Patent Application
20090282448
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a cable TV system, and more particularly to a set top box and a parameter setting method.
2. Description of Related Art
Cable television systems are widely deployed for distributing television programs, typically providing more selection and better reception quality than that of traditional over-the-air broadcast systems. The deployment of new cable technology, such as digital cables, provides more robust transmission and increased channel capacity, thereby allowing additional services to be offered, such as selective subscription to premium channels and pay-per-view events. The offering of such services typically requires a set top box.
The set top box is an access equipment that should be configured prior to being connected with cable TV systems. Conventionally, operators manually configure parameters of the set top box. However, this method undoubtedly increases the operating cost.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a set top box. The set top box communicates with a plurality of configuration servers for obtaining setting parameters from the configuration servers. The set top box includes a configuration server list cache, a selecting module, an obtaining module, and a setting module. The configuration server list cache stores a list of internet protocol (IP) addresses of the plurality of configuration servers onto a memory system of the set top box. The selecting module selects one IP address from the list of the IP addresses. The obtaining module sends a parameter setting request to one configuration server corresponding to the selected IP address and obtaining a parameter setting message from said configuration server, wherein the one configuration server is selected from the plurality of configuration severs. The setting module sets the set top box according to the parameter setting message.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure with the attached drawings, in which:
In one embodiment, the set top box 100 communicates with one or more configuration servers 200 through a cable TV network 180. Each of the configuration servers 200 can provide parameters and TV services for the set top box 100. The set top box 100 selects the configuration server 200, such as a configuration server 200a as a default server when the set top box 100 is configured for communicating with a cable TV system for a first time.
The configuration server list cache 110 stores and includes internet protocol (IP) addresses of the configuration servers 200. In one embodiment, the configuration server list cache 110 may comprise data that may be formatted to include two columns. One column records serial numbers of the configuration servers 200, while the other column records the corresponding IP addresses of the configuration servers 200. The configuration server list cache 110, in one embodiment, may store the data onto a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a compact disc (CD), or a random access memory, for example, of the set top box 100. Further details of the configuration cache list will be described with respect to
The selecting module 120 selects the IP address of the default configuration server 200 to communicate with when the set top box 100 is turned on and configured for the first time. The selecting module 120 sends a connecting request to the selected configuration server 200 with the selected IP address. The selecting module 120 determines if the default configuration server 200 can be successfully connected if an acknowledgement message has been received from the default configuration server 200.
The obtaining module 130 sends a parameter setting request to the selected configuration server 200 with the selected IP address and receives a parameter setting message from the selected configuration server 200. The selecting module 120 selects another IP address from the configuration server list cache 110 if the set top box 100 does not receive an acknowledgement message from the default configuration server 200.
The setting module 140 sets the set top box 100 according to the parameter setting request.
In alternative embodiments, the set top box 100 may further include an instruction receiving module 150. The instruction receiving module 150 receives instructions produced by user including a power on instruction, a power off instruction, and a tuning instruction, among other instructions.
In block S300, the instruction receiving module 150 receives a power on instruction sent by the user. The power on instruction, in one embodiment, may be the user pressing a power switch of the set top box.
In block S302, the selecting module 120 sends a connecting request to the default configuration server 200. Referring to
In block S304, the selecting module 120 determines if the default configuration server 200a can be successfully connected if an acknowledgement message has been received by the default configuration server 200a. If so, block S318 is executed. Otherwise, block S306 is executed.
In block S306, the selecting module 120 selects another configuration server 200 from the configuration server list cache 110. For example, the selecting module 120 selects the configuration server 200b from the configuration server list cache 110 if the set top box 100 does not receive the acknowledgement message from the default configuration server 200a, and subsequently attempts to connect with the configuration server 200b.
In block S308, the selecting module 120 sends a connecting request to the configuration server 200b.
In block S310, the selecting module 120 determines if the acknowledgement message has been received from the configuration server 200b. If the selecting module 120 receives the acknowledgement message, block S312 is executed. If the selecting module 120 does not receive the acknowledgement message, the process returns to block S306.
In block S312, the obtaining module 130 sends a parameter setting request to the configuration server 200b.
In block S314, the obtaining module 130 receives a parameter setting message from the configuration server 200b.
In block S316, the setting module 140 sets the parameter setting message to the set top box 100.
In block S318, the obtaining module 130 sends a parameter setting request to the default configuration server 200a.
In block S320, the obtaining module 130 receives a parameter setting message from the default configuration server 200a.
In the present disclosure, the set top box 100 can automatically update the software and the system, thereby decreasing operating costs. When the configuration server 200 providing service for the set top box 100 becomes dysfunctional (e.g., does not respond), the selecting module 120 can select another configuration server 200 from the configuration server list cache 110 to take over and provide service for the set top box 100.
The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limit to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Various inventive embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200810301498.X | May 2008 | CN | national |
