RU2568431C2 - Method of providing media service for mobile devices - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics, video.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to providing mobile device users with media services, such as television and video services. The method includes establishing an IP connection between a mobile device and a media content providing service through which an identifier (201) is received, which is used in a mobile communication network, based on which the mobile device user is automatically recognised (202). Further, the method includes automatically selecting (205, 207), based on user information relating to the recognised user, at least one media content item for preloading and transmitting, to the mobile device, loading information (208) intended for preloading the media content item selected for preloading before receiving the a viewing request relating to said media content item, which might be received from said mobile device later.

EFFECT: providing automatic user authorisation through the mobile communication network subscriber identifier thereof and providing the user with corresponding loading information intended for preloading a media content item.

20 cl, 5 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention generally relates to the provision of media services, such as television and video services, to mobile devices.

State of the art

IPTV is a technology for the distribution of television and video using the Internet protocol. In various IPTV services, a subscriber can, for example, watch television programs, save or record desired television programs to a network storage and watch them at any time, and also watch films offered by the movie rental service for a fee.

Disclosure of invention

The present invention provides a new technical solution for the mobile use of a media content service, such as, for example, an IPTV service.

In accordance with a first exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing media content services for mobile devices, comprising

Establishing an IP connection between the mobile device and the media content service,

receiving through the specified IP connection at least one identifier used in a mobile communication network,

automatic identification of the user of the mobile device based on the specified at least one identifier used in the mobile communication network,

automatic selection based on user information related to the identified user of at least one media content record for advance download and

transmitting to the mobile device boot information for pre-downloading related to the media content record selected for pre-downloading before receiving the viewing request relating to the specified media content record, which may be received later from the specified mobile device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission is in response to a request received from a mobile device.

In an exemplary embodiment, said method further includes initiating a transmission of a media content record selected for pre-downloading to said mobile device prior to receiving a viewing request relating to said media content record, which may be received later from said mobile device.

In an exemplary embodiment, said method further includes confirming from the mobile network systems that the identified user is a valid user.

In accordance with a second exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of using a media content provision service implemented in a subscriber application of a mobile device, including

Establishment of an IP connection between the subscriber application and the media content service,

automatic transmission through the specified IP connection of at least one identifier related to the mobile device and used in the mobile communication network to identify the user of the mobile device in the media content service, and

receiving boot information for advance download related to the recording of media content selected for advance download.

In an exemplary embodiment, said method further includes initiating a transmission of a media content record selected for advance download to said mobile device prior to receiving a viewing request relating to said media content record, which may be received from a user of said mobile device later.

In an exemplary embodiment, the identifier is transmitted and received in encrypted or compressed form.

In an exemplary embodiment, said method further includes transmitting a request for media content records for which there is a possibility of pre-loading, and receiving said boot information about at least one media content record selected for pre-loading in response to said request.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the selected media content record to the specified mobile device is carried out in such a way as to minimize the impact on other uses of the mobile device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the selected media content record is performed while the indicated mobile device has free computing power, the characteristics of the mobile communication network used by the mobile device are well suited for downloading, and / or the mobile device has a sufficient battery charge level.

The aforementioned identifier may include an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI, international mobile subscription identifier) or an international mobile device identifier (IMEI).

In accordance with a third exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one computer program stored in memory, said computer program together with said at least one processor, providing said device to execute a method according to the first or the second aspect of either the embodiment related to the first or second aspect.

In accordance with a fourth exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program comprising program code that can be executed on a computer, the program code being executed enabling the apparatus to execute a method according to the first or second aspect or an embodiment related to the first or second aspect.

The computer program of the third aspect may contain program code that can be executed, for example, on any of the following devices: general-purpose processor, microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and digital signal processor. The computer program of the third aspect can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The specified storage medium may be, for example, a disc, CDROM, DVD, BD (Bluray disc), a memory card or other magnetic or optical storage device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further, the present invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

in FIG. 1 shows a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 2 is a message diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 3 shows a device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 4 shows a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

in FIG. 5 shows a method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The implementation of the invention

In an embodiment of the invention, the media content provisioning service is implemented in such a way that the identification of users of mobile devices is performed without the need for users to provide special registration information (for example, a user ID and password). When identifying a user, mobile network identifiers are used, which are available, for example, in the card of a Subscriber Identity Module of a mobile device.

In an embodiment of the invention, content that is likely to interest the user is downloaded to the mobile device in advance. Since the user identification is automatic, advance download does not require the user to perform any actions and can be performed completely automatically, while the user may not even be aware of the advance download.

By mobile device is meant an electronic device suitable for wireless communication, and in particular an electronic device using a mobile communication network. The specified mobile device may be, for example, a mobile communication device, a smartphone, a tablet computer or other portable communication device.

In FIG. 1 shows a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that this figure shows both individual physical devices and various logical components whose functions can be performed by one or more physical devices.

The system comprises a portal 101 providing IPTV services and the like. In practice, the portal 101 is, for example, a web page hosted on a server. The specified portal can be not only a portal that provides IPTV services, but also another portal that provides media content.

The portal 101 is connected to and through the IP network 105 with the wireless network 103 and the mobile device 102. The wireless network 103 may be, for example, a GSM / GPRS network, a UMTS network, a WLAN network, or another wireless network. The specified mobile device may be, for example, a mobile communication device, a smartphone, a tablet computer or other electronic device using a mobile communication network or a wireless network, or another wireless device suitable for viewing moving images / videos. The specified IP network may contain several different networks, for example, the Internet and various broadband networks, for example ADSL, VDSL and Ethernet, and wireless networks, for example, WLAN networks.

The portal 101 is connected to the user data base 111 (user databases), which is used to identify users of the portal 101. The portal 101 is also connected to the element 112 of the subsystem for providing recommendations, which individually for the user or group of users generates recommendations for programs or content. The element 112 of the subsystem for providing recommendations is connected to the database 113 of statistics, which collects information about the use of the portal 101 by the user devices 102. Element 112 of the subsystem for providing recommendations is made with the possibility of using the information contained in the database 113 of the statistics to generate recommendations for programs and / or content.

In addition, the portal 101 is connected to the media content storage device 114. The media content storage device 114 may include media content records offered by a third party and / or content controlled by the portal provider 101. The media content storage devices 114 may be one or more.

The portal 101 is configured to distribute broadcasts of media content, for example, television broadcasts or video materials, to the mobile device 102 via the IP network 105 and the wireless network 103, for example, using IPTV technology. Such distribution can be accomplished using, for example, the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), the Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), or the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Distribution can be through portal 101, or portal 101 can control the distribution directly from the media storage device 114 to the IP network 105 and through it to the mobile device 102. In an embodiment, the media content storage device 114 is connected to and through the media server 115 with IP network 105. In addition, or alternatively, the records can be retrieved directly from the media content storage device 114 via the media server 115.

In an embodiment, the portal 101, the user database 111, the statistics database 113, the recommendation subsystem 112, and the media content storage device 114 shown in FIG. 1, are separate physical devices. In yet another embodiment, the functionality of the portal 101, user database 111, statistics database 113, and recommendation sub-system 112 of FIG. 1 can be combined in one logical component provided by one physical device (or several similar parallel devices). In other words, all the intelligent functions of the specified service are implemented by a single device, and the service uses content and program information that is available from external sources (media content storage device 114). Alternatively, the media content storage device 114 and possibly the media server 115 are located in one physical device, or at least are managed by the party providing the IPTV service of the portal 101. In this case, the content of the media content storage device 114 can be extracted, downloaded or saved from external source.

Accordingly, the functions of the components 101, 111-115 of the system of FIG. 1 may be performed on one or more devices. If necessary, for example, for the purpose of balancing the load, several parallel devices that perform the same functions may be present.

In FIG. 2 shows a message diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, which may be implemented, for example, in the system of FIG. one.

201: The subscriber application of the mobile device transmits a registration request to the portal of the media content service. The registration request contains at least one identifier related to the mobile device and is intended mainly for use in a mobile communication network. The specified identifier can be, for example, IMSI (international identifier of a mobile subscriber) or 1МЕ1 (international identifier of a mobile device), and the subscriber application can extract this information, for example, from a SIM card (subscriber identity module) located in the specified mobile device. In an embodiment, in order to guarantee data protection, said identifier is transmitted and received in encrypted form. For example, the hash can be calculated using the specified identifier, which is transmitted to the portal of the media content service.

This phase can be performed automatically, without the need for the user to perform any operations on the mobile device, for example, when the mobile device is turned on or when the subscriber application starts.

202: The portal authenticates the user based on the identifier received with the registration request and based on user information stored in the user database. This phase may include a separate check that the identifiers in question are not contained in the registry of dishonest users (the "black list") of any mobile network. In this way, you can, for example, make sure that there are no messages about the theft of the specified mobile device. Accordingly, a check can be performed on whether the user has a valid subscription to the media content service.

203: The portal transmits confirmation of successful registration to the subscriber application.

204: The subscriber application may send to the portal a request for the presence on the specified portal of any materials for advance download. A subscriber application may transmit such a request, for example, in response to a subscriber application detecting that the mobile device is not actively used for any other purpose and / or that the mobile device has free processing power. Alternatively or in addition, the subscriber application may transmit such a request regularly. However, the transfer of the request 204 is not essential for various embodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of the present invention can be successfully implemented without this request.

205: The portal requests from the subsystem of recommendations for individual recommendations for the user in advance loading.

206: The recommendation sub-system generates a recommendation based on user information that can be obtained from the statistics database. The subsystem for providing recommendations can generate recommendations in real time as the need arises, or recommendations can be stored in the subsystem for providing recommendations in advance. In the latter case, the subsystem for providing recommendations does not need to connect to the statistics database with each request for recommendations for the user.

207: The subsystem of providing recommendations in response transmits an individual recommendation for the user to the portal.

208: The portal transmits to the subscriber application boot information announcing where the subscriber application can pre-load the content recommended for this user. The specified content may contain one or more recordings of media content.

209: The subscriber application transmits a download request to the portal to download media content record in advance. A subscriber application may transmit a request, for example, in response to a subscriber application detecting that the mobile device is not actively used for any other purpose, and / or that the mobile device has free processing power, and / or that the network characteristics the mobile communications used by the mobile device are well suited for downloading (for example, the network is fast enough, the signal power level is high enough), and / or the mobile device has a sufficient charge level ulyatora.

210: The portal confirms the right of use by this user of the media content record requested for download.

211: The portal transmits to the media content storage device a request to start transmitting the requested media content record to the mobile device.

212: In the example considered, the recording of media content is transmitted directly from the media content storage device to the memory (storage device) of the mobile device. Alternatively, the recording of media content can be sent to the mobile device through the portal, and in the mobile device, the recording of media content can be sent to the subscriber’s application of the user, which then stores it in the storage device of the mobile device.

213: A user of a mobile device wants to view a pre-loaded recording of media content. The specified record is retrieved from the storage device, and not downloaded from the portal. In an embodiment, a portion of the entry may be received from the portal. This can be done, for example, if by the time the user started to watch the recording, only a part of the recording had managed to load in advance.

It should be noted here that in FIG. 2 shows only one embodiment, and all phases are optional. In addition, specific elements of the implementation may differ in different embodiments of the invention. For example, a download request 209 may be transmitted directly to a media content storage device or to an interface device (for example, to a media server 115 in FIG. 1). Connections through which records can be downloaded directly from the media content storage device 114 are shown in FIG. 1 dashed line. In this case, the media server 115 may be configured to check the user’s access right to the content requested for download using the user data base 111.

In FIG. 3 shows an example of a device 30 that can be used to implement some embodiments of the present invention. The specified device may be, for example, a general-purpose computer or server, and the specified device may be configured to perform the functions of one or more components 101, 111-115, 102 in FIG. one.

The device 30 includes a processor 31 for controlling the operation of the specified device and a memory 32 containing a computer program / software. The software 33 may comprise instructions for a processor for controlling the device 30 in a manner by which functionality is performed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The processor 31 may be, for example, a computer processor (central processing unit, central processing unit, CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processor, and the like. The drawing shows a single processor, but a device may have multiple processors.

The memory (storage device) may be a read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical or magnetic memory, etc. The specified device may have several storage devices. The storage device may be part of the device 30 or a separate module connected to the device 30. The storage device may only be intended for storing information or may also be used to process information.

In addition, the device 30 includes a communication module 35. The specified communication module provides an interface for communication with other devices, which may be, for example, a fixed cable connection, for example, an Ethernet connection or an ADSL / VDSL connection, or a wireless connection, for example, a WLAN, Bluetooth, GSM / GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA or LTE The communication interface module may be integrated into the device 30 or may be part of an adapter, card, etc., which are capable of being connected to the device 30. The communication module may support one or more communication technologies, or the specified device may have several communication modules.

To receive information from the user and provide information to the user, the device 30 may include a user interface module (not shown in the drawing), which may include, for example, a display and keyboard (not shown in the figure), which can be integrated into the device or can be separate elements with the ability to connect to the device 30. A user interface is optional or the user interface can be implemented via remote connection through the communication module 35.

In addition to the elements shown in FIG. 3, the device may contain other elements.

In FIG. 4 shows a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, which can be applied, for example, in the system portal 101 of FIG. 1 and in the device 30 in FIG. 3.

In phase 41, an IP connection is established between the mobile device and the media content service.

In phase 42, at least one identifier used in the mobile communication network is received through the IP connection, and the user of the mobile device is automatically identified based on the identifier. The identifier may be transmitted in the form of a hash of the identifier or in another encrypted form.

In phase 43, based on user information related to the specified automatically identified user, at least one media content record is selected for advance download.

In phase 44, the transmission of the specified media content record selected for advance download is started to the specified mobile device, or at least information of the specified media content selection selected for the early download is transmitted to the specified mobile device (for example, information about where the specified media content record may be loaded). In an embodiment, the transmission of the media content record selected for advance download to the specified mobile device is started before receiving the viewing request related to the specified media content record, which may be received from the user of the specified mobile device later.

In an embodiment, the user is informed of the new media content entry after the media content entry has been downloaded to the mobile device. Alternatively, informing the user may be performed during the loading of a media content record.

In FIG. 5 shows a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, which can be applied, for example, to the mobile device 102 of the system of FIG. 1 and in the device 30 in FIG. 3.

In phase 51, an IP connection is established between the subscriber application of the mobile device and the media content provisioning service.

In phase 52, at least one identifier related to the mobile device and used in the mobile communication network to identify the user of the mobile device in the media content providing service is automatically transmitted to the media content provisioning service via an established IP connection. The specified identifier (ies) can (can) be transmitted, for example, each time the subscriber application is launched, or when the mobile device is turned on, or by the user of the mobile device in response to an identification request.

In phase 53, information about at least one media content entry selected for advance download is received.

In phase 54, the transmission of the specified media content record selected for advance download to the specified mobile device is started. In an embodiment, the transmission of the media content record selected for advance download to the specified mobile device is started before receiving the viewing request related to the specified media content record, which may be received from the user of the specified mobile device later.

Automatic identification of a user in accordance with embodiments of the present invention makes it possible to pre-load onto a mobile device such content that a user of said device, at least with some reasonable probability, wants to watch. Advance downloading of content, in addition, makes it possible to view recordings in areas of no reception, in cases where for one reason or another the bandwidth of the mobile communication network is too low for real-time streaming data, and even when moving the mobile device out of the zone mobile network coverage. Thus, the user gets the opportunity, when choosing, to immediately use the records, which, most likely, he will like, as determined on the basis of information about the user.

The foregoing disclosure provides non-limiting examples of some embodiments of the present invention. The specialist should be clear that the present invention is not limited to the above details and can be carried out in other equivalent ways. It should be understood, for example, that in the presented methods, the sequence of phases of the method can be changed, and some phases can be repeated several times or not performed at all. It should also be understood that in this document the term “contains” is used in a non-exhaustive sense, its use in a limiting sense was not intended.

In addition, features of some embodiments of the present invention can be used without using other features. The above disclosure should be considered only as an illustration of the principles of the present invention, but not as a limitation of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited only by the attached claims.

Claims (20)

1. The method of providing media content services for mobile devices (102), characterized in that it includes:
establishing (41) an IP connection between the mobile device (102) and the media content providing service (101),
receiving through the specified IP connection at least one identifier (201) used in a mobile communication network,
automatic identification (202, 42) of the user of the mobile device based on the specified at least one identifier used in the mobile communication network,
automatic selection (205, 207, 43) based on user information related to the identified user of at least one media content record for advance download, and
transmitting (208) to the mobile device pre-boot information related to the media content record selected for pre-downloading before receiving a viewing request relating to the specified media content record, which may be received later from the specified mobile device, while the boot information allows the mobile the device to select the start time of the transmission (212) of the selected recording of media content to the specified mobile device so as to minimize the impact on and other uses of the mobile device. 2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that said identifier is received in encrypted or compressed form. 3. The method according to p. 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes the transmission in response to a request received from a mobile device (204). 4. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that it includes starting the transmission (212, 44) of the recording of media content selected for advance download to the specified mobile device before receiving a viewing request relating to the specified media content record, which may be received from the specified mobile devices later. 5. The method according to p. 4, characterized in that the transmission (212) of the selected recording of media content is performed at a time when the specified mobile device has free computing power. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifier includes an international identifier of a mobile subscriber, IMSI. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifier includes an international identifier of a mobile device, IMEI. 8. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that it includes confirmation from the systems of the mobile communication network that the identified user is a valid user. 9. The method of using the media content services, implemented in the subscriber application of a mobile device, characterized in that it includes
Establishing (51) an IP connection between the subscriber application and the media content provisioning service,
automatic transmission (52) via the specified IP connection of at least one identifier (201) related to the mobile device and used in the mobile communication network to identify the user of the mobile device in the media content service,
receiving (53) boot information (208) for pre-downloading related to the recording of media content selected for pre-downloading, and
selecting a time to start transmitting (212) the selected recording of media content to the specified mobile device in such a way as to minimize the impact on other uses of the mobile device. 10. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it includes starting (212, 54) transmitting the media content record selected for advance download to the specified mobile device before receiving a viewing request relating to the specified media content record, which may be received from the user mobile device later. 11. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it includes informing the user of the mobile device about the new recording of media content during transmission to the mobile device recording media content selected for advance download, or after the specified transfer. 12. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that the identifier is transmitted in encrypted or compressed form. 13. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it includes the transmission of a request (204) for media content records, for which there is the possibility of advance download; and receiving said information (208) about at least one media content record selected for advance download in response to said request. 14. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it starts the transmission (212) of the selected recording of media content to the specified mobile device at a time when the specified mobile device has free computing power. 15. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it includes starting (212, 54) transmitting the selected media content record to the specified mobile device in response to the detection that the mobile device is not actively used for other purposes. 16. The method according to p. 9, characterized in that it includes starting (212, 54) transmitting the selected media content record to the specified mobile device in response to the detection that the characteristics of the mobile communication network used by the mobile device are suitable for transmission. 17. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that it includes (212, 54) triggering the transmission of the selected media content record to the specified mobile device in response to the detection that the mobile device has a sufficient battery level. 18. The method of claim 9, wherein said identifier includes an international identifier of a mobile subscriber, IMSI. 19. The method of claim 9, wherein said identifier includes an international identifier of a mobile device, IMEI. 20. Device (101, 102, 30) containing at least one processor (31) and at least one computer program (33) stored in memory (33), wherein said computer program together with said at least one the processor ensures that the specified device performs the method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-19.

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