Patent ID: 7814524
Filing Date: 2010-10-12
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of obtaining configuration information associated with a television access device used in a television reception system, wherein the method is carried out in a control device that does not have direct access to the configuration information of the access device, comprising: directing the access device to generate and communicate a signal to the control device suitable for driving a display, wherein the signal contains a visual representation of one or more successive video frames containing the configuration information of the access device; receiving the signal and storing the visual representation of the one or more successive video frames; processing the one or more successive video frames using optical character recognition (OCR) and pattern matching to extract the configuration information of the access device from the one or more successive video frames; identifying, based upon the extracted configuration information, a service provider for which the access device is configured; identifying, based upon the identified service provider, at least one selective OCR template associated with the identified service provider for selective OCR extraction of data displayed in selected areas of display screens used by the access device; and storing the extracted configuration information, the identified service provider, and the identified at least one selective OCR template to a configuration database in the control device.