Patent ID: 8065330
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: G06Q,G07F,H04N

Abstract:
1. An information management and entertainment system comprising a plurality of user terminals, and a switching system having interfaces for receiving media streams and for routing the streams to the terminals, wherein: the switching system comprises a core switch; the terminals are connected to the core switch by edge switches; the system comprises at least one management server connected to the core switch and being adapted to route for control signals to components of the system, the core switch and the management server are adapted for bi-directional communication, and the management server is adapted to transmit control signals to the core switch, the management server and the terminals execute a middleware engine for communication within the system, and the middleware engine comprises a services processor executing on the management server and functions executing on the terminals for controlling provision of information management and entertainment services to users via the terminals, wherein the middleware engine services processor automatically maintains a transaction database in a database server, each record of which relates to a user service transaction, wherein the middleware engine comprises a secure data processor having a function on each terminal for authorizing access by a person having high-security access, and functions executing on the management server for allowing access to high-security data upon authorization by a terminal, wherein said secure data processor is adapted to limit high-security data access to database records associated with a user linked with the terminal which receives the high-security data access request, wherein the secure data processor is adapted to determine said linking by verifying an association between a user and a terminal, and wherein said verification is performed by reference to the user profile database, wherein the services processor comprises update functions executing on the terminals and said update functions automatically transmit live status updates to services processor functions executing on the server, and said functions log the updates; and wherein the updates are triggered according to time and according to service transaction events; and wherein the server-executing functions automatically parse the updates to determine update data and wherein server-executing functions use the updates to verify user-requested transactions.