Tracking and Providing Availability Status of Personal Bi-Directional Services

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for accessing services in a television system. In one embodiment, a DHCT presents a subscriber an EPG presentation containing a plurality of selectable bi-directional services that are purchasable for a period of time and rendered to a buying subscriber on an individualized basis as offered by the cable television system. The subscriber navigates an EPG menu presentation with an input device such as a remote control device and selects a purchasable service by choosing the visual representation that corresponds to the desired service. The DHCT receives the user input, translates the selected command into an executable program call that queries service availability and, if the service is available, initiates the selected bi-directional audiovisual service on a personalized session.

1 . A method, comprising:
 enabling access by a first digital home communication terminal (DHCT) to a first bi-directional audiovisual service (BDAVS), the DHCT residing in a cable television network (CTN), the first BDAVS comprising a live, personalized communication session between a user associated with the first DHCT and a person located remote from the first DHCT; and   providing first information and second information to the first DHCT, the first information of a first type and the second information of a second type different than the first type, the first and second information corresponding to the first BDVAS.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second information corresponds to the availability of the first BDVAS. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first information and the second information comprises providing the second information asynchronously and the first information periodically. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first information and the second information comprises providing the second information more frequently than the first information. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second information comprises a table of entries, each entry respectively associated with a respective bi-directional audiovisual service among a plurality of bi-directional audiovisual services, the plurality of bi-directional audiovisual services including the first BDVAS. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein each bi-directional audiovisual service has an index number for which the table can be rapidly be indexed with a number corresponding to the bi-directional audiovisual service, and each entry respectively indicating whether a bi-directional audiovisual service is available at a selected time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second information comprises an indication of a quantity of instantiations of the first BDVAS. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising updating the indication of the quantity of instantiations of the first BDVAS. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving a request for an instantiation of the first BDVAS by a second DHCT;   responsive to a request, withholding a grant of access to the first BDVAS and determining whether the quantity of instantiations is exhausted; and   responsive to the determination that the quantity is exhausted, denying access by the second DHCT.   
     
     
         10 . A method, comprising:
 providing a program guide, the program guide comprising first information corresponding to plural bi-directional communication services, wherein at least one of the plural bi-directional communication services corresponds to a bi-directional audiovisual service (BDAVS); and   providing second information in the program guide associated with the plural bi-directional communication services, the second information of a different type than the first.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first information comprises respective titles of the bi-directional communication services. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the second information comprises an icon in proximity of a title of at least one of the bi-directional communication services, the icon suggesting to a viewer that the title corresponds to a bi-directional communication service. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the program guide further comprises a list of channels, wherein one or more of the channels are mapped to one or more of the bi-directional communication services. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein a manner of presenting the first information is user configurable. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the program guide comprises titles corresponding to scheduled broadcast programs. 
     
     
         16 . A system, comprising:
 headend logic residing in a headend (HE), the headend logic configured to be communicatively coupled to a remote device and a digital home communication terminal (DHCT), the headend logic further configured to engage in direct, two-way bi-directional audiovisual communication with the DHCT and the remote device, the engagement enabling personalized, live bi-directional audiovisual services between a subscriber associated with the DHCT and a person associated with the remote device.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the person associated with the remote device comprises a vendor. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the bi-directional audiovisual services includes one or more of a diagnostic service, consulting service, educational service, shopping service, health or fitness services and an adult entertainment service. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the headend logic is further configured to update the DHCT asynchronously as to availability of the bi-directional audiovisual services. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the headend logic is further configured to determine whether instantiations of one or more of the bi-directional audiovisual services is available.