System and method for direct operator to set-top box communication

Abstract

A system and method implements communications between a TV operator's infrastructure and set-top boxes (STBs) through a TV operator's infrastructure, wherein the infrastructure includes at least one Conditional Access System (CAS), a messaging engine and a Set Top Box (STB), the STB including a unique identification value. The method comprises receiving a structured message in the messaging engine; computing a stream out of multiple received structured messages by the messaging engine and sending to the multiplexor; including the stream of structured messages in a broadcasted signal transmitted through the TV operator's infrastructure; receiving the broadcasted signal by the STB and extracting a structured message; and comparing addressing information in the extracted structured message with a unique identification of the STB. Messages directed to the STB can be displayed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for implementing communications between a TV operator's infrastructure and set-top boxes (STBs) through a TV operator's infrastructure, the infrastructure including at least one Conditional Access System (CAS), a messaging engine and a Set Top Box (STB), the STB including a unique identification value, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving a structured message in the messaging engine;   creating a stream out of multiple received structured messages by the messaging engine and sending to a multiplexor;   including the stream of structured messages in a broadcasted signal transmitted through the TV operator's infrastructure;   receiving the broadcasted signal by the STB and extracting a structured message; and   comparing addressing information in the extracted structured message with a unique identification of the STB,   wherein the broadcasted signal includes the structured messages and at least one of the group consisting of signals from a channel guide and audio/video signals from the CAS,   wherein the channel guide includes at least one channel wherein the message stream is transmitted.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying messages that are directed to the STB. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the addressing comparison is made by checking if an ID of the STB is equal to an ID specified in an address field of the structured message, and when an address type of the message is “single”. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the addressing comparison is made by checking if an address type of the structured message is “broadcast”. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the addressing comparison is made by checking if an ID of the STB is bigger than a first ID specified in an address field of the structured message and smaller than a second ID specified in the structured message, where these values are considered as binary encodings of an integer, and when an address type of the message is “range”. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of the addressing comparison being made by checking if an exclusive OR of an ID of the STB and a bitmask specified in an address field of the structured message is a string of 1 (ones), and when the address type of the message is “bitmask”. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the message includes a “schedule descriptor” field with a date and time, further comprising the step of displaying the message at the given time and date. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the STB contains a personal video recorder (PVR) module, wherein the message is of a “PVR command” type, and wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving a start time, an end time and a channel, and commanding a PVR module to record the channel starting at the start time and ending at the end time.