Patent ID: 8225361
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for monitoring, from a remote location comprising a monitor and control unit, operations of a head-end in an information distribution system, the method comprising: providing a head-end for delivering programming guide and contents to remote set top terminals coupled to display devices for viewing the programming guide and contents; providing a service manager at the head-end for monitoring parameters associated with transport streams for delivering the programming guide and contents to the remote set top terminals; providing, at the head-end separately from the service manager, a session manager for communicating with the set top terminals to control sessions with the set top terminals and manage usage and demands of the set top terminals; providing a monitoring and control device remotely coupled to the head-end for remotely monitoring and controlling the head-end by communicating with both the service manager and the session manager to poll both the service manager and the session manager to obtain from the service manager parameters associated with transport streams for delivering the programming guide and contents to the remote set top terminals and to obtain status from the session manager for usage and demands of the set top terminals demands; collecting by the monitoring and control device an identity, a type, a capability and a reporting level for a plurality of remote devices designated for responding to monitoring and control messages relating to the operation of the head-end; storing, at the monitoring and control device, the collected identity, type, format capability and reporting level for the plurality of remote devices; processing, at the monitoring and control device, the status received from the service manager and the status received from the session manager to present in a graphical user interface a display of the parameters associated with transport streams for delivering the programming guide and contents to the remote set top terminals obtained from the service manager and a display of the status obtained from the session manager; activating an alert using the graphical user interface to generate a monitoring and control message relating to the operation of the head-end; analyzing the generated monitoring and control message and the stored identity, type, format capability and reporting level for the plurality of remote devices to identify a remote device designated to receive the generated monitoring and control message and to determine a format capability for the generated monitoring and control message to be provided to the identified remote device; and providing a communication server for establishing communication between the plurality of remote devices and the monitoring and control device and for providing the generated monitoring and control message to the identified remote device according to the determined type and format capability.