Interactive video distribution systems – User-requested video program system – Video-on-demand
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2003-08-19
Boccio, Vincent (Department: 2615)
Interactive video distribution systems
User-requested video program system
Video-on-demand
C725S102000, C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06609253
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of interactive media systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for providing video cassette recorder (VCR) control of an interactive media system.
2. Background of the Invention
Interactive media system providers (referred to herein as service providers) have long been offering services that permit subscribers to purchase movies or special events for in-home viewing. These services enable a subscriber to browse a library of live and pre-recorded programs, to order a program, and to watch that program on the subscriber's home viewing equipment. Typical variations of these services include pay-per-view, near video-on-demand (NVOD), and video-on-demand (VOD). Pay-per-view services usually offer live broadcast events that are shown only once, such as Wrestlemania™ or boxing events. Near-video-on-demand services typically deploy continuous video streams at regular intervals, e.g., the same movie is shown for a whole day starting every fifteen minutes. Finally, video-on-demand services typically deliver individual media streams to subscribers immediately upon ordering. Overall, subscribers greatly value these services for their convenience in avoiding such difficulties as traveling to rent and return a video cassette or digital video disc (DVD) from a retail vendor.
Although some of these services deliver live event broadcasts or continuous media streams to multiple subscribers, the present invention is directed to the typical video-on-demand service, in which a pre-recorded program is delivered through an individual media stream to an individual subscriber. In such a case, the program is digitally encoded, stored on a server, and transmitted to a subscriber upon ordering.
To further attract subscribers to these interactive media services, service providers have added viewing functions that emulate the operation of a video cassette recorder (VCR). U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,276 to Banker, et al. discloses one such method of providing video-on-demand with VCR-like functions. Examples of these VCR functions include pause, rewind, and fast-forward. In this manner, subscribers can order a program and not be constrained by a continuous, unstoppable showing. Instead, the enhanced service gives the subscribers control over the delivery of the program and increased viewing flexibility. For example, with VCR-like functions, a subscriber can pause the viewing of an ordered program to accommodate such interruptions as telephone calls or trips to bathroom. In addition, using the rewinding function, a subscriber can return to and replay a favorite movie scene or perhaps return to a critical point in a program to ascertain missed information. Thus, subscribers have come to appreciate interactive media services with VCR-like control and will pay a premium to use them.
As used herein, “VCR-like control” and “VCR control” are synonymous terms describing the simulated video cassette recorder control that is applied to interactive media services. Likewise, “VCR function” refers to a simulated video cassette recorder function, such as pause.
Although giving subscribers more viewing control increases subscribership and revenues, the added control presents a significant bandwidth problem for the service providers. Specifically, with unlimited VCR control, a subscriber can continuously use available bandwidth by, for example, watching a program or a portion of a program several times using the rewind function. Or, a subscriber might activate the pause feature for an extended amount of time and return to the program hours or days later. In effect, a subscriber with unlimited VCR control can consume the bandwidth allotted to his program for an indefinite amount of time. Further, for every subscriber tying up a portion of bandwidth, the capacity of the video server providing the service is reduced, resulting in, at some point, the service provider's inability to sell another program to another subscriber.
To offset this bandwidth consumption, one method of limiting VCR control invokes a “time out” function that terminates a subscriber's ability to play the program. Typically, service providers have experimented with weekly or daily purchases, where a subscriber can view the program and use the VCR control without restriction during the allotted time period. However, service providers still find subscribers exploiting the service by watching a program repeatedly and consuming the allotted bandwidth for nearly the whole purchase period. Although the service providers can compensate for this repeated viewing by charging more for the service, subscribers tend to forego the service as cost increases.
To further limit the VCR control, service providers sometimes reduce purchase periods from weekly or daily durations to durations of a few hours. This time limit restricts the number of times a subscriber can rewind and replay a program, and simplifies the tasks of allocating bandwidth and opening capacity to other subscribers. However, timing out after just a few hours greatly reduces viewing flexibility and frustrates subscribers. As an example of this inflexible time out feature, a subscriber given five hours to watch a two hour movie might unexpectedly have to pause the program to take an important and lengthy telephone call. Even upon returning to the program within the five hours, the subscriber may not have enough time to watch the end of the movie because the remaining duration of the movie exceeds the time remaining before the time out. The result in these prior art time out systems is the termination of the movie, without warning and regardless of whether the subscriber reached the end of the movie. In addition, this time out method imposes a fixed viewing period that fails to factor in the length of a particular ordered program. Thus, a subscriber may think he has the same grace period for a longer program as for a shorter program, only to be cut off at the end of the viewing period.
Instead of timing out, some service providers base a completed program purchase on whether the subscriber views the end of the program. For example, the service provider can deactivate the VCR control once the subscriber reaches a certain point toward the end of the program, such as the rolling of credits. However, clever subscribers aware of the threshold point can still rewind, pause, and replay as often as they like and consume bandwidth to the detriment of the service provider. In addition, determining the point in a program at which to deactivate the VCR control is a tricky exercise, which can result in service behavior that annoys some subscribers but not others. For example, some subscribers may want the ability to rewind during the credits to catch an actor's name while others simply turn off the program when credits begin.
Rather than limiting viewing time, some service providers restrict the total time that the VCR control can be applied. For example, a service provider may limit a subscriber to pressing the pause, rewind, or fast-forward functions for a total of 10 minutes. Pressing pause for 10 minutes is straightforward and is not problematic. However, in typical interactive media systems with VCR control, pressing rewind or fast-forward a certain amount of time shifts the viewing time a proportionally longer amount of time, e.g., in a system in which rewind and fast-forward speeds are 8 times faster than the viewing time speed, pushing the rewind or fast-forward button for 10 minutes backs up or advances the real time running of the program 80 minutes. Thus, following this example, for a movie or program shorter than 80 minutes, the subscriber could essentially rewind the whole program and watch it again, increasing the bandwidth consumption up to 80 minutes.
As another disadvantage, the interactive media systems that limit the duration of VCR control fail to credit a subscriber for pressing fast-forward and for actually reducing the bandwidth consumption. For instance, with VCR control limited to 10 minutes
Batten John C.
Stefanik John R.
Swix Scott R.
BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
Boccio Vincent
Fletcher James A
Shaw Pittman LLP
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