Patents by Inventor Christopher J. Cugno

Christopher J. Cugno has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10085075
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method provide messaging, between a headend system and a set top box. A distributor determines and provides an assigned communication identifier and an assigned server host address, that correspond to one of one or more first servers, to each of one or more set top box clients. The first servers maintain a persistent connection with the set top box clients and provide messaging, presence, and routing features via the persistent connection. A gateway service provides a gateway for one or more headend servers to communicate with the set top box clients through the first servers. A server controller provides administrative graphical user interfaces for operators to monitor and control health checks, configuration changes, and collect statistics for the distributor, first servers, and the gateway service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: THE DIRECTV GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Thai Lam, Christopher J. Cugno, Sivasubramanian Venkataramani, Michael Shu Xie, Ying Sheng
  • Patent number: 10085070
    Abstract: A system, method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to configuring out-of-home streaming between a mobile device and a set top box (STB). Internet connectivity establishment (ICE) agents, installed on the mobile device and the STB, determine telemetry information via communication with network address translator (NAT) servers. Communication agents, installed on the mobile device and the STB, translate the telemetry information into a format acceptable to a communication server. The communication server exchanges the telemetry information between the mobile device and the STB and maintains a persistent connection with the STB. The communication agents connect the mobile device to the same communication server that the STB is persistently connected to. Media content is streamed directly from the STB to the mobile device if a direct connection between the STB and mobile device is established and via the NAT servers if a direct connection cannot be established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: THE DIRECTV GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: David Bibayoff, Christopher J. Cugno, Siva Subramanian Venkataramani, Gerard V. Talatinian, Benjamin Mui, Mark C. Guidarelli, Vishal Arya, Pankaj Sharma
  • Publication number: 20170188114
    Abstract: A system, method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to configuring out-of-home streaming between a mobile device and a set top box (STB). Internet connectivity establishment (ICE) agents, installed on the mobile device and the STB, determine telemetry information via communication with network address translator (NAT) servers. Communication agents, installed on the mobile device and the STB, translate the telemetry information into a format acceptable to a communication server. The communication server exchanges the telemetry information between the mobile device and the STB and maintains a persistent connection with the STB. The communication agents connect the mobile device to the same communication server that the STB is persistently connected to. Media content is streamed directly from the STB to the mobile device if a direct connection between the STB and mobile device is established and via the NAT servers if a direct connection cannot be established.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: David Bibayoff, Christopher J. Cugno, Siva Subramanian Venkataramanian, Gerard V. Talatinian, Benjamin Mui, Mark C. Guidarelli, Vishal Arya, Pankaj Sharma
  • Publication number: 20170078764
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method provide messaging, between a headend system and a set top box. A distributor determines and provides an assigned communication identifier and an assigned server host address, that correspond to one of one or more first servers, to each of one or more set top box clients. The first servers maintain a persistent connection with the set top box clients and provide messaging, presence, and routing features via the persistent connection. A gateway service provides a gateway for one or more headend servers to communicate with the set top box clients through the first servers. A server controller provides administrative graphical user interfaces for operators to monitor and control health checks, configuration changes, and collect statistics for the distributor, first servers, and the gateway service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thai Lam, Christopher J. Cugno, Sivasubramanian Venkataramani, Michael Shu Xie, Ying Sheng
  • Patent number: 9538259
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method provide messaging, between a headend system and a set top box. A distributor determines and provides an assigned communication identifier and an assigned server host address, that correspond to one of one or more first servers, to each of one or more set top box clients. The first servers maintain a persistent connection with the set top box clients and provide messaging, presence, and routing features via the persistent connection. A gateway service provides a gateway for one or more headend servers to communicate with the set top box clients through the first servers. A server controller provides administrative graphical user interfaces for operators to monitor and control health checks, configuration changes, and collect statistics for the distributor, first servers, and the gateway service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: The DirecTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Thai Lam, Christopher J. Cugno, Sivasubramanian Venkataramani, Michael Shu Xie, Ying Sheng
  • Patent number: 9191336
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for assigning processing requests is disclosed. The method is typically used in a processing system comprising a first processing center and one or more second processing centers remote from the first processing center, a. A method of assigning a processing request may comprise the steps of: determining at a traffic distribution controller a capacity of each of the processing centers to process the processing request, accepting a processing request in the first processing center, and assigning the processing request to at least one of the second processing centers according to the determined current capacity of each of the processing centers. The processing request is initially addressed to a first global address of the first processing center, then the processing request is readdressed to a second global address of one of the second processing centers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Vishal Arya, Shahzad Ali, Christopher J. Cugno, Thai Lam, Michael A. Makhijani, Vaibhav Singh