Technique for updating a resident application and associated parameters in a user terminal through a communications network
View Patent ↗A resident application (RA) in set-top terminals (STTs) is updated by providing an upgrade channel application (UCA) over a network. Those STTs that are selected to receive the UCA are identified. The selected STTs download the UCA from the network. Once the UCA begins to execute on an STT, it retrieves the user parameters stored in the STT, and transmits them to a remote location for storage. A new RA is then installed in the STT. The original user parameters are converted at the remote location to become compatible with the new RA. The converted user parameters are transferred to the STT for use by the new RA.
1. A method for replacing a first application stored in a user terminal with a second application through a multi-channel delivery network, comprising:
transmitting to the user terminal a message used to force the user terminal to tune to a selected program channel, which is associated with information concerning the user terminal's obtaining a third application through the multi-channel delivery netwrok;
receiving from the user terminal a request for the third application based on the informationl; and
in response to the request, providing to the user terminal the third application which when executed by the user terminal controls the user terminal to transmit a first version of user parameters to a remote location;
receiving at the location remote from the user terminal the first version of one or more user parameters which is associated with the first application and stored in the user terminal, the user parameters in the first version helping to realize the first application in accordance with user preferences;
storing at the remote location the first version of user parameters in association with an identifier of the user terminal;
converting the first version of user parameters to a second version of user parameters, the second version of user parameters being compatible with the second application and helping to realize the second application in accordance with the user preferences;
installing the second application, in lieu of the first application, in the user terminal; and
providing the second version of the user parameters to the user terminal through the multi-channel delivery network.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network includes a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable network.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user terminal includes a device for receiving cable TV services.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the device includes a set-top terminal.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first and second applications includes a resident application in the device.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identifier includes a media access control (MAC) address of the device.
7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identifier includes an Internet protocol (IP) address of the device.
8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the remote location includes a cable network headend facility.
9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the user parameters specify a user's parental blocking preferences.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message is formatted in accordance with an emergency alert system (EAS) message format.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the message used to force the user terminal to access a selected program channel includes an identifier corresponding to the user terminal to which the message is directed, said identifier being one of a MAC address and an IP address sufficient to distinguish said user terminal from other user terminals to which the message is not directed.
12. A method for use in updating a user terminal through the use of an update application and multi-channel delivery network, the user terminal including a database for associating at least one program channel in a plurality of channels supported by said multi-channel delivery network with at least one service, the method comprising:
transmitting to the user terminal a message used to force the user terminal to tune to the at least one program channel specified by the message and thereby cause the user terminal, to consult the database to obtain information corresponding to the at least one service associated with the at least one program channel;
supplying the update application to said user terminal over said at least one program channel of the multi-channel delivery network to which said message forces the user terminal to tune; and
receiving parameters from said user terminal transmitted as a result of execution of said update application; and
storing parameters received from the user terminal following execution of said update application.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the message is formatted in accordance with an EAS message format.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
downloading to the user terminal a new resident application.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
downloading a set of converted parameters to the user terminal to be used with said new resident application, said converted parameters having been generated by converting at least some of said stored parameters to parameters recognizable by the new resident application.
16. The method of claim 15 ,
wherein said message has a message type which is the lowest priority of a plurality of possible EAS message priorities; and
wherein the user terminal is a set-top terminal.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the network includes an HFC cable network.
18. A method for updating an application in a user terminal for receiving entertainment programming content through a multi-channel delivery network, the application being associated with one or more parameters which specify preferences concerning receipt of the entertainment programming content, the method comprising:
transmitting to the user terminal a message used to force the user terminal to tune to a selected program channel of the multi-channel delivery network, which is associated with information concerning an application used to control the user terminal to transmit parameters through the multi-channel delivery network as part of the application update operation;
transmitting to the user terminal, via the selected program channel, said application used to control the user terminal to transmit parameters through the multi-channel delivery network as part of the application update operation;
receiving from the user terminal the parameters through the multi-channel delivery network;
storing the received parameters in association with an identifier of the user terminal;
deriving, from the received parameters, a version of the parameters which is compatible with an updated version of the application;
updating the application in the user terminal with the updated version of the application; and
providing the derived version of the parameters to the terminal through the multi-channel delivery network.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the user terminal includes a set-top terminal for receiving cable TV services.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the application includes a resident application in the set-top terminal.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the identifier includes a MAC address of the set-top terminal.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the identifier includes an IP address of the set-top terminal.
23. The method of claim 18 , wherein the preferences include a user's parental blocking preferences.
24. The method of claim 18 , wherein the preferences include a user's favorite program preferences.
25. A system for replacing a first application stored in a user terminal with a second application through a multi-channel delivery network, comprising:
a device for transmitting to the user terminal a message directing the user terminal to tune to a selected program channel, which is associated with information concerning the user terminal's obtaining a third application through the selected program channel of the multi-channel delivery network, a request for the third application based on the information being received from the user terminal, the third application being provided to the user terminal in response to the request, wherein the third application facilitates transmission of a first version of user parameters to a remote location through the selected program channel of the multi-channel delivery network;
an interface for receiving at the location remote from the user terminal the first version of one or more user parameters which is associated with the first application and stored in the user terminal, the user parameters in the first version helping to realize the first application in accordance with user preferences;
a storage for storing at the remote location the first version of user parameters in association with an identifier of the user terminal;
a server for converting the first version of user parameters to a second version of user parameters, the second version of user parameters being compatible with the second application and helping to realize the second application in accordance with the user preferences; and
a mechanism for installing the second application, in lieu of the first application, in the user terminal; the second version of the user parameters being provided to the user terminal through the multi-channel delivery network.
26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the network includes an HFC cable network.
27. The system of claim 25 , wherein the user terminal includes a device for receiving cable TV services.
28. The system of claim 27 , wherein the device includes a set-top terminal.
29. The system of claim 27 , wherein at least one of the first and second applications includes a resident application in the device.
30. The system of claim 27 , wherein the identifier includes a MAC address of the device.
31. The system of claim 27 , wherein the identifier includes an IP address of the device.
32. The system of claim 27 , wherein the remote location includes a cable network headend facility.
33. The system of claim 27 , wherein the user parameters specify a user's parental blocking preferences.
34. The system of claim 27 , wherein the user parameters specify a user's favorite program preferences.
35. The system of claim 25 , wherein the message is formatted in accordance with an EAS message format.
36. The system of claim 25 , wherein a table is used to associate the selected program channel with the information.
37. A system for providing an application, through a multi-channel delivery network, to a user terminal, which receives programming content attributed to a plurality of program channels, the user terminal including a database for associating at least one program channel with at least one service, the system comprising:
a device for transmitting to the user terminal a message forcing the user terminal to tune to the at least one program channel specified by the message, thereby causing the user terminal to consult the database to obtain information corresponding to the at least one service associated with the at least one program channel;
an interface for receiving from the user terminal a request for the at least one service; and
a server responsive to the request for facilitating access by the user terminal to the application through at least one of the program channels of the multi-channel delivery network.
38. The system of claim 37 , wherein the message is formatted in accordance with an EAS message format.
39. The system of claim 37 , wherein the database includes at least one of program channel and service tables.
40. The system of claim 37 , wherein the network includes an HFC cable network.
41. The system of claim 37 , wherein the user terminal includes a device for receiving cable TV services.
42. The system of claim 41 , wherein the device includes a set-top terminal.
43. A system for updating an application in a terminal for receiving entertainment programming content through a multi-channel delivery network, the application being associated with one or more parameters which specify preferences concerning receipt of the entertainment programming content, the system comprising:
a device for transmitting to the user terminal a message used to force the user terminal to tune to a selected program channel of the multi-channel delivery network, which is associated with information concerning an application used to control the user terminal to transmit parameters through the multi-channel delivery network as part of the application update operation, said application being transmitted to the user terminal, via the selected program channel;
an interface for receiving from the terminal the parameters through the multi-channel delivery network;
a storage for storing the received parameters in association with an identifier of the terminal;
a server for deriving, from the received parameters, a version of the parameters which is compatible with an updated version of the application; and
a mechanism for updating the application in the terminal with the updated version of the application, the derived version of the parameters being provided to the terminal through the multi-channel delivery network.
44. The system of claim 43 , wherein the terminal includes a set-top terminal for receiving cable television.
45. The system of claim 44 , wherein the application includes a resident application in the set-top terminal.
46. The system of claim 44 , wherein the identifier includes a MAC address of the set-top terminal.
47. The system of claim 44 , wherein the identifier includes an IP address of the set-top terminal.
48. The system of claim 43 , wherein the preferences include a user's parental blocking preferences.
49. The system of claim 43 , wherein the preferences include a user's favorite program preferences.
50. The method of claim 10 , wherein said message has a message type which is the lowest priority of a plurality of possible EAS message priorities.