Method and System for Matching Content Consumption Preference Via a Broadband Gateway

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to, and claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/351,696, which was filed on Jun. 4, 2010.

This application also makes reference to:

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,377 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,413 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/355,480 filed on Jan. 16, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/395,383 filed on Feb. 27, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23397US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23398US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23399US02) filed on ______;
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• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23401US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23402US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23403US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23404US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23405US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23406US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23407US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23408US02) filed on ______;
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• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23412US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23413US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23414US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23415US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23416US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23417US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23418US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23419US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23420US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23421US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23422US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23423US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23424US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23425US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23426US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23427US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23428US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23429US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23430US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23431US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23432US02) filed on ______;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23434US02) filed on ______; and
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 23435US02) filed on ______.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to communication systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telecommunication technologies have evolved from analog to digital technologies, and continues to evolve from circuit switched to packet switched, from connection oriented packet switching to connectionless packet switching, and from narrow band application to broadband applications. The accompanied evolution in telecommunication technologies has significantly advanced operators' capability to offer broadband, IP-based multimedia services ranging from entertainment and lifestyle applications such as mobile TV and mobile payment to professional services such as video conferencing and real-time data exchange.

With the continuous growth of digital television or broadcast multimedia, and/or broadband access, which may be used in conjunction with online businesses, social networks, and/or other online services and applications, users may desire having access to a larger number of providers and/or a broader range of content in a manner that is flexible and/or suits the users' lifestyles. Most users connect to the Internet using web browsers running on personal computers (PCs). Furthermore, most households may have one or more display devices that may be used to view television and/or multimedia broadcasts. Television broadcasts may include terrestrial TV, Cable-Television (CATV), satellite TV and/or Internet Protocol television (IPTV) based broadcasts. To ensure against unauthorized reception and/or use of TV and/or multimedia broadcast, service providers may require use of dedicated equipments such as set-top boxes (STBs) that may be used to encrypt broadcast signals communicated from the service providers to generate suitable video and/or audio streams that may be played via televisions and/or other display/playback devices in the household. Furthermore. STBs and/or TVs may support Internet access. Thus, rather than using a computer to access the Internet, a user may find it more convenient to use the flat screen televisions and/or monitors in home networks for the same prpose.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system that is operable to match content consumption preference via a broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway that is operable to match content consumption preference, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A-3D are block diagrams that each illustrates exemplary matching of content consumption preference utilizing a broadband gateway, in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention can be found in a method and system for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway. In various embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway, which enables communication with a plurality of devices and handles at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service providers, may be operable to receive a request for content from a particular device of the plurality of devices. Content which corresponds to the request may be selected by the broadband gateway from content that may be available in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the content. The broadband gateway may receive the selected content from a selected content source of the one or more content sources for communication to the particular device. In this regard, the at least one physical layer connection may comprise, for example, a plurality of physical layer connections and the at least one corresponding network access service provider may comprise a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, and each of the plurality of physical layer connections corresponds to respective one of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider and/or a network access service provider via broadcast communications and/or Internet communications. The selected content may also be received from a communication device via peer-to-peer communications, for example. The particular type of the content may comprise, for example, a movie, a sports program, a news program, an education program, a life show and/or other categories of content. The broadband gateway may generate and/or update the user preference information associated with the particular type of the content based on content consumption history of an associated user and/or inputs from the user. In this regard, the user preference information may comprise rules associated with price, picture quality, advertisement insertion, content source and/or other characteristics for consuming the particular type of the content, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway may be operable to receive information associated with the content that is available in the one or more content sources, where the received information may be used by the broadband gateway to determine the selection of the content that corresponds to the request.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway may receive a request for options, which may override one or more rules in the user preference information, from a user who is associated with the particular device. In this regard, the broadband gateway may communicate or offer choices of content sources for the content request to the particular device based on the request for options from the user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system that is operable to match content consumption preference via a broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a communication system 100. The communication system 100 may comprise a plurality of broadband gateways of which broadband gateways 102, 103 are illustrated, a plurality of distribution networks 110, a plurality of devices 104a-104d, 105a-105d, which are collectively referred to herein as devices 104 and 105 respectively, a plurality of network access service providers 120 of which network access service providers 120a-120c are illustrated and a plurality of content providers 130 of which content providers 130a-130c are illustrated. The devices 104a-104d may be serviced by the broadband gateway 102. The devices 105a-105d may be serviced by the broadband gateway 103.

A content provider such as the content provider 130a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to generate, capture and/or package content such as, for example, multimedia content that may be distributed to one or more of the devices 104a-104d, 105a-105d via one or more of the network access service providers 120a-120c and the corresponding broadband gateways 102, 103. The content may be, for example, downloadable or streaming, and/or rented or purchased. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a content provider such as the content provider 130a may provide information such as metadata associated with content available in the content provider 130a to a broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102. The information associated with the content may be used by the broadband gateway 102 to determine a selection of content that corresponds to a content request from a coupled device such as the device 104a.

A network access service provider such as the network access service provider 120a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide services using different access technologies to one or more of the devices 104a-104d, 105a-105d for end-users via the corresponding broadband gateways 102, 103. The services may include, but are not limited to, multimedia, television, Internet, phone, Ethernet, multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA), passive optical network (PON), and/or cellular services, for example. The network access service providers 120 may provide physical layer connections to the broadband gateways 102, 103. Such physical layer connections may then be utilized by the broadband gateways 102, 103 to access content provided by the content providers 130, to access services provided by other service providers, and/or to access an intranet or the Internet at-large. In this regard, “network access service provider” as utilized herein, is distinguished from the more generic term “service provider” which may encompass services other than providing physical layer access. Cable television (CATV) providers, plain old telephone service (POTS) providers, digital subscriber line (DSL) providers, cellular service providers, WiMAX providers and/or satellite providers are examples of the network access service providers 120. In some instances, a network access service provider such as the network access service provider 120c may be a provider that provides both content and services.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a network access service provider such as the network access service provider 120c may provide information such as metadata associated with content available in the network access service provider 120c to a broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102. The information associated with the content may be utilized by the broadband gateway 102 to determine a selection of content that corresponds to a content request from a coupled device such as the device 104a.

A broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to provide an interface and connectivity between one or more of the devices 104a-104d and one or more of the distribution networks 110. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may support configuring and/or using a plurality of broadband connections 108 to the distribution networks 110. The broadband connections 108 may comprise wired and/or wireless connections between the broadband gateway 102 and the distribution networks 110. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to perform and/or provide various services that may pertain to enabling and/or facilitating reception of content such as multimedia content from one or more of the content providers 130a-130c. The content may be delivered through one or more of the network access service providers 120. The broadband gateway 102 may communicate with various devices 104a-104d using wired, optical and/or wireless communication links 106. Similarly, the broadband gateway 103 may support configuring and/or using a plurality of broadband connections 109 to the distribution networks 110. The broadband gateway 103 may communicate with various devices 105a-105d using wired, optical and/or wireless communication links 107.

A single broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to the distribution networks 110, where different ones or portions of the distribution networks 110 may be owned, operated, leased or associated with different ones of the network access service providers 120. A physical layer may refer to an open systems interconnection (OSI) layer 1. In this regard, for example, a first network access service provider such as network access the service provider 120a may provide network access to the broadband gateway 102 via a DSL connection over twisted-pair cabling, and a second network access service provider such as the network access service provider 120b may provide network access to the broadband gateway 102 via a cable television connection over coaxial cabling. In some instances, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to concurrently communicate over the plurality of physical layer connections provided by the plurality of network access service providers 120.

A broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102 may be located at a residential location such as a home. The broadband gateway 102 may also be located in non-residential location comprising, for example, a commercial building, an office, an office complex, an apartment building and/or a factory. While the broadband gateway 102 may be illustrated as a single and separate device in FIG. 1, the invention may not be so limited. In one embodiment of the invention, some functionalities of the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented in a distributed manner over two or more devices locally and/or remotely. For example, some of the functionalities of the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented within one of the televisions available in the home. Furthermore, the broadband gateway 102 may be implemented as a virtual platform, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to respond a content request received from a coupled device such as the device 104a. The broadband gateway 102 may select content that corresponds to the request from available content in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the request content. The broadband gateway 102 may receive or acquire information such as, for example, metadata or peer-to-peer directory that may be associated with the content available in the one or more content sources. The information associated with the content may be utilized by the broadband gateway 102 to determine the selection of content that corresponds to the content request from the device 104a and matches the associated user preference information. The broadband gateway 102 may generate and/or update the user preference information that is associated with the particular type of the content for a user such as the user 114, based on content consumption history of the user 114 and/or inputs from the user 114, for example.

A device such as the device 104a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to interact with the broadband gateway 102. The devices 104a-104d serviced by, and/or connected with the broadband gateway 102 may comprise content consuming devices and/or non-content consuming household devices. For example, the devices 104 may comprise a television, a set-top box (STB), a laptop computer, a tablet PC, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a security alarm, a desk top computer and/or server, a mobile phone, a speaker, an AM/FM radio, a phone, and/or an appliance such as a refrigerator. The devices 104a-104d may interact with the broadband gateway 102 via the links 106 utilizing various wired and/or wireless communication technologies such as, for example, Bluetooth, LTE, WiFi and/or Ethernet. Similarly, the devices 105a-105d may interact with the broadband gateway 103 via the links 107 utilizing various wired and/or wireless communication technologies. One or more of the devices 104a-104d may be associated with the user 114, and one or more of the devices 105a-105d may be associated with the user 115.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, although the devices 104a-104d communicate with only the broadband gateway 102 as shown and the devices 105a-105d communicate with only the broadband gateway 103 as shown, the invention may not be so limited. Accordingly, the devices 104a-104d may communicate with multiple broadband gateways in a local or home network and the devices 105a-105d may communicate with multiple broadband gateways in a local or home network without departing from the spirit and scope of various embodiments of the invention.

The distribution networks 110 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, communication devices, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to enable wireless and/or wired communication among a plurality of local and/or remote entities, based on one or more networking and/or communication infrastructures. In this regard, one or more of the distribution networks 110 may be utilized to enable distribution of content such as multimedia content generated by one or more of the content providers 130a-130c, via one or more of the network access service providers 120a-120c, to one or more of the devices 104a-104d, 105a-105d. The network connectivity available via the distribution networks 110 may be based on one or more communication standards and/or protocols. The distribution networks 110 may comprise, for example, Internet, cable television (CATV) network, satellite television (TV) network, wired or wireless local area network (LAN), wired or wireless wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN) and/or cellular network. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the distribution networks 110 may provide resources to support peer-to-peer communications between, for example, a communication device such as the device 104a associated with the user 114 and a communication device such as the device 105a associated with the user 115, as illustrated by the link 140.

In operation, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to receive a content request from a coupled device such as the device 104a which is associated with the user 114. The broadband gateway 102 may select content which corresponds to the content request from content that may be available in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the content. The selected content may be received by the broadband gateway 102 from a selected content source of the one or more content sources for communication to the device 104a.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130a and/or a network access service provider such as the network access provider 120c via broadcast communications. The broadband gateway 102 may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130b and/or a network access service provider such as the network access provider 120a via Internet communications, for example. The selected content may also be received from a communication device such as the device 105a via peer-to-peer communications, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may be operable to receive information associated with the content that is available in the one or more content sources, where the received information may be used by the broadband gateway 102 to determine the selection of the content that corresponds to the content request from the device 104a. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may receive, from a content provider such as the content provider 130a, metadata associated with content that is available in the content provider 130a. The metadata associated with the content may indicate the characteristics of the content such as, for example, cost, picture resolution and/or other characteristics. The broadband gateway 102 may also receive, via the broadband gateway 103, peer-to-peer directory information associated with the user 115. The directory information may indicate that the device 105a may comprise content which may be available via peer-to-peer communications to the device 104a with standard-definition (SD) quality. The content may be available free of charge or at a reduced price, for example.

The particular type of the content may comprise, for example, a movie, a sports program, a news program, an education program, a life show and/or other categories of content. The user preference information may comprise rules associated with, for example, price, picture quality, advertisement insertion, content source and/or other characteristics for consuming the particular type of the content. In this regard, for example, the user 114 associated with the device 104a may request or choose to watch a sports program such as a World Cup soccer game. The user preference information associated with the chosen sports program may indicate that high-definition (HD) quality is required or preferred with no advertisement insertions. In this instance, available content sources may comprise the content provider 130a, the content provider 130b and the device 105a, for example. According to the information or metadata associated with the sports program, the content provider 130a may provide the requested sports program in HD picture quality and with no advertisement insertions via a cable-based broadcast network with a full price. The content provider 130b may provide the requested sports program in SD picture quality via an Internet network with advertisement insertions and a reduced price. According to peer-to-peer directory information associated with the device 105a, the device 105a may provide the requested sports program in SD picture quality via a peer-to-peer network free of charge. Accordingly, the broadband gateway 102 may select the requested sports program from the content provider 130a for delivering the sports program to the device 104a for the user 114 with the full price.

In other instances, the user 114 associated with the device 104a may want to watch an evening news program. In this regard, the user preference information associated with the news program may indicate that SD picture quality is acceptable for the news program, for example. The available content sources may comprise, for example, the content provider 130a via broadcast communications and the network access service provider 120a via Internet communications. According to the information or metadata associated with the news program, the content provider 130a may provide the news program in HD picture quality with a full price. The network access service provider 120a may provide the news program in SD picture quality via Internet free of charge. Accordingly, the network access service provider 120a may be selected by the broadband gateway 102 for delivering the news program free of charge to the device 104a for the user 114.

The broadband Gateway 102 may generate, update and/or maintain the user preference information associated with the particular type of the content automatically and/or periodically based on content consumption history of the user 114. For example, the broadband gateway 102 may adaptively and transparently keep track of content with different types that may have been viewed or consumed by the user 114 in certain ways and/or at certain times. Accordingly, the user preference information associated with the particular type of the content may be generated, updated and/or maintained. The broadband gateway 102 may also generate, update and/or maintain the user preference information based on inputs from the user 114 manually. For example, a user interface provided by the broadband gateway 102 may be utilized to query the user 114 to provide answers to questions related to preferences and/or requirements associated with a particular type of the content being consumed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the broadband gateway 102 may receive a request for options, which may override one or more rules in the user preference information, from the device 104a that is associated with the user 114. In this regard, the broadband gateway 102 may communicate or offer choices of available content sources for the content request to the device 104a based on the request for options from the user 114. In such an instance, for example, instead of following the rules specified in the user preference information for consuming a particular sports event this evening in HD picture quality without advertisement insertions, the user 114 of the device 104a may send a request for options, which overrides the HD picture quality and the no advertisement insertion rules, to the broadband gateway 102 for the particular sports event. The broadband gateway 102 may then provide available content source choices with different prices, picture qualities and/or other characteristics associated with the particular sports event to the user 114 for consideration.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary broadband gateway that is operable to match content consumption preference, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a broadband gateway 200. The broadband gateway 200 may be substantially similar to the broadband gateway 102 in FIG. 1. The broadband gateway 200 may comprise a provider interface module 202, a processor 204, a memory 206, a client device interface module 208 and a content agent 210.

The provider interface module 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to receive data from one or more network access service providers 220a-220b. The provider interface module 202 may also be operable to send data to one or more network access service providers 220a-220b. The provider interface module 202 may be operable to support multiple communication protocols, standards, and/or data transport technologies. The provider interface module 202 may be communicatively coupled to one or more network access service providers 220a-220b via one or more physical layer connections 230a-230b. In this regard, each of the physical layer connections 230a-230b may connect the broadband gateway 200 to one of different network access service providers 220a-220b. Each of the physical layer connections 230a-230b may comprise a wired, optical and/or wireless connection. For example, the physical layer connection 230a may comprise a DSL over twisted-pair connection while the physical layer connection 230b may comprise a CATV over coaxial cable connection.

The processor 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to process data received from the network access service providers 220a-220b and/or the content providers 130a-130c and/or data received from one or more of the devices 104a-104d. In this regard, the processor 204 may comprise one or more portions that are suitable to handle certain types of data such as video data and/or audio data, for example.

The content agent 210 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform content source selections for one or more coupled devices such as the device 104a based on user preference information associated with content being consumed by the one or more devices such as the device 104a. The content agent 210 may generate and/or update the user preference information for a user such as the user 114 associated with the device 104a.

The memory 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to store data utilized in the operations of the broadband gateway 200. For example, the memory 206 may be utilized to store configuration data, parameters, device information, tracking and/or monitoring information, security information, and intermediate processing data, for example. The memory 206 may comprise storage media integrated in the broadband gateway 200 and/or a removable storage device. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memory 206 may be operable to store the user preference information which may be generated and/or updated by the content agent 210.

The client device interface module 208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to send data to one or more of the devices such as the devices 104a-104d in a local or home network. The client device interface module 208 may also be operable to receive data from one or more of the devices 104a-104d in the local or home network. The client device interface module 208 may be operable to support multiple communication protocols, standards, and/or data transport technologies.

In operation, a broadband gateway such as the broadband gateway 200 may provide connections and/or interfaces for various devices such as the devices 140a-140d to distribution networks such as the distribution networks 110. One or more of the devices such as the device 104a may be associated with a user such as the user 114. The content agent 210 in the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to receive a content request from a coupled device such as the device 104a which is associated with the user 114. The content agent 210 may select content which corresponds to the content request from content that may be available in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the content. The particular type of the content may comprise, for example, a movie, a sports program, a news program, an education program, a life show and/or other categories of content. The user preference information may comprise rules associated with, for example, price, picture quality, advertisement insertion, content source and/or other characteristics for consuming the particular type of the content. The selected content may be received by the processor 204 from a content source through the provider interface module 202 or the client device interface module 208. The processor 204 may communicate the content to the device 104a through the client device interface module 208 for the user 114.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130a and/or a network access service provider such as the network access provider 220b via broadcast communications. The processor 204 may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130b and/or a network access service provider such as the network access provider 220a via Internet communications, for example. The selected content may also be received by the processor 204 from a communication device such as the device 105a via peer-to-peer communications, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the content agent 210 may be operable to receive information associated with the content that is available in the one or more content sources, where the received information may be used by the content agent 210 to determine the selection of the content that corresponds to the content request from the device 104a. The received information associated with the content may comprise, for example, metadata and/or peer-to-peer directory which may indicate the characteristics of the content such as, for example, cost, picture resolution and/or other characteristics. The peer-to-peer directory may comprise information pertaining to one or more partners with whom the user 114 may engage in peer-to-peer communications or content sharing.

The content agent 210 may generate, update and/or maintain the user preference information associated with the particular type of the content automatically based on content consumption history of the user 114. The content agent 210 may also generate, update and/or maintain the user preference information based on inputs from the user 114 manually. The generated and/or updated user preference information may be stored in the memory 206.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the content agent 210 may receive a request for options, which may override one or more rules in the user preference information, from the device 104a that is associated with the user 114. In this regard, the content agent 210 may communicate or offer choices of content sources for the content request to the device 104a, based on the received request for options, for consideration by the user 114.

FIGS. 3A-3D are block diagrams that each illustrates exemplary matching of content consumption preference utilizing a broadband gateway, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. These scenarios are provided by way of exemplary illustration and not of limitation. Referring to each of FIGS. 3A-3D, there is shown broadband gateways 302, 303, devices 304a-304b, 305a-305b, content providers 330a-330c and distribution networks 310. The broadband gateways 302, 303 may be substantially similar to the broadband gateways 102, 103 respectively in FIG. 1. The devices 304a-304b may be substantially similar to the devices 104 in FIG. 1. The devices 305a-305b may be substantially similar to the devices 105 in FIG. 1. The content providers 330a-330c may be substantially similar to the content providers 130 in FIG. 1. The distribution networks 310, which may be substantially similar to the distribution networks 110 in FIG. 1, may comprise a broadcast network 310a, an Internet network 310b and a peer-to-peer network 310c. The users 314, 315 may be substantially similar to the users 114, 115 respectively in FIG. 1.

The content providers 330a, 330c may be available to provide content services in high-definition (HD) picture quality via the broadcast network 310a. The content provider 330a may provide the content in HD picture quality without advertisement insertions for a fee. The content provider 330c may have an agreement with the content provider 330a to aggregate a particular content of the content provider 330a. In such an instance, the content provider 330c may be available to provide the particular content of the content provider 330a for a reduced fee or discount price but with advertisement insertions for services of the content provider 330a. The content provider 330b may be available to provide the content services in standard-definition (SD) picture quality via the Internet network 310b for a lower fee. The device 305b may be available to communicate content to the device 304a via the peer-to-peer network 310c. The content that may be shared with the device 304a via peer-to-peer communications may be in SD picture quality free of charge, for example.

FIG. 3A illustrates a first scenario in which the broadband gateway 302 may receive a content request for a sports program such as a professional basketball game from the device 304a which is associated with the user 314. The user preference information associated with the requested sports program may indicate that HD quality is required or preferred with no advertisement insertions. Accordingly, the content provider 330a may be selected to provide the sports program to the device 304a as illustrated by the arrows labeled 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 3B illustrates a second scenario in which the broadband gateway 302 may receive a content request for a movie from the device 304a which is associated with the user 314. The user preference information associated with the requested movie content may indicate that HD picture quality at a lowest available price is required or preferred and advertisement insertions are acceptable. Accordingly, the content provider 330c, which receives the original movie content from the content provider 330a, may be selected to provide the movie content with advertisement insertions to the device 304a as illustrated by the arrows labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4.

FIG. 3C illustrates a third scenario in which the broadband gateway 302 may receive a content request for a news program such as an evening news from the device 304a which is associated with the user 314. The user preference information associated with the requested news program may indicate that SD picture quality at a lowest available price is required or preferred. In this exemplary scenario, the device 305b may not comprise the requested news program for peer-to-peer content sharing. Accordingly, the content provider 330c may be selected to provide the news program to the device 304a as illustrated by the arrows labeled 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 3D illustrates a fourth scenario in which the broadband gateway 302 may receive a content request for an education program such as a Chinese cooking show from the device 304a which is associated with the user 314. The user preference information associated with the requested news program may indicate that SD picture quality at a lowest available price is required or preferred. In this exemplary scenario, both the device 305b and the content provider 330b may be available to provide the requested education program, based on the peer-to-peer directory provided by the device 305b and the metadata provided by the content provider 330b. Since the device 305b may provide the education program free of charge, accordingly, the device 305b may be selected by the broadband gateway 302 to provide the news program to the device 304a as illustrated by the arrows labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the exemplary steps start at step 401. In step 402, the content agent 210 in the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to receive a content request from a coupled device such as the device 104a that is associated with a user such as the user 114. In step 403, the content agent 210 may select content that may correspond to the request from the content available in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the content. The particular type of the content may comprise, for example, a movie, a sports program, a news program, an education program, a life show and/or other categories of content. The user preference information may comprise rules associated with, for example, price, picture quality, advertisement insertion, content source and/or other characteristics for consuming the particular type of the content. In step 404, the processor 204 in the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to receive the selected content from a selected content source through the provider interface module 202 or the client interface module 208 in the broadband gateway 200. In step 405, the processor 204 may communicate the selected content to the device 104a through the client device interface 208 for the user 114. The exemplary steps may proceed to the end step 406.

In various embodiments of the invention, a broadband gateway 102, 200 may enable communication with a plurality of devices 104a-104d and may handle at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider. In this regard, for example, the at least one physical layer connection may comprise, for example, a plurality of physical layer connections 230a-230b and the at least one corresponding network access service provider may comprise a plurality of corresponding network access service providers 220a -220b. Each of the plurality of physical layer connections 230a -230b may correspond to a respective one of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers 220a -220b.

A content agent 210 in the broadband gateway 200 may be operable to receive a request for content from a particular device such as the device 104a. Content which corresponds to the request may be selected by the content agent 210 from content that may be available in one or more content sources, based on user preference information associated with a particular type of the content. The processor 204 in the broadband gateway 200 may receive the selected content from a selected content source of the one or more content sources for communication to the device 104a for an associated user such as the user 114.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the processor 204 may be operable to receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130a and/or a network access service provider such as the network access service provider 220b via, for example broadcast communications. The processor 204 may receive the selected content from a content provider such as the content provider 130b and/or a network access service provider such as the network access service provider 220a via Internet communications. The selected content may also be received from a communication device such as the device 105a via peer-to-peer communications, for example. The particular type of the content may comprise, for example, a movie, a sports program, a news program, an education program, a life show and/or other categories of content. The content agent 210 may generate and/or update the user preference information associated with the particular type of the content based on content consumption history of the user 114 and/or inputs from the user 114. The user preference information may be stored in the memory 206 in the broadband gateway 200. In this regard, the user preference information may comprise rules associated with price, picture quality, advertisement insertion, content source and/or other characteristics for consuming the particular type of the content, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the content agent 210 may be operable to receive information associated with the content that is available in the one or more content sources. The received information such as, for example, metadata and/or peer-to-peer directory information may be used by the content agent 210 to determine the selection of the content that corresponds to the content request.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the content agent 210 may receive a request for options, which may override one or more rules in the user preference information, from the user 114 who is associated with the device 104a. In this regard, the content agent 210 may communicate or offer choices of content sources for the content request to the device 104a based on the request for options from the user 114.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for matching content consumption preference via a broadband gateway.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.