Customer Account Addressed Set-Top Box Commands
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Solution Overview
Problem
In satellite and digital cable distribution systems, customers often have multiple set-top boxes associated with their account, requiring separate commands to be transmitted for each box to access shared content, which increases bandwidth usage and redundancy.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate and transmit a single command addressed with a customer-specific identification number, allowing multiple set-top boxes to receive and execute the command without individual addressing, reducing bandwidth consumption and redundancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate commands are transmitted to each set-top box individually addressed by smart card identification, then each set-top box can execute the command, but bandwidth usage increases and redundancy occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual commands addressed to different smart cards into a single command addressed to a customer account. The headend generates one command message that contains the customer account number instead of multiple separate command messages each addressed to individual smart card IDs. This merging approach maintains reliable command execution across all set-top boxes while significantly reducing bandwidth consumption by transmitting a single command instead of multiple redundant commands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal command structure that can serve multiple set-top boxes simultaneously. The command message is designed with a customer account number field that can be recognized and processed by any set-top box associated with that account. This universal addressing mechanism allows a single command to perform the same function (e.g., channel addition, software update) across multiple devices, eliminating the need for separate individual commands and reducing overall system bandwidth requirements.
2Loss of energy
If a single command is transmitted addressed with customer identification, then bandwidth usage is reduced, but compatibility with existing smart card-based systems must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the customer account number as an intermediary element between the headend and the set-top boxes. Instead of directly addressing commands to smart card IDs, the system uses the customer account number as a mediator that set-top boxes can resolve to their associated smart card identifiers. This intermediary approach allows the system to transmit bandwidth-efficient customer-account-addressed commands while maintaining compatibility with the existing smart card infrastructure, as each set-top box can translate the customer account address back to its specific smart card ID for execution.
3Reliability
If multiple commands are transmitted to multiple set-top boxes, then each box receives the command, but the system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the command transmission process into a single operation rather than multiple separate transmissions. Instead of generating and transmitting individual commands to each set-top box, the system creates one consolidated command message addressed to the customer account. This merging reduces system processing complexity by eliminating the need to manage multiple command generation, addressing, and transmission operations, while still ensuring reliable delivery to all associated set-top boxes through the universal customer account addressing mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment takes the form of an apparatus or method for generating and transmitting distribution system commands addressed by a general identification, such as a customer-specific identification. The general identification may take the form of a customer number or any other identifier unique to a customer account. The identifier may be stored in the computer-readable memory of several or all of the set-top boxes associated with a particular customer such that commands addressed with the unique identifier may be decrypted and executed by the set-top boxes. Thus, a single command addressed with the customer identification may be received and executed by several or all of the set-top boxes for a particular customer without the need for addressing the command to each set-top box individually.