and analyzer engine of a gateway box using one or more specific beacon frames;

receiving (204), using the smart device, the pushed one or more particular beacon frames;

examining (206), using the smart device, information associated with the received one or more particular beacon frames, wherein the information comprises:

payload information;

information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content; and

the multimedia content;

confirming (208), using the smart device, that the complete multimedia content is received;

matching (210), using the smart device, user preferences of the multimedia content with the received complete multimedia content;

displaying (212) the complete multimedia content matched with the user on an interface of the smart device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the particular beacon frame is comprised of a plurality of fields including: an element identifier, a length of a current payload, a length to the multimedia content, an end of the complete multimedia content, and the multimedia content.

22. The method (200) of claim 21, wherein the particular beacon frame is a Wifi beacon frame.

23. The method (200) of claim 22, wherein the specific beacon frame is pushed using a wireless transmission mechanism selected from the group consisting of: bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and combinations thereof.

24. The method (200) of claim 23, wherein the particular beacon frame is pushed to the large number of receiving smart devices using at least one method selected from the group consisting of: a Service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation technique, a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) concatenation technique, a beacon cell, and combinations thereof.

25. A method (300) for transmitting and displaying pushed multimedia content on a multitude of receiving smart devices (112) at which a corresponding user accesses said pushed multimedia content, said multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system (100) operating in a network (104), said method (300) being characterized in that it comprises:

transmitting (302) the multimedia content using one or more sources of the multimedia content;

receiving (304) the transmitted multimedia content using a multimedia content interface engine of one or more gateway boxes;

storing (306), using the multimedia content interface engine of the one or more gateway boxes, in a database: usage of the smart device in relation to access to the multimedia content, and user preferences of the multimedia content;

said method being characterized in that

Obtaining (308) user preferences from the stored multimedia content interface engine using a content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes;

matching (310) the multimedia content based on the user preferences using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes;

pushing (312), using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes, the multimedia content to the corresponding user using one or more specific beacon frames based on the multimedia content matching the user preferences, the specific beacon frames carrying associated information, the associated information comprising: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content, and the multimedia content;

receiving (314), using the smart device, the multimedia content pushed by the content local storage and analyzer engine, comprising: checking information associated with the received one or more specific beacon frames, confirming whether the complete multimedia content is received according to the associated information, wherein the information comprises: payload information, information related to a total length of the pushed multimedia content; and multimedia content;

displaying (316) the complete multimedia matching the user on an interface of the smart device.

26. The method (300) of claim 25, wherein said user preferences for each smart device operated by the corresponding user are stored corresponding to a unique identifier (id) using storage of said multimedia content interface engine.

27. The method (300) of claim 26, wherein matching the multimedia content with the unique identifier (id) comprises using the content local storage and analyzer engine, wherein the multimedia content comprises one unique content identifier (id) for matching.

28. The method (300) of claim 27, wherein the particular beacon frame is a Wifi beacon frame, and wherein the pushing using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes pushes the particular beacon frame using a wireless transport mechanism selected from the group consisting of: bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and combinations thereof.

29. The method (300) of claim 28, wherein pushing using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes pushes the particular beacon frame in response to a content send command received from the smart device.

30. The method (300) of claim 29, comprising using the content local storage and analyzer engine to store the multimedia content received from the multimedia content interface engine until the multimedia content matches the unique identifier (id).

31. The method (300) of claim 30, comprising analyzing said multimedia content using said content local storage and analyzer engine and pushing said corresponding multimedia content to said particular user.

32. The method (300) of claim 31, wherein the smart device is used to receive customized multimedia content and localized multimedia content.

33. The method (300) of claim 32, wherein the pushing using the content local storage and analyzer engine of the one or more gateway boxes pushes the particular beacon frame using at least one method selected from the group consisting of: a Service Set Identifier (SSID) concatenation technique, a Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) concatenation technique, a beacon cell, and combinations thereof.

34. The method (300) of claim 33, comprising storing user preferences using the multimedia content interface engine by scanning for user activity while contacting the gateway box to access internet and Over The Top (OTT) data, wherein the activity is related to movies, other entertainment content, internet websites, other data, and combinations thereof.

35. The method (300) according to claim 34, wherein the smart device performs the method according to claims 20-24 for displaying the pushed multimedia content, the user accessing the pushed multimedia content at the smart device, the multimedia content comprising interactive services in an echo system operating in a network.