Centralized User Data Registry for Interactive Television
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of interactive television platforms must repeatedly enter common information across disparate applications, leading to inefficiency for service providers and frustration for users, as existing technologies do not provide a user-friendly solution for persistent storage of this information.
Innovation Solution
A system with a central repository and a registration application that collects and stores common user information, allowing multiple applications to access this data without requiring users to re-enter it, using a combination of LDAP servers, ISA protocols, and a registry on the set-top box for efficient storage and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each application maintains separate user information storage, then application independence is maintained, but user information must be repeatedly entered across multiple applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the information storage function across multiple applications by introducing a centralized registry that all applications can access. Instead of each application maintaining separate storage, the registry serves as a shared repository for user information, eliminating redundant data entry while preserving application independence through standardized access interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The registry is designed as a universal storage mechanism that serves multiple applications simultaneously. It provides multi-functional support by storing various types of user information (account details, preferences, etc.) that can be accessed by any application on the platform, replacing the need for application-specific storage systems.
2Productivity
If a centralized repository is implemented to store common user information, then user information entry efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the registry as an intermediary component between users and multiple applications. This mediator handles all information storage and retrieval operations, simplifying the interface that applications must implement while centralizing the complexity of persistent storage management in a single location.
Solution Approach 2:
The system architecture is segmented into distinct functional components: the registry for persistent storage, the applications for specific functions, and the user interface for interaction. This segmentation allows each component to be developed and maintained independently, reducing overall system complexity despite the centralized nature of the registry.
3Speed
If user information is stored locally in each application, then data access speed is fast, but data consistency across applications cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data storage into a single centralized registry that all applications access. This ensures that there is only one source of truth for user information, maintaining data consistency across all applications while providing fast access through optimized retrieval operations from the centralized location.
Data Source
AI summary
For interactive television subscribers, a system (10) and method for persistent storage of common information relating to a user (25) required by multiple disparate iTV applications to be shared among said applications to ease the burden of data entry off the user. Subscribers do not have to repeatedly enter the same common user information required by multiple applications. The registration information inputted by a user (25) is logged, temporarily stored in the STB (35), and its contents transmitted to a remote central repository (100) at predetermined intervals.