Abstract:
An information network, such as an interactive set-top box, is provided to a subscriber. Through interaction with the set-top box, a subscriber may indicate his or her interest in a specific television or video program to be offered by a service provider and the price he or she would be willing to pay for it. This information is communicated to the service provider over a communications link, such as the Internet. The service provider uses the information to determine the offer price of the television or video program.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to the distribution of entertainment media to a viewer on-demand.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Cable and satellite television service providers often offer specific television programs to viewers on a pay-per-view basis. The service provider fixes a price for a particular program based upon previous demand for similar programs and the cost of the program (either copyright fees or production costs) and then offers the program to viewers. If the price is too high, too few viewers will request the program, if the cost is too low, the total revenue generated will be less than optimal.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Accordingly, certain embodiments of the current invention provide a method by which a cable or satellite television service provider may obtain information as to the likely revenues that will be generated by a specific program offering prior to actually offering the program.  
           [0004]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information network, such as an interactive set-top box, is provided to a subscriber. Through interaction with the set-top box, a subscriber may indicate his or her interest in a specific program offering and the price he or she would be willing to pay for it. This information is communicated to the service provider over a communications link, such as the Internet.  
           [0005]    With this embodiment of the present invention, the service provider collects information regarding the acceptable pricing for the program. In the preferred embodiment, this information is gathered through the subscriber&#39;s navigation and interaction with web pages served by the service provider to the subscriber.  
           [0006]    The service provider may poll subscribers, asking a subscriber to bid on a particular program and to commit to purchasing that program if it is subsequently made available at a price equal to or less than the bid.  
           [0007]    The service provider may operate a web site, in which an inventory of programs, such as movies or forthcoming events, is categorized and listed (with descriptions, reviews etc.). The web site may be arranged so that a subscriber can register his or her level of interest in a particular program and the price he or she would be willing to pay. The subscriber may also request other programs not listed.  
           [0008]    The service provider determines which programs to offer based upon the level of interest, the cost of the program, available bandwidth for delivery and other factors.  
           [0009]    Accordingly, the service provider may optimize the efficiency of program delivery, which results in a combination of higher profits for the operator and lower prices for the subscriber.  
           [0010]    The above summaries are intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, which will be best understood in conjunction with the detailed description to follow, and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the claims. The invention itself, however, as well as the preferred mode of use, and further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing(s), wherein:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary plot of the relationship between the price of a program and the number of subscribers who will purchase the program. It also shows the resulting relationship between the revenue generated and the price.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary interactive television (TV) system, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 shows a system configuration for an exemplary digital set-top box, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for program price establishment, in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as exemplary of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several Views of the drawings.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows an exemplary plot of the relationship between the price of a program and the number of subscribers who will purchase the program. It also shows the resulting relationship between the revenue generated and the price. The upper plot in FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary relationship between the price charged to the subscriber for a particular program and the number of subscribers who will purchase the program at that price or at a lower price. When the price is low, less than $2, for example, a high number of subscribers (90,000 in this example) will purchase the program. As the price increases, fewer and fewer subscribers will purchase the program. Above $10, no subscribers will purchase the program. The revenue generated by the program is determined by the number of subscribers purchasing the program multiplied by the price charged for the program. The relationship between the revenue generated and the price charged is depicted in the lower plot of FIG. 1. In this example, the maximum revenue generated will be $315,000 and will occur when the program is offered at a price of $4.60.  
         [0018]    This knowledge enables the service provider to compare this particular program with other programs and determine which program will provide the highest net return.  
         [0019]    If the program contains advertising, it is likely that the revenue received from advertisers is related to the number of subscribers purchasing the program. This revenue, and the cost of the program, may also be considered when determining the net income resulting from delivery of the program.  
         [0020]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram for an exemplary interactive cable or satellite television (TV) system  100  is shown. The system  100  includes, at a head end of the service provider  10 , a media server  12  for providing, on demand, movies and other programming obtained from a media database  14 . The media server  12  might also provide additional content such as broadcast sporting events, interviews with the actors, games, advertisements, available merchandise, associated Web pages, interactive games and other related content. The system  100  also includes an information server  16  and a program listing database  18 . The program listing database  18  may contain a list of scheduled broadcast programs, programs available on-demand and programs that could be made available on demand if there was sufficient interest from subscribers. The system  100  also includes a subscriber information database  19 , in which is stored the reported subscriber interest in currently offered and on-demand programs that may be offered in the future. The subscriber information database  19  is linked or related to the program listing database  18 . In one embodiment, the information in the subscriber information database  19  is gathered through the subscriber&#39;s navigation and interaction with web pages served by the service provider to the subscriber. These web pages may be served from the information server  16 , or from ISP Host  38 . The subscriber may access the web pages at any time, or may be prompted, by the service provider, to respond to a questionnaire. For each program, the information may include the subscriber&#39;s interest level (low, medium, high for example), the price a subscriber might pay, the likelihood of purchase on a particular day or at a particular time. The system  100  also includes a processing unit  21 , which is configured to use the information in the subscriber information database  19  to calculate a preferred offer price for programs offered to the subscriber for purchase. The processing unit  21  may use additional information such as program costs, likely advertising revenue and promotional value, to determine the preferred offer price. The processing unit  21  may also be configured to determine which programs are offered to the subscriber for purchase.  
         [0021]    Set-top box  22  can generally provide for bidirectional communication over a transmission medium  20  in the case of a cable STB  22 . In other embodiments, bidirectional communication can be effected using asymmetrical communication techniques possibly using dual communication media—one for the uplink and one for the downlink. In any event, the STB  22  can have its own Universal Resource Locator (URL) or IP address or other unique identifier assigned thereto to provide for addressability by the head end and users of the Internet.  
         [0022]    The media server  12  and information server  16  are operatively coupled by transmission medium  20  to a set-top box (STB)  22 . The transmission medium  20  may include, for example, a conventional coaxial cable network, a fiber optic cable network, telephone system, twisted pair, a satellite communication system, a radio frequency (RF) system, a microwave system, other wireless systems, a combination of wired and wireless systems or any of a variety of known electronic transmission mediums. In the case of a cable television network, transmission medium  20  is commonly realized at the subscriber&#39;s premises as a coaxial cable that is connected to a suitable cable connector at the rear panel of the STB  22 . In the case of a Direct Satellite System (DSS), the STB  22  is often referred to as an Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD). In the case of a DSS system, the transmission medium is a satellite transmission at an appropriate microwave band. Such transmissions are typically received by a satellite dish antenna with an integral Low Noise Block (LNB) that serves as a down-converter to convert the signal to a lower frequency for processing by the STB  22 .  
         [0023]    The exemplary system  100  further includes a TV  24 , such as a digital television, having a display  26  for displaying programming, web pages, etc. The STB  22  may be coupled to the TV  24  and various other audio/visual devices  27  (such as audio systems, Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), Video Tape Recorders (VTRs), Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) and the like), storage devices (e.g., hard disc drives) and Internet Appliances  28  (such as email devices, home appliances, storage devices, network devices, and other Internet Enabled Appliances) by an appropriate interface  30 , which can be any suitable analog or digital interface. In one embodiment, interface  30  conforms to an interface standard such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)  1394  standard, but could also be wholly or partially supported by a DVI interface (Digital Visual Interface—Digital Display Working Group, www.ddwg.org) or other suitable interface.  
         [0024]    The STB  22  may include a central processing unit (CPU) such as a microprocessor and memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, mass storage such as a hard disc drive, floppy disc drive, optical disc drive or may accommodate other electronic storage media, etc. Such memory and storage media is suitable for storing data as well as instructions for programmed processes for execution on the CPU, as will be discussed later. Information and programs stored on the electronic storage media or memory may also be transported over any suitable transmission medium such as that illustrated as  20 . STB  22  may include circuitry suitable for audio decoding and processing, the decoding of video data compressed in accordance with a compression standard such as the Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) standard and other processing to form a controller or central hub. Alternatively, components of the STB  22  may be incorporated into the TV  24  itself, thus eliminating the STB  22 . Further, a computer having a tuner device and modem may be equivalently substituted for the TV  24  and STB  22 .  
         [0025]    By way of example, the STB  22  may be coupled to devices such as a personal computer, video cassette recorder, camcorder, digital camera, personal digital assistant and other audio/visual or Internet related devices. In addition, a data transport architecture may be utilized to enable interoperability among devices on a network regardless of the manufacturer of the device if the manufacturers agree to adhere to an industry standard. The STB  22  runs an operating system suitable for a home network system.  
         [0026]    The STB  22  includes an infrared (IR) receiver  34  for receiving IR signals from an input device such as remote control  36 . Alternatively, it is noted that many other control communication methods may be utilized besides IR, such as wired or wireless radio frequency, etc. In addition, it can be readily appreciated that the input device  36  may be any device suitable for controlling the STB  22  such as a remote control, personal digital assistant, laptop computer, keyboard or computer mouse. In addition, an input device in the form of a control panel located on the TV  24  or the STB  22  can be provided.  
         [0027]    The STB  22  may also be coupled to an independent service provider (ISP) host  38  by a suitable connection including dial-up connections, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or the same transmission medium  20  described above (e.g., using a cable modem) to, thus, provide access to services and content from the ISP and the Internet. The ISP host  38  provides various content to the user that is obtained from a content database  52 . STB  22  may also be used as an Internet access device to obtain information and content from remote servers such as remote server  48  via the Internet  44  using host  38  operating as an Internet portal, for example. In certain satellite STB environments, the data can be downloaded at very high speed from a satellite link, with asymmetrical upload speed from the set-top box provided via a dial-up or DSL connection.  
         [0028]    While the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 shows a plurality of servers and databases depicted as independent devices, any one or more of the servers can operate as server software residing on a single computer. Moreover, although not explicitly illustrated, the servers may operate in a coordinated manner under centralized or distributed control to provide multiple services as a Multiple Service Operator (MSO) in a known manner. Additionally, the services provided by the servers shown in FIG. 2 may actually reside in other locations, but from the perspective of the user of STB  22 , the service provider  10  serves as a portal to the services shown. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustration of FIG. 2 represents a simplified depiction of a cable system configuration shown simply as service provider  10 . The actual configuration of the service provider&#39;s equipment is more likely to follow a configuration defined by the CableLabs OpenCable™ specification. The simplified illustration shown is intended to simplify the discussion of the service provider  10 &#39;s operation without unnecessarily burdening the discussion with architectural details that will be evident to those skilled in the art. Many of those details can be found in the publicly available CableLabs OpenCable™ specification or in the text “OpenCable Architecture (Fundamentals)” by Michael Adams, Cisco Press, November 1999.  
         [0029]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a typical system configuration for a digital set-top box  22  is illustrated. In this exemplary set-top box, the transmission medium  20 , such as a coaxial cable, is coupled by a suitable interface through a diplexer  102  to a tuner  104 . Tuner  104  may, for example, include a broadcast in-band tuner for receiving content, an out-of-band (OOB) tuner for receiving data transmissions. A return path through diplexer  102  provides an OOB return path for outbound data (destined for example for the head end). A separate tuner (not shown) may be provided to receive conventional RF broadcast television channels. Modulated information formatted, for example, as MPEG-2 information is then demodulated at a demodulator  106 . The demodulated information at the output of demodulator  106  is provided to a demultiplexer and descrambler circuit  110  where the information is separated into discrete channels of programming. The programming is divided into packets, each packet bearing an identifier called a Packet ID (PID) that identifies the packet as containing a particular type of data (e.g., audio, video, data). The demodulator and descrambler circuit  110  also descrambles scrambles information in accordance with a decryption algorithm to prevent unauthorized access to programming content, for example.  
         [0030]    Audio packets from the demultiplexer  110  (those identified with an audio PID) are decrypted and forwarded to an audio decoder  114  where they may be converted to analog audio to drive a speaker system (e.g., stereo or home theater multiple channel audio systems) or other audio system  116  (e.g., stereo or home theater multiple channel amplifier and speaker systems) or may simply provide decoded audio out at  118 . Video packets from the demultiplexer  110  (those identified with a video PID) are decrypted and forwarded to a video decoder  122 . In a similar manner, data packets from the demultiplexer  110  (those identified with a data PID) are decrypted and forwarded to a data decoder  126 .  
         [0031]    Decoded data packets from data decoder  126  are sent to the set-top box&#39;s computer system via the system bus  130 . A central processing unit (CPU)  132  can thus access the decoded data from data decoder  126  via the system bus  130 . Video data decoded by video decoder  122  is passed to a graphics processor  136 , which is a computer optimized to processes graphics information rapidly. Graphics processor  136  is particularly useful in processing graphics intensive data associated with Internet browsing, gaming and multimedia applications. It should be noted, however, that the function of graphics processor  136  may be unnecessary in some set-top box designs having lower capabilities, and the function of the graphics processor  136  may be handled by the CPU  132  in some applications where the decoded video is passed directly from the demultiplexer  110  to a video encoder. Graphics processor  136  is also coupled to the system bus  130  and operates under the control of CPU  132 .  
         [0032]    Many set-top boxes such as STB  22  may incorporate a smart card reader  140  for communicating with a so called “smart card,” often serving as a Conditional Access Module (CAM). The CAM typically includes a central processor unit (CPU) of its own along with associated RAM and ROM memory. Smart card reader  140  is used to couple the system bus of STB  22  to the smart card serving as a CAM (not shown). Such smart card based CAMs are conventionally utilized for authentication of the user and authentication of transactions carried out by the user as well as authorization of services and storage of authorized cryptography keys. For example, the CAM can be used to provide the key for decoding incoming cryptographic data for content that the CAM determines the user is authorized to receive.  
         [0033]    STB  22  can operate in a bidirectional communication mode so that data and other information can be transmitted not only from the system&#39;s head end to the end user, or from a service provider to the end user of the STB  22 , but also, from the end user upstream using an out-of-band channel. In one embodiment, such data passes through the system bus  130  to a modulator  144  through the diplexer  102  and out through the transmission medium  20 . This capability is used to provide a mechanism for the STB  22  and/or its user to send information to the head end (e.g., service requests or changes, registration information, etc.) as well as to provide fast outbound communication with the Internet or other services provided at the head end to the end user.  
         [0034]    Set-top box  22  may include any of a plurality of I/O (Input/Output) interfaces represented by I/O interfaces  146  that permit interconnection of I/O devices to the set-top box  22 . By way of example, and not limitation, a serial RS- 232  port  150  can be provided to enable interconnection to any suitable serial device supported by the STB  22 &#39;s internal software. Similarly, communication with appropriately compatible devices can be provided via an Ethernet port  152 , a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port  154 , an IEEE 1394 (so-called firewire™ or i-LINK™) or IEEE 1394 port  156 , S-video port  158  or infrared port  160 . Such interfaces can be utilized to interconnect the STB  22  with any of a variety of accessory devices such as storage devices, audio/visual devices  26 , gaming devices (not shown), Internet Appliances  28 , etc.  
         [0035]    I/O interfaces  146  can include a modem (be it dial-up, cable, DSL or other technology modem) having a modem port  162  to facilitate high speed or alternative access to the Internet or other data communication functions. In one preferred embodiment, modem port  162  is that of a DOCSIS (Data Over Cable System Interface Specification) cable modem to facilitate high-speed network access over a cable system, and port  162  is appropriately coupled to the transmission medium  20  embodied as a coaxial cable. Thus, the STB  22  can carry out bidirectional communication via the DOCSIS cable modem with the STB  22  being identified by a unique IP address. The DOCSIS specification is publicly available. Of course it is envisioned that the modem can be built into the set-top box.  
         [0036]    A PS/ 2  or other keyboard/mouse/joystick interface such as  164  can be provided to permit ease of data entry to the STB  22 . Such inputs provide the user with the ability to easily enter data and/or navigate using pointing devices. Pointing devices such as a mouse or joystick may be used in gaming applications.  
         [0037]    Of course, STB  22  also may incorporate basic video outputs  166  that can be used for direct connection to a television set such as  24  instead of (or in addition to) an IEEE 1394 connection such as that illustrated as  30 . In one embodiment, Video output  166  can provide composite video formatted as NTSC (National Television System Committee) video. The infrared port  160  can be embodied as an infrared receiver  34  as illustrated in FIG. 2, to receive commands from an infrared remote control  36 , infrared keyboard or other infrared control device. Although not explicitly shown, front panel controls may be used in some embodiments to directly control the operation of the STB  22  through a front panel control interface as one of interfaces  146 . Selected interfaces such as those described above and others can be provided in STB  22  in various combinations as required or desired.  
         [0038]    STB  22  will more commonly, as time goes on, include a disc drive interface  170  and disc drive mass storage  172  for user storage of content and data as well as providing storage of programs operating on CPU  132 . STB  22  may also include floppy disc drives, CD ROM drives, CD RAW drives, DVD drives, etc. CPU  132 , in order to operate as a computer, is coupled through the system bus  130  (or through a multiple bus architecture) to memory  176 . Memory  178  may include a combination any suitable memory technology including Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Flash memory, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), etc.  
         [0039]    While the above exemplary system including STB  22  is illustrative of the basic components of a digital set-top box suitable for use with the present invention, the architecture shown should not be considered limiting since many variations of the hardware configuration are possible without departing from the present invention. The present invention could, for example, also be implemented in more advanced architectures such as that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/473,625, filed Dec. 29, 1999, Docket No. SONY-50N3508 entitled “Improved Internet Set-Top Box Having and In-Band Tuner and Cable Modem” to Jun Maruo and Atsushi Kagami. This application describes a set-top box using a multiple bus architecture with a high level of encryption between components for added security, and a separate video path. This application is hereby incorporated by reference as though disclosed fully herein.  
         [0040]    In general, during operation of the STB  22 , an appropriate operating system 180 such as, for example, Sony Corporation&#39;s Aperios™ real time operating system is loaded into, or is permanently stored in, active memory along with the appropriate drivers for communication with the various interfaces. In other embodiments, other operating systems such as Microsoft Corporation&#39;s Windows CE™ could be used without departing from the present invention. Along with the operating system and associated drivers, the STB  22  usually operates using browser software  182  in active memory or browser software may permanently reside in ROM, EEPROM or Flash memory, for example. The browser software  182  may operate as the mechanism for viewing not only web pages on the Internet, and can serve as the mechanism for viewing an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) formatted as an HTML document. The browser  182  can be used to view and fill out HTML questionnaires regarding the subscriber&#39;s interest in programs that may be offered on-demand in the future. This information is collected by the service provider and stored in the subscriber information database, described above.  
         [0041]    STB software architectures vary depending upon the operating system. However, in general, all such architectures generally include, at the lowest layer, various hardware interface layers. Next is an operating system layer as previously described. The software architectures of modern STB have generally evolved to include a next layer referred to as “middleware.” Such middleware permits applications to run on multiple platforms with little regard for the actual operating system in place. Middleware standards are still evolving at this writing, but are commonly based upon Javascript and HTML (hypertext Markup Language) virtual machines. At the top layer is the application layer where user applications and the like reside, e.g., browsing, email, EPG, Video On Demand (VOD), rich multimedia applications, pay per view, etc. The current invention can be utilized with any suitable set-top box software and hardware architecture.  
         [0042]    In one embodiment, the service provider calculates the value of movie as follows. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary mode of operation  200  of the present invention. Subscriber information  204  is collected from subscribers and stored in the subscriber information database  208 . The expected number of purchasers, N, is calculated at block  210  as a function of the price p ( 202 ) charged to the subscribers. The expected number of purchasers is depicted as  212 . The direct revenue generated, R d  (depicted as  216 ), is obtained by multiplying the product of the price charged  202  and the number of purchasers  212  at multiplier  214 . The resultant Direct Revenue Generated  216  is 
           R   d   =p×N ( p ) 
         [0043]    The optimal direct price p max  ( 219 ), which maximizes the direct revenue, is calculated at calculation block  218 . The advertising revenue, R a  ( 229 ) is calculated at calculation block  228  and is a function of the number of purchasers, N ( 212 ), since generally advertisers will pay more to advertise in during programs with a larger audience. The function dependence of R a  upon the number of purchasers may be determined from historical data or by polling potential advertisers. The program also has a promotional value, R p  ( 225 ), which is calculated at calculation block  224 . For example, if a recent popular movie is offered at a price perceived to be low, advertisement of the offer may attract more subscribers. The promotion value, R p , can be considered as a function of the difference  222  between the offered price p ( 202 ) and the optimal direct price p max  ( 219 ). The difference  222  is calculated at subtractor  220 . The functional dependence of R a  may be determined with reference to historical data. The value, V(p) ( 234 ), of the movie to the service provider may then be calculated as the sum of signals  216 ,  225  and  229  less the cost of the program  206 . This gives  
               V        (   p   )       =                  R   d     +     R   a     +     R   p     -   C                   =                  p   ×     N        (   p   )         +       R   a          (     N        (   p   )       )       +       R   p          (       p   max     -   p     )       -   C       ,                               
 
         [0044]    where C is the cost of the movie. This is calculated using summers  226  and  230  and subtractor  232 . Since the function N(p) is known from information in the subscriber information database, the preferred offer price  238  for the movie may be determined by maximizing the value V(p) ( 234 ) with respect to the price p ( 202 ) at calculation block  236 . This calculation may be performed for each movie in turn, thereby providing the service provider with a method for deciding which movie(s) to broadcast.  
         [0045]    The above discussion is simplified, of course, and other factors, such as the time and date of the broadcast, may need to be considered also. Also, the interaction between movies may need to be considered. This is the case, for example, when multiple movies are broadcast simultaneously, or when subscribers have a limited budget for purchasing movies.  
         [0046]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments based upon use of a programmed processor. However, the invention should not be so limited, since the present invention could be implemented using hardware component equivalents such as special purpose hardware and/or dedicated processors which are equivalents to the invention as described and claimed. Similarly, general purpose computers, microprocessor based computers, micro-controllers, optical computers, analog computers, dedicated processors and/or dedicated hard wired logic may be used to construct alternative equivalent embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0047]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the program steps used to implement the embodiments described above can be implemented using disc storage as well as other forms of storage including Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, Random Access Memory (RAM) devices; optical storage elements, magnetic storage elements, magneto-optical storage elements, flash memory, core memory and/or other equivalent storage technologies without departing from the present invention. Such alternative storage devices should be considered equivalents.  
         [0048]    The present invention is preferably implemented using a programmed processor executing programming instructions that are broadly described above in flow chart form and can be stored in any suitable electronic storage medium. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processes described above can be implemented in any number of variations and in many suitable programming languages without departing from the present invention. For example, the order of certain operations carried out can often be varied, and additional operations can be added without departing from the invention. Error trapping can be added and/or enhanced and variations can be made in user interface and information presentation without departing from the present invention. Such variations are contemplated and considered equivalent.  
         [0049]    While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.