Interactive Service Provision via Set-Top Box Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional television services lack an independent interactive service mechanism, leading to poor time efficiency and inconvenience in user interaction due to the need for external channels like phones or short messages for participating in interactive services associated with program content.
Innovation Solution
An interactive service provision method and system that associates a program with interactive service information, using an interactive service management system to update the electronic program guide with interaction attributes, allowing set-top boxes to acquire and present this information directly to users, enabling convenient participation during program viewing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If interactive service information is inserted in television signals as part of content production, then the service can be provided, but it is not convenient for flexible service provision and management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service system into distinct components: the television signal transmission path and the interactive service information path. Interactive service information is no longer embedded in television signals but is managed separately through an electronic program guide system that can independently update and distribute service information to set-top boxes, enabling flexible service provision without affecting content production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts interactive service information from the television signal stream and places it in a separate management system. The electronic program guide system independently manages interactive service information, allowing it to be updated, modified, and distributed without requiring changes to the television content production process, thus improving service flexibility and management ease.
2Ease of operation
If external channels like phone or short message are used for interaction, then users can participate in interactive services, but time efficiency is poor and interaction is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the interactive service functionality directly into the set-top box, which is already present in the user's home for receiving television signals. This integration allows users to interact with program content through the same device they use for viewing, eliminating the need for external channels like phones or short message services, thereby improving convenience and reducing interaction time.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic program guide system acts as an intermediary between the television content and the user's set-top box. It delivers interactive service information directly to the set-top box, which then presents it to the user during program viewing. This intermediary mechanism enables seamless integration of interactive services into the television viewing experience without requiring users to switch to external communication devices.
3Reliability
If all interactive service information is received at once for on-demand programs, then the set-top box has complete information, but it may cause network overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by dividing the reception of interactive service information into batches with random or distributed time intervals. For live programs, the set-top box receives information in multiple batches rather than all at once, with each batch containing a designation of time for the next reception. This periodic reception strategy ensures complete information is eventually received while distributing network traffic over time to prevent overload.
4Productivity
If requests from multiple terminals are distributed over time, then load on links is evened out, but some requests may experience delay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing distributed time intervals for receiving interactive service information batches. The system randomly or distributively schedules reception times within a preset range, which evenly distributes network load across multiple terminals. While individual requests may experience variable timing, the overall system achieves balanced load distribution, preventing network overload while maintaining acceptable response times through the periodic batching mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses an interactive service provision method mainly including: associating a program with interactive service information, acquiring the interactive service information associated with the program and presenting the interactive service information by the set-top box when the program is played, according to interaction attribute of the program indicating that the program is associated with the interactive service information. The invention also provides a corresponding interactive television system. The invention allows the interactive service information to be acquired through the interaction attribute of the program, and thus to be separated from television signals. In addition, it is possible for the user to participate in the interactive service information directly through the set-top box conveniently while watching the program, which is advantageous in facilitating and improving the efficiency of the interactive service, and enhancing the user participation.