Personal area network proxy service for video on demand systems

摘要

Techniques where a computing device such as a smart phone can be leveraged to facilitate video on demand (“VOD”) services through a set top box (“STB”) associated with a content subscription service such as satellite television are described. In an exemplary embodiment, a request for VOD content can be communicated from the STB to the computing device via a personal area network (“PAN”) connection such as Bluetooth. The computing device in turn can forward the VOD content request to a VOD authorization server over a wide area network (“WAN”).

主权项

1. A system for authorizing video on demand (“VOD”) purchases comprising:
a set top box (“STB”) comprising a serial connector; a personal area network (“PAN”) transceiver unit comprising a PAN transceiver, a processor, and a serial connector; a portable computer comprising a processor, a memory, a PAN transceiver, and a wide area network (“WAN”) transceiver, the portable computer including a mobile application that is embodied as a plurality of processor-executable instructions resident in the portable computer's memory; and a server; wherein the PAN transceiver unit is configured to connect with the STB's serial connector via the PAN transceiver unit's serial connector; wherein the portable computer's processor is further configured to execute the mobile application to create a proxy service through which there is a PAN communication path between the STB and the mobile application via a wireless PAN that is established between the PAN transceivers of the PAN transceiver unit and the portable computer and through which there is a WAN communication path between the mobile application and the server via the portable computer's WAN transceiver, wherein the proxy service leverages an existing data service plan from a carrier for the portable computer and does not leverage a tethering plan from the carrier for the portable computer; wherein the STB is configured to (1) receive data representative of a selection of VOD content by a user, (2) generate a VOD authorization request corresponding to the VOD content selection in response to the received data, (3) output the VOD authorization request to the PAN transceiver unit through the STB's serial connector, and (4) play the VOD content in response to receipt of an authorization message; wherein the PAN transceiver unit's processor is configured to (1) receive the VOD authorization request from the STB via the PAN transceiver unit's serial connector, and (2) send the VOD authorization request to the portable computer via the STB transceiver unit's PAN transceiver and the wireless PAN according to a PAN protocol; wherein the portable computer is configured to, through the proxy service created by execution of the mobile application, (1) receive the VOD authorization request sent by the PAN transceiver unit and (2) send the VOD authorization request to the server via the WAN communication path according to a WAN protocol; and wherein the server is configured to (1) receive the VOD authorization request sent by the portable computer, (2) generate an authorization message based on the received VOD authorization request, and (3) send the authorization message to the STB.