Apparatus and methods for implementation of network software interfaces

1. In consumer premises equipment (CPE) having a Java-based software environment and a plurality of applications, a method of providing access to at least one of a plurality of network-specific application programming interfaces (APIs), comprising:

providing an API manager within said CPE;

providing a registry associated with said API manager, said registry adapted to register said plurality of network-specific APIs;

running at least one of said plurality of applications with a communication protocol stack comprising a network-agnostic API, said network-agnostic API having a first privilege, at least one of said plurality of network-specific APIs also being required by said at least one of said plurality of applications;

accessing said API manager to obtain said at least one network-specific API, said network-specific API having a second privilege; and

based at least in part on said first and second privileges, said communication protocol stack loading said at least one network-specific programming interface with the network-agnostic interface for use by said at least one application.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a session handler adapted to manage at least one session, said session handler being inter-operative with said at least one of said plurality of applications.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising instantiating said at least one API using said at least one application.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising registering said instantiated API so that other ones of said application can access said API.

5. A method of operating client equipment in operative communication with a content distribution network, said client equipment comprising at least one application which is generic across a plurality of different networks, having a first privilege, the method comprising:

providing a manager module adapted to manage a plurality of interfaces, wherein at least one interface is network specific;

registering at least one programming interface specific to said content-based network using said manager module, said at least one programming interface having a second privilege;

running said at least one application, the at least one application interfacing a generic interface; and

based at least in part on said first and second privileges, said manager module loading said at least one network-specific programming interface with the generic interface for use by said application;

wherein said plurality of network-specific interfaces are not located within said at least one application.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said act of providing comprises downloading said module to said client equipment using a communication channel.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising downloading said at least one interface to said client equipment using a communication channel.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said act of downloading comprises downloading in response to a session request.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising de-registering said at least one programming interface upon occurrence of a prescribed event.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said event comprises a change in a descriptor associated with said at least one application.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein said act of providing a module comprises disposing said module at an intermediate level within a protocol stack of said client equipment.

12. The method of claim 5 , wherein said method is performed at least in part using an extended application information table (XUIT).

13. A Non-transitory storage device having a medium and storing a plurality of data bits thereon, said data bits comprising a computer program, said computer program comprising an interface manager program, said interface manager program adapted to run on a digital processor and further to:

register one or more network-specific application programming interfaces (APIs) within an associated registry, the one or more network-specific APIs having corresponding second privileges associated therewith;

interface with one or more common APIs requesting access to said network-specific APIs, said one or more common APIs shared by multiple applications across different networks, having corresponding first privileges associated therewith; and

wherein the one or more common APIs are provided access to the one or more network-specific APIs based at least in part on the corresponding first and second privileges.

14. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 13 , wherein said medium comprises a random access memory disposed within consumer premises equipment (CPE), said CPE being adapted for use in a cable network.

15. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 13 , wherein said interface manager program is a Java-based program adapted to operate with an OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) protocol stack of consumer premises equipment (CPE).

16. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 15 , wherein said registry comprises an inter-Xlet communications (IXC) registry.

17. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 16 , wherein said interface manager operates at or above the middleware layer.

18. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 16 , wherein said interface manager abstracts functionality between the middleware and application layers.

19. The Non-transitory storage device of claim 13 , wherein said interface with one or more common APIs comprises: access said registry to provide said API to said one or more applications; and utilize said API via at least said interface manager.

20. Consumer premises equipment (CPE) adapted for operation within a first cable network, said CPE comprising:

an application which is generic across a plurality of different networks, said application having a first privilege;

a manager module resident within a protocol stack of said CPE, said manager module being adapted to register application programming interfaces (APIs) adapted to communicate with another software entity within said first network, at least a subset of the APIs specific to the CPE, said subset of the APIs having a second privilege;

wherein said application can query said protocol stack for one or more of said APIs; and

wherein based at least in part on the corresponding first and second privileges, said application can load the APIs specific to the CPE to communicate with another software entity within said first network.

21. The CPE of claim 20 , wherein said another entity comprises a video on-demand (VOD) server.

22. The CPE of claim 21 , wherein said protocol stack further comprises a monitor application, said monitor application being adapted to identify at least a portion of said APIs.

23. The CPE of claim 22 , wherein said another entity comprises a software component disposed external to said CPE.

24. The CPE of claim 22 , wherein said monitor application is adapted to be at least partly controlled by an external entity.

25. The CPE of claim 24 , wherein said external entity comprises a head-end supervisory process or its proxy.

26. The CPE of claim 20 , wherein said application is downloaded to said CPE via an external network interface in response to a service request.

27. The CPE of claim 20 , wherein at least a portion of said APIs are downloaded to said CPE as part of a session.

28. The CPE of claim 20 , wherein at least a portion of said APIs are associated with a conditional access (CA) function.

29. A Non-transitory computer readable apparatus comprising media containing a software architecture adapted for use in a content distribution network, said software architecture comprising:

at least one network-agnostic interface having all network-specific programming interfaces and protocols abstracted therefrom, said at least one network-agnostic interface having a first privilege;

at least one network-specific programming interface, said at least one network-specific programming interface having a second privilege; and

at least one manager entity, said manager being adapted to load said network-agnostic interface with at least one network-specific interface and to register said at least one network-specific interface, based at least in part on the first and second privileges.

30. The Non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 29 , further comprising an object-oriented environment.

31. The Non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 30 , wherein said object-oriented environment comprises a Java-based environment.

32. The Non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 31 , further comprising one of either an on-demand or conditional access application.

33. The Non-transitory computer readable apparatus of claim 29 , further comprising a session handler module, said session handler module being adapted to inter-operate with at least one application.

34. A method of distributing a common software application for use in both first and second networks, the method comprising:

providing a common version of a software application from which all network-specific functionality has been abstracted for use in client devices in each of said first and second networks, said common version of said software application having a first privilege;

providing first and second network-specific functional entities for use in client devices within said first and second networks, respectively, said first and second functional entities each being adapted to provide at least in part said network-specific functionality relevant to said first and second networks, respectively;

wherein said network-specific functional entities have a second privilege associated therewith;

providing a Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) privileged application for use in said client devices of said first and second networks, said OCAP privileged application adapted to interface with said software application and the respective ones of said first and second functional entities, based at least in part on said first and second privileges; and

wherein:

said software application and said OCAP privileged application for use in said client devices within said first network are configured to cooperate to enable access to said first network specific functional entities;

said software application and said OCAP privileged application for use in said client devices within said second network are configured to cooperate to access said second network specific functional entities; and

said software applications and OCAP privileged applications for use in said first and second networks are configured to enable simultaneous operation.

35. The method of claim 34 , wherein said act of providing the OCAP privileged application comprises downloading said OCAP privileged application to said client equipment using a communication channel.

36. The method of claim 35 , wherein said common version of the software application comprises a Video On Demand (VOD) application.

37. The method of claim 36 , wherein said act of downloading comprises downloading in response to a session request.

38. The method of claim 34 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to register one or more available network-specific functional entities.

39. The method of claim 34 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to authenticate one or more available network-specific functional entities.

40. The method of claim 34 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to execute a monitor application, wherein the monitor application manages said OCAP privileged applications.

41. A method of operating first and second networks so as to be able to use at least one common software application in both, the method comprising:

providing identical versions of a software application from which all network-specific functionality has been abstracted to client devices in each of said first and second networks, said software application having a first privilege;

providing first and second network-specific functional entities to client devices within said first and second networks, respectively, said first and second functional entities each being adapted to provide at least in part said network-specific functionality relevant to said first and second networks, respectively;

wherein said network-specific functional entities have a second privilege;

providing a Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) privileged application to said client devices of said first and second networks, said OCAP privileged application adapted to interface with said software application and the respective ones of said first and second functional entities, based at least in part on said first and second privileges; and

operating said software application on the client devices of said first and second networks, said software application and said OCAP privileged application of said client devices within said first network cooperating to access said first network specific functional entities, said software application and said OCAP privileged application of said client devices within said second network cooperating to access said second network specific functional entities;

wherein said software applications and OCAP privileged applications of said first and second networks cooperate simultaneously.

42. The method of claim 41 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to authenticate one or more available network-specific functional entities.

43. The method of claim 42 , wherein said authentication comprises checking that the network-specific functional entities are signed by the same keys as the at least one common software application.

44. The method of claim 43 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to register successfully authenticated network-specific functional entities.

45. The method of claim 44 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to register successfully authenticated network-specific functional entities.

46. The method of claim 45 , wherein said client devices are additionally configured to deregister network-specific functional entities upon occurrence of a prescribed event.

47. The method of claim 46 , wherein said event comprises a change in a descriptor associated with said at least one application.

48. The method of claim 46 , wherein said registration and deregistration are controlled by a monitor application.