U.S. patent application number 12/982405 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-08 for method and system for multi-tier billing for downloading content via a broadband gateway.
Invention is credited to Xuemin Chen, Wael Diab, David Garrett, Jeyhan Karaoguz, David Lundgren, Rich Prodan.
Application Number | 20110302068 12/982405 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45064389 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110302068 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Garrett; David ; et
al. |
December 8, 2011 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MULTI-TIER BILLING FOR DOWNLOADING CONTENT
VIA A BROADBAND GATEWAY
Abstract
A broadband gateway may be used to provide multi-tier billing
services in a home network. The broadband gateway may determine
whether a transaction requested from the broadband gateway is
performable in a plurality of steps, may associate a charge and/or
a credit with each of the determined plurality of steps, and may
perform the requested transaction based on the associated charges
and/or credits. The broadband gateway may determine a plurality of
cost combinations for performing the requested transaction based on
the determined associated charges and/or credits, and may offer the
generated plurality of cost combination for selection by user. The
transaction may comprise obtaining content for consumption by
devices serviced by the broadband gateway. In this regard, a charge
and/or a credit may also be associated with one or more criteria
associated with obtaining content. The broadband gateway may
communicate with users during multi-tier billing services via a
user interface.
Inventors: |
Garrett; David; (Tustin,
CA) ; Karaoguz; Jeyhan; (Irvine, CA) ; Chen;
Xuemin; (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) ; Diab; Wael;
(San Francisco, CA) ; Lundgren; David; (Mill
Valley, CA) ; Prodan; Rich; (Niwot, CO) |
Family ID: |
45064389 |
Appl. No.: |
12/982405 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61351696 |
Jun 4, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/34 ;
705/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0215 20130101;
H04L 67/10 20130101; H04L 41/0816 20130101; H04L 47/805 20130101;
H04L 12/1453 20130101; Y02D 30/70 20200801; H04L 29/06095 20130101;
H04L 45/302 20130101; H04L 69/16 20130101; H04W 12/086 20210101;
G06F 21/6245 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101; G05F 1/66 20130101;
H04L 65/1036 20130101; H04L 2012/2849 20130101; H04N 21/258
20130101; H04N 21/43615 20130101; G06Q 30/0226 20130101; H04L
65/102 20130101; G05B 13/02 20130101; H04L 12/2838 20130101; H04L
41/32 20130101; H04L 41/5019 20130101; H04N 21/632 20130101; H04L
47/2491 20130101; H04L 67/1095 20130101; G06F 21/10 20130101; H04L
65/40 20130101; H04L 67/2842 20130101; H04N 5/445 20130101; Y04S
40/20 20130101; G06Q 20/10 20130101; H04N 21/6371 20130101; H04L
63/10 20130101; H04L 67/104 20130101; H04N 21/47202 20130101; H04N
21/6543 20130101; H04L 63/02 20130101; H04L 67/1078 20130101; H04N
21/482 20130101; H04N 21/6373 20130101; H04L 65/1033 20130101; H04L
67/16 20130101; H04W 52/265 20130101; Y02D 30/00 20180101; H04L
12/6402 20130101; H04L 63/20 20130101; H04L 12/2801 20130101; H04L
12/66 20130101; H04L 63/205 20130101; H04N 21/454 20130101; G06Q
40/12 20131203; H04L 65/1023 20130101; H04L 65/4084 20130101; H04L
65/103 20130101; H04L 63/0281 20130101; G06F 2221/07 20130101; G06Q
30/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/34 ;
705/30 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: in a broadband gateway that enables
communication with a plurality of devices, wherein said broadband
gateway is operable to handle at least one physical layer
connection to at least one corresponding network access service
provider: determining whether a transaction requested from said
broadband gateway is performable in a plurality of steps;
associating a charge and/or a credit with each of said determined
plurality of steps; and performing said requested transaction based
on said associated charges and/or credits.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one
physical layer connection comprises a plurality of physical layer
connections and said at least one corresponding network access
service provider comprises a plurality of corresponding access
service providers, and wherein each of said plurality of physical
layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said plurality
of corresponding access service providers.
3. The method according to claim 1, comprising generating a
plurality of cost combinations for selection by a user of said
broadband gateway, wherein said plurality of cost combinations is
determined based on said associated charges and/or credits.
4. The method according to claim 1, comprising tracking and/or
aggregating charges and/or credits during performance of said
requested transaction.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said requested
transaction comprises obtaining content for consumption via one or
more of said plurality of devices.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of steps
comprises downloading and actual consumption of said content.
7. The method according to claim 5, comprising associating a charge
and/or credit with one or more criteria associated with obtaining
said content.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said one or more
criteria comprise source of said content, format of said content,
time of actual use of said content, amount of said content actually
consumed, and number of uses of said content.
9. The method according to claim 1, comprising storing information
associated with a user of said broadband gateway, said information
being associated with providing billing services to said user.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said stored
information comprises a user profile corresponding to said user,
said user profile comprising a plurality of settings for
controlling and/or managing said billing services.
11. A system, comprising: one or more circuits and/or processors
for use in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a
plurality of devices, wherein said broadband gateway is operable to
handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one
corresponding network access service provider, said one or more
circuits and/or processors being operable to: determine whether a
transaction requested from said broadband gateway is performable
into a plurality of steps; associate a charge and/or a credit with
each of said determined plurality of steps; and perform said
requested transaction based on said associated charges and/or
credits.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said at least one
physical layer connection comprises a plurality of physical layer
connections and said at least one corresponding network access
service provider comprises a plurality of corresponding access
service providers, and wherein each of said plurality of physical
layer connections corresponds to a respective one of said plurality
of corresponding access service providers.
13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more
circuits and/or processors are operable to generate a plurality of
cost combinations for selection by a user of said broadband
gateway, wherein said plurality of cost combinations is determined
based on said associated charges and/or credits.
14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more
circuits and/or processors are operable to track and/or aggregate
charges and/or credits during performance of said requested
transaction.
15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said requested
transaction comprises obtaining content for consumption via one or
more of said plurality of devices.
16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said plurality of
steps comprises downloading and actual consumption of said
content.
17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said one or more
circuits and/or processors are operable to associate a charge
and/or credit with one or more criteria associated with obtaining
said content.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more
criteria comprise source of said content, format of said content,
time of actual use of said content, amount of said content actually
consumed, and number of uses of said content.
19. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more
circuits and/or processors are operable to store information
associated with a user of said broadband gateway, said information
being associated with providing billing services to said user.
20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said stored
information comprises a user profile corresponding to said user,
said user profile comprising a plurality of settings for
controlling and/or managing said billing services.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This patent application makes reference to, claims priority
to and claims benefit from United States Provisional Application
Serial No. 61/351,696 filed on Jun. 4, 2010. This application also
makes reference to:
[0002] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,377 (Attorney Docket
No. 19545US01) filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
[0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,413 (Attorney Docket
No. 19897US01) filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
[0004] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,480 (Attorney Docket
No. 19902US01) filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/395,383 (Attorney Docket
No. 19910US01) filed on Feb. 27, 2009;
[0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23397U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23398U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0008] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23399U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0009] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23400U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0010] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23401 U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0011] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23402U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0012] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23403U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0013] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23399U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0014] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23404U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0015] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23405U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0016] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23406U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0017] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23407U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0018] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23408U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0019] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23409U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0020] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23410U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0021] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23411 U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0022] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23412U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0023] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23413U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0024] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23414U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0025] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23415U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0026] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23416U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0027] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23417U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0028] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23418U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0029] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23419U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0030] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23420U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0031] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23421 U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0032] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23422U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0033] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23423U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0034] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23424U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0035] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23425U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0036] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23426U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0037] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23427U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0038] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23428U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0039] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23429U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0040] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23430U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0041] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23431 U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0042] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23433U502) filed on even date herewith;
[0043] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23434U502) filed on even date herewith; and
[0044] U.S. patent application Ser. No.______(Attorney Docket No.
23435U502) filed on even date herewith.
[0045] Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
[0046] FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0047] [Not Applicable].
[MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE]
[0048] [Not Applicable].
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0049] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to audio
processing. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention
relate to a method and system for multi-tier billing for
downloading content via a broadband gateway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0050] With the continuous growth of digital television or
broadcast multimedia, and/or broadband access, which may be used in
conjunction with online businesses, social networks, and/or other
online services and applications, users may desire having access to
a larger number of providers and/or a broader range of content in a
manner that is flexible and/or suits the users' lifestyles. Most
users connect to the Internet using web browsers running on
personal computers (PCs) and/or mobile devices such as Smartphones.
Furthermore, most households may have one or more televisions that
may be used to view television broadcasts and/or multimedia
content. Television broadcasts may include terrestrial TV,
Cable-Television (CATV), satellite TV and/or Internet Protocol
television (IPTV) based broadcasts. To protect against unauthorized
reception and/or use of multimedia content, service providers may
require use of dedicated set-top boxes (STBs) that may be used to
encrypt broadcast signals communicated from the service providers
to generate suitable video and/or audio streams that may be played
via televisions and/or other display/playback devices in the
household.
[0051] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0052] A system and/or method is provided for multi-tier billing
for downloading content via a broadband gateway, substantially as
shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the
figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
[0053] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0054] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
communication system that comprises a home network serviced by a
broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0055] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0056] FIG. 3A is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary steps for
multi-tier billing for downloading content via a broadband gateway,
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0057] FIG. 3B is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary steps for
configuring a broadband gateway to provide multi-tier billing, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0058] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary user
interface generated by a broadband gateway for creating and/or
managing profiles, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0059] Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a
method and system for multi-tier billing for downloading content
via a broadband gateway. In various embodiments of the invention, a
broadband gateway may be utilized to provide multi-tier billing
services in a home network. The broadband gateway may determine
whether a transaction requested from the broadband gateway is
performable in a plurality of steps; may associate a charge and/or
a credit with each of the determined plurality of steps; and may
perform the requested transaction based on the associated charges
and/or credits. The broadband gateway may track and/or aggregate
charges and/or credits during performance of the requested
transaction, based on actually completed ones from the determined
plurality of steps. The transaction may comprise, for example,
obtaining content for consumption by devices serviced by the
broadband gateway. In this regard, the plurality of steps may
comprise downloading of the content and actual consumption of the
content. Furthermore, charges and/or credits may also be associated
with one or more criteria associated with obtaining content. The
one or more criteria may comprise source of the content, format of
the content, time of actual use of the content, amount of the
content actually consumed, and number of uses of the content. The
broadband gateway may determine a plurality of cost combinations
for performing the requested transaction based on the determined
associated charges and/or credits, and may offer the generated
plurality of cost combination for selection by user.
[0060] The broadband gateway may communicate with users utilizing
the broadband gateway during multi-tier billing services. In this
regard, a user interface may be utilized by the broadband gateway
to facilitate user communications. The broadband gateway may store
information associated with users of the broadband gateway, wherein
the stored information may be associated with providing multi-tier
billing service to the corresponding users. The stored information
may comprise a user profile corresponding to a user, wherein the
user profile may comprise a plurality of setting for controlling
and/or managing the multi-tier billing service. In this regard, the
user profile may be configurable, by the user using the user
interface for example.
[0061] The broadband gateway may communicate with users in the home
network, during multi-tier billing services, using user interfaces.
Selecting and/or configuring the multi-tier billing combinations
may be done based on information associated with users. In this
regard, the broadband gateway may store and/or maintain information
associated with users in the home network for use in conjunction
with providing multi-tier billing services to these users. The
stored information may comprise user profiles comprising a
plurality of settings for controlling and/or managing multi-tier
billing services. The user profiles may be configurable by user
associated with these user profiles.
[0062] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
communication system that comprises a home network serviced by a
broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a home network 100a,
a plurality of distribution networks 110, a plurality of service
providers 120, and a plurality of content providers 130. The home
network 100a may be serviced by a broadband gateway 102. In this
regard, the home network 100a may comprise a plurality of home
devices 104a-104j. Also shown in FIG. 1 are additional home
networks 100b, . . . , 100n, and an emergency services provider
network 140. Each of the home networks 100b, . . . , 100n may also
be serviced by a broadband gateway 102.
[0063] The content providers 130 may comprise various entities
and/or networks which may generate, capture, and/or package content
that may be distributed to end-users, via the service providers 120
and/or the distribution networks 110. In this regard, content may
comprise audio, video, multimedia, e-book, gaming, and/or other
content. Exemplary content providers may comprise commercial
providers of multimedia content, such as major film or television
production and/or distribution companies (e.g. Paramount Pictures
or Warner Bros.), and/or providers of personal content (e.g.
user-generated content). The content may be, for example,
downloadable and/or streaming, rented and/or purchased. Content
originating from the content providers 130 may be distributed to
the end-users (e.g. consumers) by the service providers 120. In
some instances, content providers 120 and service providers 120 may
be separate entities. In some instances, however, a single provider
may provide both content and services. That is, an entity that
functions as a network access service provider may also provide
content and/or services other than network access and, thus, that
entity may also be accurately referred to as a "content provider"
and/or a "service provider." The content and/or services that are
provided by the content provider and/or the service provider may be
provided to the broadband gateways 102 via one or more physical
connections provided by a network access service provider.
[0064] The service providers 120 may comprise various entities
which may provide, using different access technologies, various
services to broadband gateways 102 and/or to devices serviced by
the broadband gateways 102, such as the plurality of home devices
104a-104j. The services may include, but are not limited to,
multimedia, television, Internet, phone, Ethernet, multimedia over
coax alliance (MoCA), passive optical network (PON), and/or
cellular services, for example. Some of the service providers 120
may comprise network access service providers which provide
physical layer connections to the broadband gateway 102. Such
physical layer connections may then be utilized to access content
provided by the content providers 130, access services provided by
other ones of the service providers 120, and/or access an intranet
or the Internet at-large. In this regard, "network access service
provider" as utilized herein, is distinguished from the more
generic term "service provider" which may encompass services other
than providing physical layer access to a network. Cable television
providers, plain old telephone service (POTS) providers, digital
subscriber line (DSL) providers, cellular providers, WiMAX
providers, and satellite providers are examples of network access
service providers. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the
broadband gateway 102 may enable connecting to multiple service
providers 120 to facilitate receiving content originating from one
or more of the content providers 130.
[0065] The plurality of distribution networks 110 may comprise one
or more networks that may be operable to enable wireless and/or
wired communication among a plurality of local and/or remote
entities, based on one or more networking and/or communication
infrastructures. In this regard, the plurality of distribution
network 110 may be utilized to enable distributing multimedia
content generated by the content providers 130, directly and/or via
the service providers 120, to end-users. The network connectivity
available via the plurality of distribution networks 110 may be
based on one or more communication standards and/or protocols. The
plurality of distribution networks 110 may comprise, for example,
Internet 110a, the Cable Television (CATV) network 110b, Satellite
Television (TV) network 110c, wireless local network area/wide
network area (LAN/WAN) 110d, and/or cellular network 110e.
[0066] The Internet 110a may comprise a system of interconnected
networks to enable exchange of data among a plurality of nodes,
based on one or more networking standards, including, for example,
the Internet Protocol (IP). For example, the Internet 110a may
enable connectivity among a plurality of private and public,
academic, business, and/or government nodes and/or networks. The
physical connectivity may be provided in the Internet 110a via, for
example, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), copper
wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless interfaces, and/or other
protocols and/or standards-based interfaces. The transport
functionality may be performed in the Internet 110a based on, for
example, one or more protocols, such as the Transmission Control
Protocol/IP (TCP/IP), for example. The CATV network 110b may
comprise suitable distribution nodes, systems, and/or subnetworks
that may enable forwarding of communication between CATV providers
and a plurality of cable-TV consumers. For example, the CATV
network 110b may comprise a network of fiber optics and/or coaxial
cables for use in CATV broadcasts. The satellite TV network 110c
may comprise suitable distribution nodes, systems, and/or
subnetworks that may enable communication of satellite TV broadcast
by satellite TV providers to a plurality of consumers. For example,
the satellite network 110c may comprise a plurality of orbiting
satellite nodes and/or one or more terrestrial centers in a
satellite-TV system.
[0067] The LAN/WAN network 110d may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to enable
implementation of one or more wired and/or wireless LAN or WAN
standards and/or protocols. Exemplary WAN technologies comprise,
for example, WiMAX-based networks. Exemplary LAN technologies may
comprise, for example, those based on IEEE 802.11 standards,
including, for example, WiFi-based networks. The cellular network
110e may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code
that may be operable to enable communication via one or more
cellular technologies. Exemplary cellular technologies may comprise
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA),
CDMA1000, High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Global System
for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Services
(GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), and/or
Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). The cellular
network 110e may comprise, for example, a plurality of control
and/or switching nodes, and a plurality of base stations that
enable transmission and/or reception of cellular based
communications between the cellular network 110e and cellular
capable devices.
[0068] Each of the home networks 100a-100n may correspond to a
location that may comprise a plurality of devices which may be
serviced and/or managed by the broadband gateway 102. In this
regard, the location may be a residence (e.g., home, apartment), a
small business, a school, a library, and/or other like settings in
which users may want to obtain access to service and/or to content
provider networks. The broadband gateway 102 may be utilized in a
home network, such as the home network 100a, to provide
connectivity between the home network and one or more of the
service providers 120 (and/or one or more of the content providers
130) via the distribution networks 110.
[0069] The broadband gateway 102 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to
implement various aspects of the invention. The broadband gateway
102 may be operable to communicate with the content providers 130,
the service providers 120, and the plurality of home devices
104a-104j. In this manner, the broadband gateway 102 may enable
bidirectional communication of content and/or other information
between the content providers 130, the service providers 120 and
the devices 104a-104j. Communications between the broadband gateway
102 and the content providers 130 and/or service providers 120 may
be carried over optical, wired, and/or wireless links of the
distribution network(s) 110. Similarly, Communications between the
broadband gateway 102 and the devices 104a-104j may be carried over
optical, wired, and/or wireless links. In an exemplary aspect of
the invention, a single broadband gateway 102 may be operable to
handle multiple physical layer (i.e., layer 1 of the open-systems
interconnection model (OSI)) connections to multiple ones, or
portions, of the distribution network(s) 110, where different ones
or portions of the distribution network(s) 110 are owned, operated,
leased, or otherwise associated with different ones of the network
access service providers 120. For example, a first network access
service provider may provide network access to the broadband
gateway 102 via a DSL connection over twisted-pair cabling, and a
second network access service provider may provide network access
to the broadband gateway 102 via a cable television connection over
coaxial cabling. In some instances, the broadband gateway 102 may
be operable to concurrently communicate over the multiple physical
layer connections provided by the multiple network access service
providers.
[0070] For example, the broadband gateway 102 may support
configuring and/or using a plurality of broadband connections 108
to the distribution networks 110. The broadband connections 108 may
comprise wired and/or wireless connections between the broadband
gateway 102 and the distribution networks 110, which may enable
communication between the broadband gateway 102 and the service
providers 120. The broadband gateway 102 may operate as an
interface device that may allow one or more service and/or content
providers to interact with various devices in the home network. In
this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to perform
and/or provide various services that may pertain to enabling and/or
facilitating reception of multimedia content from one or more
content providers 130, wherein the content may be delivered through
one or more services providers 120. For example, the broadband
gateway 102 may be operable to perform such operations as network
access related processing (e.g. PHY/MAC, and/or transport layer
processing), encryption and/or decryption, user and/or account
authentication, and/or at least some of video and/or audio
processing operations which may be necessary for consumption of
multimedia content. The broadband gateway 102 may communicate with
various devices in the home network 100, using wired and/or
wireless communication links.
[0071] Devices serviced by, and/or connected with the broadband
gateway 102 may comprise content consuming devices and/or other,
non-content consuming household or home devices that may be
operable to interact with the broadband gateway 102. For example,
the broadband gateway 102 may service, and/or may communicate with
the plurality of home devices 104a-104j in the home network 100a.
The home devices may comprise, for example, one or more of a
television 104a, a laptop computer 104b, a smoke detector, a carbon
monoxide detector, and/or a security alarm 104c, a computer and/or
server 104d, a mobile phone 104e, a speaker 104f, an AM/FM radio
104g, an appliance 104h (e.g., refrigerator), a phone 104i, and a
digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) 104j.
The broadband gateway 102 may interact with each of the home
devices 104a-104j via corresponding links 106a-106j, which may be
supported by the broadband gateway 102 and the corresponding home
device. For example, the link 106a between the broadband gateway
102 and the television 104a may comprise a High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable and/or 60 GHz WiGig wireless
connection/interface. The link 106b may comprise, for example, a
wired Ethernet link, a wireless Ethernet link, a Universal Serial
Bus (USB) link, or an IEEE 1394 link. The link 106c may comprise,
for example, a two-wire link or a wireless link. The link 106d may
comprise, for example, a wired Ethernet link, a wireless Ethernet
link, a USB link, or an IEEE 1394 link. The link 106e may comprise,
for example, a wireless Ethernet link, a USB link, or a cellular
link. The link 106f may comprise speaker wire and/or a wireless
link. The link 106g may comprise, for example, AM and/or FM radio
transmissions broadcast received using the broadband gateway 102.
The link 106h may comprise, for example, a wired or wireless link.
The link 106i may comprise, for example, a phone line. The link
106j may comprise, for example, a wired or a wireless link.
Although in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the home devices
104a-104j are shown as being communicatively coupled to only the
broadband gateway 102, the invention may not be so limited.
Accordingly, the devices 104a-104j may be communicatively coupled
to multiple broadband gateways in a local or home network, and/or
may be communicate directly, without departing from the spirit and
scope of various embodiments of the invention.
[0072] In an exemplary aspect of the invention, the broadband
gateway 102 may be operable to provide multi-tier billing for
downloading and/or consuming content via the broadband gateway 102.
In this regard, rather than assessing a single charge or payment
for obtaining content, the broadband gateway 102 may generate
and/or utilize a multi-tier billing structure, comprising a
plurality of separate charges and/or credits corresponding to a
plurality of steps that may be performed to facilitate completion
of downloading and/or consumption of the content, and/or
adjustments or modifications that may be applied to the content
itself or to its download, reception, and/or use. Accordingly,
users may only be assessed payments based on steps and/or actions
completed within the multi-tier billing structure.
[0073] The broadband gateway 102 may also be operable to provide
and/or support various other, non-content related services in the
home network 100. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may be
operable to provide energy management in the home network 102, by
controlling and/or adjusting configuration of one or more devices
in the home network to reduce power consumption for example. The
broadband gateway 102 may also provide emergency-related services
in the home network 100a. For example, the emergency services
provider network 140 may be connected to the distribution networks
110 via a link 112. The emergency services provider network 140 may
be associated with one or more emergency service provider entities.
For example, a public entity such as a 911 center and/or a private
entity such as a security company may be able to interact with the
broadband gateway 102 in the home network 100a via the distribution
networks 110.
[0074] While the broadband gateway 102 is shown in FIG. 1 as a
single and separate device, the invention need not be so limited.
In one embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway
functionality may be implemented in a distributed manner over two
or more devices. Furthermore, the broadband gateway may be
implemented as a virtual platform, for example in instances where
it may be implemented in distributed manner. In another embodiment
of the invention, some or all of the functionality of the broadband
gateway may be implemented within one of the televisions available
in the home.
[0075] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of home networks 100b,
. . . , 100n, may also be connected to the distribution networks
110. These home networks 100b, . . . , 100n may operate in
substantially the same manner as the home network 100a. By having
multiple home networks connected to the distribution networks 110,
various applications, such as peer-to-peer communication and/or
data aggregation operations may be possible by utilizing the
broadband gateways 102 in the home networks.
[0076] In operation, the broadband gateway 102 may be utilized as
an interface device that may allow one or more service providers
120, the content providers 130, and/or the emergency service
provider network 140 to interact with various devices in a home
network, such as in the home network 100a. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 102 may be operable to perform and/or provide
various services that may pertain to enabling and/or facilitating
reception of data, such as multimedia content, for example, from
one or more content providers, wherein the content may be delivered
through one or more services providers. The broadband gateway 102
may distribute the received content to one or more devices in a
home network, for consumption, and/or may perform, directly and/or
indirectly using other devices, any processing and/or operations
(e.g., decryption and/or account validation) that may be needed to
ensure that the content may be consumed by the target home
device(s).
[0077] The broadband gateway 102 may also provide and/or support
various other, non-content related services in the home network
100. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to
provide energy management in the home network 102, by controlling
and/or adjusting configuration of one or more devices in the home
network to reduce power consumption for example. The broadband
gateway 102 may also provide emergency-related services in the home
network 100, including allowing first responders to provide alerts
to a select group of users by accessing the broadband gateway 102
via secure links provided by the service/content providers.
[0078] In exemplary aspect of the invention described herein, the
broadband gateway 102 may provide a multi-tier billing service that
may be utilized in conjunction with content downloads and/or
consumption in the home network 100a. In this regard, rather than
assessing singular and/or individual charges for the downloading
and/or the consumption of content, the broadband gateway 102 may be
utilized to generate multi-tier billing structures that may be used
in conjunction with content downloads and/or consumption operations
within the home network 100a. For example, use of the multi-tier
billing structures may enable dividing costs of obtaining and/or
using content into a plurality of smaller payments in lieu of a
single, large payment. In this regard, the multi-tier billing
structures may comprise a plurality of incremental charges that may
be assessed during content download and/or consumption. The
incremental charges in the multi-tier billing structure may
correspond to a plurality of steps that may be performed to
facilitate completion of downloading and/or consumption of the
content. Accordingly, users may be assessed payments comprising
only actually incurred charges, based on steps and/or actions
completed within the multi-tier billing structure. For example,
rather than charging a single payment of $4.99 for obtaining a
movie from a content provider 120 via a service provider 130,
regardless of whether the movie is ultimately consumed (i.e.
watched) or not, a two-tier billing structure may be used instead.
In this regard, the two-tier billing structure may comprise a $1.99
charge for the movie download and a $3.00 charge for actually
watching the movie for example. Use of such tiered or staggered
billing structure may be more advantageous because it may help
mitigate some of the costs incurred by users when downloaded
content is ultimately not consumed. In this regard, use of the
multi-tier billing structure may encourage users to download more
content since the user would likely be more willing to do so in
instances where the potential cost of not consuming the downloaded
content is smaller. Use of the multi-tier billing may also enable
aggregating costs associated with multiple separate transactions,
each comprising obtaining and/or using different content for
example, into a single payment in lieu of a plurality of smaller
payments. Reducing the number of payments may be desirable since it
may enable eliminating and/or reducing overheads associated with
performing and/or completing each of multiple small payments
corresponding to the multiple transactions separately. The single
large payment may be made prior to or after completing the
corresponding multiple transactions. In this regard, the multi-tier
billing structures may be utilized for tracking and/or aggregating
charges assessed for, or credits obtained from each of the separate
multiple transactions, up to the amount corresponding to the single
large payment. For example, rather than requiring a user to make
multiple payments of $1.99 for each content (e.g. movie) obtained
from a content provider 130, the user may provide or deposit an
initial payment of $100.00, and a multi-tier billing structure may
then be utilized to track, and/or deduct charges assessed for each
completed transaction, from the initial payment until it is
exhausted.
[0079] The multi-tier billing structures utilized by the broadband
gateway 102, for example in conjunction with obtaining content for
devices in the home network 100a, may also incorporate billing
criteria accounting for additional details relating to obtaining
and/or use of the content. In this regard, the additional billing
criteria may pertain to, for example, source of content, formatting
of content, time of use, portions of content actually consumed,
and/or number of times the content is used. Accordingly, the
multi-tier billing structures may account for varying costs or
charges that may be assessed, and/or credits that may granted, for
modification and/or adjustments to a manner in which the content is
obtained, received, and/or used. In this regard, credits may be
applied to discount incurred charges and/or may be accumulated and
redeemed subsequently, in future content purchases for example. The
credits may be offered based on user's willingness to undertake (or
forgo) certain steps and/or for selecting certain options that may
benefit the service providers 120 and/or content providers 120. For
example, services providers 130 may have incentive to reduce
bandwidth use, in the distribution networks 110, for communicating
content to the users. Therefore, the multi-tier billing structure
may allow for assessing smaller charges, and/or for granting of
credits for assenting to receive the content from other users, in
other home networks such as the home network 100b, that may be
closer to the home network 100a. For example, rather than charging
$4.99 for obtaining a movie in the home network 100a directly from
a content provider 120 via a service provider 130, the billing
structure may allow for charging a lesser total charge, such as
$3.99, when the movie, or a portion thereof, is downloaded from
another nearby user, such as a user in the home network 100b. This
may reduce bandwidth consumption in the distribution networks
110.
[0080] The multi-tier billing structures may also account for
formatting of the requested and/or delivered content. In this
regard, formatting and/or compression may result in adjustment of
the size of content, which may lead to less (or more) bandwidth
loads for its communication in distribution networks 110 utilized
by the service provider 130. For example, communicating content
formatted and/or compressed as 1080 p may require more bandwidth
than the bandwidth required to communicate that content in
instances where it formatted and/or compressed, for example,
display devices that may only support 720 p video and/or via mobile
devices whose screens would comprise small resolution. Accordingly,
the multi-tier billing structures used by the broadband gateway 102
may incorporate lesser charges, and/or credits for assenting to
receive content formatted and/or compressed in a manner that
requires less bandwidth. The broadband gateway 102 may be operable
to determine the capabilities of the home device being utilized to
consume the content, and may offer that adjust charges, or credits
accordingly.
[0081] The multi-tier billing structures may also account for
details regarding time of use with respect to downloaded content.
For example, billing rates for content may decrease and/or vary
over time, because demand for the content by consumers may decrease
compared to time of first release. The same may also be true for
instances where the value of content may be time-sensitive, such as
in instances where the content may correspond to a sporting event
and thus it would be costlier for a live broadcast even rather than
for subsequent rebroadcast. Accordingly, the multi-tier billing
structures may incorporate varying charge rates, and/or credits to
adjust the billing assessed for content based on tracking of
estimated or actual time of use by the user. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 102 may track when downloaded content is actually
used. Furthermore, the multi-tier billing structures used by the
broadband gateway 102 may also allow for, and/or incorporate
varying charge rates, and/or credits to adjust the billing assessed
for content based on the number of times the content is consumed.
For example, lower billing rates may be applied for subsequent uses
of the same downloaded content in the home network 100a. Discount
for subsequent uses of the same content may be limited (or not) to
subsequent uses by the same user and/or via the same home device.
For example, a user in the home network 100a may initially be
charged $4.99 for obtaining and viewing a movie from a content
provider 120 via a service provider 130. The downloaded movie may
then be stored locally, using the broadband gateway 102 for
example, and the same user may be charged a lesser amount, such as
$2.99, for subsequent viewings of the movie.
[0082] The multi-tier billing structures may also account for
portioning of obtained content. In this regard, rather than
providing the content as a singular entity, content providers 130
and/or services providers 120 may provide the content as a
plurality of portions. Communicating the content in portions may
enable reduction and/or efficient management of bandwidth load in
the distribution networks 110. Accordingly, the multi-tier billing
structures used by the broadband gateway 102 may incorporate
varying billing rates, and/or credits to adjust the billing
assessed for content in instances where users may assent to
reception, and/or consumption of content in portion. Furthermore,
the content providers 130 and/or services providers 120 may allow
for providing an initial portion of the content, which users may
utilize to determine whether to proceed with purchase of the
content. For example, a trailer-like portion of the content may be
provided, at small charge, that may be viewed before users assent
to proceeding with purchasing and downloading the whole
content.
[0083] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a broadband gateway
200 that may be substantially similar to the broadband gateway 102
described above with respect to FIG. 1.
[0084] The broadband gateway 200 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may be operable to provide
connectivity between one or more external networks, such as the
distribution networks 110 shown in FIG. 1, for example, and one or
more devices in a home network, such as the home devices 104a-104j
in the home network 100a shown in FIG. 1. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 200 may operate as an interface device that
allows one or more service providers, content providers, and/or
emergency service providers, which may be referred to collectively
as service/content providers, to interact with various devices in
the home network. For example, the broadband gateway 200 may be
utilized to enable interaction between the plurality of service
providers 120 and/or the plurality of content providers 130, and
the home devices 104a-104j.
[0085] The broadband gateway 200 may communicate with the various
home devices via a home network that may comprise wired and/or
wireless communication links, such as the home network 100a, to
support communicating between the broadband gateway 200 and the
home devices, and/or among the home devices via the broadband
gateway 200. In this regard, the broadband gateway 200 may comprise
suitable hardware and/or software to provide some or all of the
functions and/or operations of one or more of a modem, a router,
and a switch. The modem functions and/or operations may be those of
a digital subscribed line (DSL) modem, a cable modem, or a wireless
cable modem, for example. The router functions and/or operations
may be those of a wireless router, for example. The switch
functions and/or operations may be those of a network switch, or a
local area network (LAN) switch, for example. In some instances,
the broadband gateway 200 may communicate with the various devices
in the home via more than one home network.
[0086] The broadband gateway 200 may comprise a plurality of
modules, each of which may comprise hardware, software, or a
combination thereof that may be utilized to perform various
operations associated with the broadband gateway 200. For example,
in an embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 2, the broadband
gateway 200 may comprise a processing subsystem 202, a storage
subsystem 204, a provider interfacing subsystem 206, and a
client-network interfacing subsystem 208. In some instances, the
broadband gateway 200 may be such that the various modules listed
above may be distributed over multiple devices. Moreover, the
modules listed above are provided by way of illustration and not of
limitation. Other configurations and/or architectures of the
broadband gateway 200 may be implemented. For example, the
broadband gateway 200 may be a virtual gateway setup in a network
by utilizing virtual machines (VMs) and/or next-generation (NG)
data centers.
[0087] The processing subsystem 202 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to process
data received from the service and/or content providers and/or data
received from one or more devices in the home network 100. In this
regard, the processing subsystem 202 may comprise one or more
portions that are suitable to handle certain types of data such as
video data and/or audio data, for example. The processing subsystem
202 may also be operable to control and/or manage operations of the
broadband gateway 200, and/or performing tasks and/or applications
therein. For example, the processing subsystem 202 may enable
execution of applications, programs and/or code which may be stored
in the storage subsystem 204, for example. In this regard, the
processing subsystem 202 may be operable to configure and/or
control operations of various components and/or subsystems of the
broadband gateway 200, and/or other devices managed by and/or
connected to broadband gateway, by utilizing, for example, one or
more control signals. The processing subsystem 202 may also control
data transfers within the broadband gateway 200, in the course of
performing various applications and/or tasks for example. The
processing subsystem 202 may comprise, for example, a plurality of
processors 203, which may be general and/or specialized processors
(e.g. CPU, video processors, and/or audio processors). While the
processing subsystem 202 is shown herein as a single block, the
invention needs not be so limited. Accordingly, in instances where
the broadband gateway 200 is implemented a distributed platform,
some of the operations and/or functions described herein with
regard to the processing subsystem 202 may be performed by
different components that may be located in different devices.
[0088] The storage subsystem 204 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to store
data utilized in the operations of the broadband gateway 200. In
this regard, the storage subsystem 204 may comprise one or more
memory devices that may enable permanent and/or non-permanent
storage, buffering, and/or fetching of data, code and/or other
information which may be used, consumed, and/or handled in the
broadband gateway 200. For example, the storage subsystem 204 may
be utilized to store configuration data, parameters, device
information, tracking and/or monitoring information, security
information, and intermediate processing data, for example. The
storage subsystem 204 may comprise storage media integrated in the
broadband gateway 200 and/or one or more removable storage devices.
In this regard, the storage subsystem 204 may comprise different
memory technologies, including, for example, read-only memory
(ROM), random access memory (RAM), Flash memory, solid-state drive
(SSD), and/or field-programmable gate array (FPGA).
[0089] The provider interfacing subsystem 206 may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to
communicate data to and/or from one or more service and/or content
providers. In this regard, the provider interfacing subsystem 206
may enable accessing and/or communicating with one or more of the
distribution networks 110. Furthermore, while not shown in FIG. 2,
the provider interfacing subsystem 206 may be utilized to receive
communicate data to and/or from third parties. In this regard, the
provider interfacing subsystem 206 may enable gateway-to-gateway
communication and/or interactions between the broadband gateway 200
and communication devices located outside the home network 100,
directly and/or indirectly through distribution networks
corresponding to one or more service providers. The provider
interfacing subsystem 206 may be operable to support multiple
communication protocols, standards, and/or data transport
technologies. The provider interfacing subsystem 206 may be
communicatively coupled to the service/content providers via wired
and/or wireless communication links. In an exemplary aspect of the
invention, the provider interfacing subsystem 206 may enable
supporting, and/or communicating with multiple and/or different
service/content providers.
[0090] The client-network interfacing subsystem 208 may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be
operable to send data to one or more devices in the home network
serviced and/or managed by the broadband gateway, such as the home
network 100. The client-network interfacing subsystem 208 may also
be operable to receive data from one or more devices in the home
network 100. The client-network interfacing subsystem 208 may be
operable to support multiple communication protocols, standards,
and/or data transport technologies. For example, the client-network
interfacing subsystem 208 may support the links 106a-106j of FIG.
1.
[0091] In operation, the broadband gateway 200 may be utilized as
an interface device that may interact with a plurality of devices
in a home network, such as such as the devices 104a-104j in the
home network 100a, and/or may provide connectivity between the
devices in the home network and service and/or content providers.
The broadband gateway 200 may also interact with a plurality of
home devices in a home network, such as the devices 104a-104j in
the home network 100a, using the client-network interfacing
subsystem 208. In this regard, the client-network interfacing
subsystem 208 may support use of one or more of the links
106a-106j. Furthermore, the broadband gateway 200 may interact with
one or more service providers 120 via the provider interfacing
subsystem 206, to enable exchanging messages and/or content for
example, via one or more of the distribution networks 110.
Accordingly, the broadband gateway 200 may enable and/or facilitate
obtaining content (e.g. multimedia content) from one or more
content providers 130, wherein the content may be delivered through
one or more services providers 120. The broadband gateway 200 may
distribute the received content to one or more of the plurality of
home devices 104a-104j, for content consumption, and/or may
perform, directly via the processing subsystem 202 and/or
indirectly utilizing other devices communicatively coupled to the
broadband gateway 200, any processing and/or procedures (e.g.
decryption and/or account validation) that may be necessary to
ensure that the content may be consumed by the home device(s).
[0092] The broadband gateway 200 may also provide various services
and/or tasks in the home network 100a, beyond, in addition to,
and/or in conjunction with content delivery to home devices. For
example, the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to adapt and/or
enable changes in a subscription model and/or in multimedia
delivery characteristics based on the capabilities of the various
devices in the home network. For example, high-definition video
content may be delivered to certain type of devices, such as
digital televisions (DTVs), while low-definition video content
and/or text may be delivered to a different type of devices, such
as personal mobile devices. Accordingly, the broadband gateway 200
may be utilized to reduce bandwidth and/or processing power
consumption in the home network. The broadband gateway 200 may also
support and/or use multi-transport processing, which may be
performed sequentially, in parallel, and/or utilizing distributed
processing.
[0093] The broadband gateway 200 may support use of multi-transport
processing, which may be performed sequentially, in parallel,
and/or utilizing distributed processing. Furthermore, the broadband
gateway 200 may be operable to broker and/or arbitrate with
service/content providers the consumption of certain services, such
as music and video, for example. In some instances, the broadband
gateway 200 may perform content search, transport discovery,
ranking, and/or sorting. These operations may be performed based on
content quality, price, quality-of-service (QoS), and network
protocols supported by the devices in the home network, such as
service level agreements (SLAB), for example.
[0094] The broadband gateway 200 may be operable to provide user
interface services in the home network. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 200 may be operable to support user interfaces,
and/or to generate and/or store data corresponding thereto, which
may be utilized to enable interactions between the broadband
gateway 200 and users, such as in the home network 100a for
example. Exemplary user interfaces may comprise graphic user
interfaces (GUIs), which may enable visually displaying and/or
providing interaction with users, to provide visual interaction
with customized content for example. Information inputted and/or
outputted using the user interfaces may be stored in the broadband
gateway 200, via the storage subsystem 204 for example. The user
interfaces may enable configuring the broadband gateway 200, and/or
any applications and/or services provided thereby, and/or may also
be utilized to configure and/or adjust other devices in the home
network 100a. GUIs, and like interfaces, may be displayed using one
or more devices coupled to the broadband gateway 200. For example,
interfaces generated and/or used by the broadband gateway 200 may
be displayed using the television 104a.
[0095] The broadband gateway 200 may also be utilized to create,
maintain, and/or update a plurality of profiles corresponding to
users, devices, and/or services available in the home network 100a.
Furthermore, user interfaces supported and/or used by the broadband
gateway 200 may be utilized to enable displaying and/or modifying
user, device, and/or service profiles. Data corresponding to these
profiles may be stored, at least temporarily, in the storage
subsystem 204 of the broadband gateway 200. For example,
device-profiles may be utilized to store information associated
with particular devices that may be coupled to and/or serviced by
the broadband gateway 200. In this regard, device-profiles may be
utilized for storage of information pertaining to device
capabilities, limitations, requirements, and/or configuration
parameters therefor. User-profiles may be utilize to store
information associated with particular users, such as setting
preferences for various devices and/or services that may be
utilized by a particular user in conjunction with the broadband
gateway 200. The broadband gateway 200 may utilize user and/or home
device profile information to, for example, select layered video
service(s) and/or transmission. In some instances, the programming
and/or enhanced video layers received by the broadband gateway 200
may be aggregated midstream by one or more network or routing
nodes.
[0096] The broadband gateway 200 may be operable to run or execute
an agent to extract content, rating, copyright, language, privacy
rules, and automatically add user generated content, for example.
Such agent may be run or executed in connection with the processing
subsystem 202 of the broadband gateway 200, for example. In some
instances, the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to provide
rating-related information or channel prediction to a
service/content provider to assist with fast channel change.
Furthermore, the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to combine
and/or blend multiple contents for use as single content in the
home network. Such combination may be performed in one or more of
the modules of the broadband gateway 200. For example, the
broadband gateway 200 may blend different video and audio contents
for an event by accessing one or more service/content providers and
providing automatic and/or manual content synchronization.
[0097] The broadband gateway 200 may be utilized in connection with
constrained network resources, such as time of day, traffic
congestion, and the like, for example, to provide incentives for a
user to accept a lower cost, lower quality of service that is
dynamically configured for current network conditions. In some
instances, the broadband gateway 200 may allow enhanced low latency
service delivery to client devices in a home network. Furthermore,
bandwidth optimization by, for example, placing future requests for
bandwidth to a service/content provider and accepting the best
timeslots provided in return may be enabled by the broadband
gateway 200.
[0098] The gateway functionality associated with a user, such as
security features, preferences, applications, electronic
programming guides (EPGs), and user profile, for example, may be
ported from the broadband gateway 200 to one or more other
broadband gateways 200 in other locations. In some instances, a
visitor may be allowed access to their content outside their
service/content provider service area by, for example, classifying
the access level for different users and/or by providing limited
access to content. Moreover, the broadband gateway 200 may allow
multiple user interface software structures by, for example,
standardizing an interface to service/content providers and devices
in the home network.
[0099] In various embodiments of the inventions, the broadband
gateway 200 may provide a multi-tier billing service, for use in
conjunction with content downloads for example, substantially as
described with regard to, for example, FIG. 1. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 200 may be operable to generate and/or utilize,
using the processing subsystem 202 for example, multi-tier billing
structures that may provide tiered and/or adjustable billing for
content downloaded via the broadband gateway 200, and/or utilized
by devices interacting with the broadband gateway 200 via the
client-network interfacing subsystem 208. Use of multi-tier billing
structures may enable, for example, arranging charges that may be
assessed for obtaining and/or using content into a plurality of
smaller, incremental charges in lieu of a single, larger charges.
In this regard, the plurality of smaller charges may correspond to
a plurality of steps that may be undertaken in the course of
consumption of content. For example, the broadband gateway 200 may
utilize multi-tier billing structures that may assess separate
charges for downloading and for using (e.g. viewing) the content,
and/or may track granting of any discount or reward credits.
[0100] In an exemplary aspect of the invention, the broadband
gateway 200 may be operable to generate, using the processing
subsystem 202 for example, user interfaces, and/or data
corresponding thereto, which may be utilized to enable interactions
between the broadband gateway 200 and users in the home network
100. Exemplary user interfaces may comprise graphic user interfaces
(GUIs), which may enable visually displaying and/or providing
interaction with users. Data inputted and/or outputted using the
user interfaces may be stored via the storage subsystem 204. The
user interfaces may be utilized for configuring the broadband
gateway 200 and/or any applications and/or services provided
thereby, and/or utilized to configure, control, and/or manage
devices in the home network 100a. The user interfaces used and/or
supported by the broadband gateway 200 may comprise graphical user
interfaces (GUIs), which may be displayed via one or more devices
coupled to the broadband gateway 200 in the home network 100a. For
example, GUIs generated by the broadband gateway 200 may be
displayed using the television 104a. User interfaces may be
utilized to enable displaying and/or modifying a plurality of
profiles for example. In this regard, the profile may correspond to
users, devices including the broadband gateway 200, and/or
functions, services or applications provided in the home network
100a using the broadband gateway 200.
[0101] In one embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway
200 may incorporate one or more interfacing functions which may be
utilize to support multi-tier billing services provided by the
broadband gateway 200. For example, in instances where a
transaction is requested from the broadband gateway 200, the
broadband gateway 200 may determine, via the processing subsystem
202, whether multi-tier billing structure may be utilized in
conjunction with the requested transaction. Exemplary transactions
may comprise obtaining, receiving, and/or downloading content. In
this regard, the broadband gateway 200 may initially prompt a user
requesting the transaction, via a user interface for example, to
determine whether the user may explore multi-tier billing
structures that may be available for use in conjunction with the
requested transactions. The broadband gateway 200 may also utilize,
in lieu of prompt users, preconfigured user profiles during
multi-tier billing services. In this regard, the user profiles may
comprise preset and/or predetermined user preferences with respect
to use of multi-tier billing and/or configuration thereof. The
broadband gateway 200 may determine, using the processor 203 for
example, whether that the requested transaction may be divided into
a plurality of steps and/or sub-operations, each of which may be
billed separately. Furthermore, the broadband gateway 200 may also
determine whether aspects of the requested transaction, such as
formatting and/or source of content for example, may be variably
configured to enable assessing varying rates and/or granting
credits. Based on these determinations, the broadband gateway 200
may generate a plurality of multi-tier billing structures, which
may then be displayed to the user via a user interface, to enable
the user to select a multi-tier billing structure for use in
conjunction with the requested transactions.
[0102] Furthermore, user profiles generated and/or maintained by
the broadband gateway 200, in the storage subsystem 204 for
example, may be modified and/or configured, using the processing
subsystem 202 for example, to add an account management component,
which may be utilized in conjunction with the multi-tier billing.
In this regard, the account management component may be utilized to
create entries corresponding to a plurality of accounts associated
with a particular user. The account entries may be utilized to
store various parameters associated with each account, which may be
utilized for transactions associated with these accounts.
Accordingly, the account entries may be modified to enable
specifying and/or configuring various policies and/or parameters
that may be utilized to control and/or adjust multi-tier billing
services that may be provided by the broadband gateway 200.
[0103] FIG. 3A is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary steps for
multi-tier billing for downloading content via a broadband gateway,
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to
FIG. 3A, there is shown a flow chart 300 comprising a plurality of
exemplary steps that may be performed to enable multi-tier billing
for downloading content via a broadband gateway, such as the
broadband gateway 200 for example.
[0104] In step 302, the broadband gateway 200 may receive a request
to perform an operation and/or service from a user in a home
network, such as the home network 100a. In this regard, the
broadband gateway 200 may be utilized to request and/or obtain
content that may be used by a device in the home network 100a. In
step 304, the broadband gateway 200 may determines divisibility of
the requested operation and/or availability of different ways for
performing it. For example, the broadband gateway 200 may determine
that a requested transaction may be split into download and
consumption steps, which may enable assigning different costs
and/or credits for each of these steps. The broadband gateway 200
may also determine whether formatting and/or source of the content,
and/or aspects of use thereof may be modified and/or adjusted. For
example, the broadband gateway 200 may determine whether different
formatted content, with different compression rates, may be used
and/or whether the requested content can be obtained from sources
closer to the home network serviced by the broadband gateway 200.
In this regard, use of lower compression rates and/or obtaining
content from closer sources may enable reducing bandwidth use in
distribution networks, for which additional credits and/or lower
costs may be offered. In step 306, the broadband gateway 200 may
determine one or more multi-tier billing combinations for
performing the requested transaction. In this regard, the
multi-tier billing combinations may comprise a plurality of
incremental charges, billing rates, and/or credits that may be
assessed and/or granted based on the determined steps and/or
various aspects. In step 308, the broadband gateway 200 may offer
the billing combinations to the user for selection. In this regard,
the broadband gateway 200 may display the available multi-billing
combination via a user interface that may be generated and/or
displayed via a device connected to the broadband gateway 200 in
the home network 100a, such as the television 104a. In step 310,
the broadband gateway 200 may perform the requested transaction
based on user selection, and may track charges and/or credits in
accordance with selected multi-tier billing combination.
[0105] FIG. 3B is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary steps for
configuring a broadband gateway to perform multi-tier billing for
downloading content, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 3B, there is shown a flow chart 330
comprising a plurality of exemplary steps that may be performed to
enable configuration of a broadband gateway, such as the broadband
gateway 200 for example, to perform multi-tier billing
services.
[0106] In step 332, a user may configure one or more accounts in
the broadband gateway 200, to specify multi-tier billing structure
that may be utilized in conjunction with transaction requested from
and/or performed by the broadband gateway 200. For example, users
in the home network 100a may configure accounts in the broadband
gateway 200, corresponding to one or more of the content providers
130 and/or the service providers 120, allowing for multi-tier
billing when downloading content through the broadband gateway 200.
In step 334, the broadband gateway 200 may be utilized to obtain
content based on configured accounts. In step 336, the broadband
gateway 200 may accumulate charges and/or reward credits based on
the configured account for various activities performed therein in
conjunction with these accounts. For example, the broadband gateway
200 may use the multi-tier billing structures to track charges
and/or credits in conjunction with content downloading and/or use.
In step 338, broadband gateway 200 may determine based on the
configured accounts total charges owed for a plurality of
transactions associated with each account. Furthermore, accumulated
reward credits may be redeemed, to discount an amount owed with
respect to the current transaction, and/or in conjunction with
future transactions, such as to pay for obtaining future content
for example.
[0107] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary user
interface generated by a broadband gateway for creating and/or
managing profiles, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a user interface
400.
[0108] The user interface 400 may, for example, be displayed as
part of an on-screen display and may be accessible via a "menu"
button. The user interface 400 may be generated by the broadband
gateway 200, and/or based on data provided by the broadband gateway
200, to enable interactions between the broadband gateway 200 and
users associated with the broadband gateway 200, in the home
network 100a for example. The user interface 400 may be displayed
using a display device connected to the broadband gateway 200, such
as the television 104a for example. In this regard, the link 106a
may be utilized to communicate data and/or messages between the
broadband gateway 200 and the television 104a, to enable
communicating data that may be displayed using the user interface
400, and/or receiving user input, selection, and/or feedback which
may be provided based on interactions with the user interface
400.
[0109] The exemplary user interface 400 may be utilized to enable
users to setup the broadband gateway 200, and/or to control,
configure and/or modify various applications and/or tasks, or
aspects thereof, which may provided by the broadband gateway 200.
In an exemplary aspect of the invention, the user interface 400 may
incorporate an account-management function 402, which maybe
utilized to setup, configure, and/or track a plurality of accounts
associated with a user.
[0110] For example, the account-management function 402 may
comprise frames 410 and 420. The frame 410 may display a listing of
the all accounts associated with a specific user. In this regard,
each of the account listed in frame 410 may correspond to service
and/or content provider providing content that may be consumed in a
home device serviced by the broadband gateway 200. Associated with
each account may be two buttons 412 and 412. Upon selection of
button 412 by a user, activity for the corresponding account may be
displayed in the frame 420. This may comprise all recent
transactions associated with the selected account, within a
specific duration that maybe preconfigured and/or dynamically
specified. Selection of button 414 may enable configuring various
settings for a particular account. These settings may comprise
settings controlling management and/or authentication of any
transactions associated with the account, and/or may also comprise
settings pertaining to displaying of activity and/or generation of
alert messages.
[0111] The frame 410 may also comprise a button 416 which may
selected to enable entering one or more passwords before proceeding
with any selection of buttons 412 or 414. In this regard, a user
password may be required before displaying any of the detailed on
frame 410 (e.g. listing of accounts), and/or account-specific
passwords may also be required on per-account basis. Accordingly,
failure to provide the correct (account) password(s) may prevent
displaying frame 420. The frame 410 may also comprise a button 418
which may be selected to enable setting up a new account. Account
setup may be performed as a step-by-step procedure based on
interactions using frame 420. For example, passwords that which may
be necessary when selecting button 416 may be configured as part of
the new account setup procedure.
[0112] In the exemplary scenario depicted in FIG. 4, account
settings for a particular account is shown in frame 420 based on
selection of the appropriate button 414 in frame 410 (e.g. Account
#2). Accordingly, account settings for the specified account may be
displayed and/or configured using the frame 420. In this regard,
the frame 420 may comprise fields 422 and 424, which may be
utilized to display, setup, and/or configure user name and
password, respectively, for the selected account. The frame 420 may
comprise a payment information section, which may enable specifying
payment related details with respect to the selected account. For
example, the payment information section may comprise two buttons
426a and 426b. The button 426a, which may comprise a pull down
menu, which may enable specifying the type of payment system, such
as a charge card or a credit card that may be associated with
transactions associated with the selected account. Selection or
activation of the button 426a may enable displaying a secondary
frame (not shown), as a pop-up frame for example, which may enable
the user to enter additional information that may necessary
regarding account related payment options. For example, in
instances where `credit card` is chosen as the payment type,
selecting button 426a may enable setting up and/or modifying
associated credit card information, such as credit card number,
expiration date, and/or any additional necessary that may be
necessary to complete any transaction using that credit card.
[0113] The frame 420 may also comprise a billing settings field
428, which may list a plurality of fields corresponding to various
parameters that may be chosen and/or configured for controlling
and/or adjusting billing of transactions associated with the
selected account. For example, the billing settings field 428 may
list such options as automatic billing, payment or reimbursement
with rewards or credits, and multi-tier billing. In this regard,
the user may be able to activate and/or deactivate particular
aspects of billing functions by checking or un-checking the
selection buttons 440 within the corresponding fields. Users may
also be able to specify various aspects and/or configure additional
parameters for each of the billing parameters based on selection
(clicking on) the appropriate field(s). For example, based on
selecting the multi-tier billing, a corresponding expanded
multi-tier billing field 430 may be display a listing various
multi-tier billing parameters and/or criteria that may be specified
for providing multi-tier billing with respect to transactions
managed and/or provided by the broadband gateway 200 for the
selected account.
[0114] The multi-tier billing field 430 may list, for example,
`Time-of-use` button 432, `Multiple-uses` button 434, `Formatting`
button 436, and `Local Sharing` button 438. In this regard, users
may activate/deactivate particular aspects of multi-tier billing
functions by checking/un-checking the selection buttons 440 within
the corresponding fields. Users may also be able to specify various
aspects and/or configure additional parameters for each of the
billing parameters based on selection (e.g. clicking on) the
appropriate field(s). For example, selecting or activation the
`Time-of-use` button 432 may enable displaying of a secondary frame
(not shown), as a pop-up frame for example, which may enable the
user to specify maximum and/or minimum delays that may applied
between content downloads and actual use thereof. Selecting the
`Formatting` button 436 may enable displaying a secondary frame
(not shown), as a pop-up frame for example, which may enable the
user to specify various limits on content formatting, and/or
aspects related thereto, such as quality and/or resolution.
Similarly, selecting the `Local Sharing` button 438 may enable
displaying a secondary frame (not shown), as a pop-up frame for
example, which may enable the user to specify nearby users from
whom requested content may be received in lieu of communication of
content directly from service and/or content providers.
[0115] Various embodiments of the invention may comprise a method
and system for multi-tier billing for downloading content via a
broadband gateway. The broadband gateway 200, which may be coupled
to the plurality of devices 104a-104j in the home network 100a and
one or more of the distribution networks 110, may be utilized to
provide multi-tier billing in conjunction with transactions
performed through the broadband gateway 200. In this regard,
broadband gateway 200 may determine whether a transaction requested
from the broadband gateway 200 is performable in a plurality of
steps; may associate a charge and/or a credit with each of the
determined plurality of steps; and may perform the requested
transaction based on the associated charges and/or credits.
Furthermore, surcharges and/or credits may also be associated with
one or more criteria associated with performing the requested
transaction. For example, in instances where the transaction may
comprise obtaining content, the criteria may comprise source of the
content, format of the content, time of actual use of the content,
amount of the content actually consumed, and number of uses of the
content. The broadband gateway 200 may determine multi-tier billing
combinations may comprise a plurality of surcharges and/or credits
that may assessed and/or incurred in conjunction with performing
the requested transaction. The multi-tier billing combinations may
correspond to a plurality of steps that may be completed in
performing the transaction, and/or the various criteria associated
with the requested transactions. The multi-tier billing
combinations utilized in conjunction with the transaction may be
selected by the user. The broadband gateway 200 may track charges
and/or credits accrued during performance of the requested
transaction based on the selected billing combination.
[0116] The requested transaction may comprise obtaining content for
consumption via one or more of the plurality of serviced devices in
the home network. In this regard, the multi-tier billing may
comprise separate surcharges corresponding to download and actual
consumption of content. Configurable aspects of content related
transactions may comprise source of content, formatting of content,
time of actual use, portions of actually consumed, and/or number of
uses. The broadband gateway 200 may communicate with users in the
home network 100a, during multi-tier billing services, using user
interfaces. Selecting and/or configuring the multi-tier billing
combinations may be based on information associated with users. In
this regard, the broadband gateway 200 may store and/or maintain
information associated with users in the home network for use in
conjunction with providing multi-tier billing services to these
users. The stored information may comprise user profiles comprising
a plurality of settings for controlling and/or managing multi-tier
billing services. The user profiles may be configurable by user
associated with these user profiles.
[0117] Other embodiments of the invention may provide a
non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium,
and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage
medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer
program having at least one code section executable by a machine
and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to
perform the steps as described herein for multi-tier billing for
downloading content via a broadband gateway.
[0118] Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The
present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at
least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where
different elements are spread across several interconnected
computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus
adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A
typical combination of hardware and software may be a
general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when
being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that
it carries out the methods described herein.
[0119] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0120] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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