Abstract: A method of provisioning entitlement including: receiving within a headend and at a policy management module first conditions and rules for content from a service provider or a third party device; and generating, for a point of presence (POP) device of a customer, a policy for entitlement and usage of content (merged policy). The generating of the merged policy includes: merging conditions and rules of policies including the first conditions and rules to generate the merged policy based on a predetermined hierarchy of the policies. Rules and conditions of the merged policy are multi-dimensional to include customer, POP device, and provider dimensions; and generating a configuration file including conditions or condition based parameters. The method further includes: presenting an offer for the content to the customer via the POP device; receiving an acceptance of the offer from the POP device; and enforcing the merged policy according to the configuration file.

Abstract: A method and system for recoding content includes a user network device, a user recording device, a partner service provider and a primary service provider communicating program guide data to a partner provider from a primary service provider. The program guide data includes a content identifier. The partner service provider communicates the program guide data to the user network device which is associated with a user identifier. The user network device selects content and communicates the content identifier to the partner provider through a network. The partner service provider communicates the content identifier and a user identifier to the primary provider. The primary service provider generates a recording instruction at the partner service provider in response to the content identifier and the user identifier and communicates the recording instruction to a user recording device associated with the user identifier. The user recording device records the content in response to the recording command.

Abstract: A method and system for processing listing data includes a listing system having a listing database associated therewith, an external data source communicating station data, external schedule data and external program data to a listing system and an internal source communicating internal program data to the listing system. The listing system stores the station data, external schedule data and external program data and the internal program data in the database. The listing system communicates the listing data to other systems using the listing data such as a program guide system.

Abstract: A method of provisioning entitlement including: receiving within a headend and at a policy management module first conditions and rules for content from a service provider or a third party device; and generating, for a point of presence (POP) device of a customer, a policy for entitlement and usage of content (merged policy). The generating of the merged policy includes: merging conditions and rules of policies including the first conditions and rules to generate the merged policy based on a predetermined hierarchy of the policies. Rules and conditions of the merged policy are multi-dimensional to include customer, POP device, and provider dimensions; and generating a configuration file including conditions or condition based parameters. The method further includes: presenting an offer for the content to the customer via the POP device; receiving an acceptance of the offer from the POP device; and enforcing the merged policy according to the configuration file.

Abstract: A system and method for operating the same includes a conversation manager that receives a receiving a first search request and, after receiving the first search request, receives a second search request. The system also includes a classifier module within the conversation manager classifying the first search request relative to the second search request as related or not related. A context merger module within the classifier module combines the first search request and the second search request to form a merged search request. A search module performs a second search based on the merged search request.

Abstract: A method and system for providing program guide data to a user network device associated with a user identifier includes a partner service provider in communication with the user network device and a primary service provider in communication with the partner service provider authenticating the user network device provider using the user identifier. The user network device generates a request for program guide data and communicates the user identifier and the request to the partner service provider. The partner service provider or the primary service provider communicates program guide data to the user network device based on the identifier data. The user network device displays the program guide data on a display device.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying a service includes a service locator module and a customer service device communicating a channel signal to a service locator module from a customer service module. The service locator module generates a service signal associated with the channel signal and communicates the service signal to the customer service device.

Abstract: A system and method of communicating between a user receiving device, a user locator module and a partner service provider includes a gateway device having a port configured to communicate with a user receiving device. The user receiving device registers with the user device locator module through the port. The user device locator module determines the location of a user receiving device. The partner service provider and the user receiving device form a peer-to-peer connection in response to the location data.

Abstract: A system and method for providing program guide data includes a partner service provider generating a request for a first encrypted token using a partner site identifier and a primary service provider having an authentication web service receiving the request for the first encrypted token. The primary service provider validates the partner site identifier, generates a first encrypted token at the authentication web service when the partner site identifier is valid and communicates the encrypted token to the partner service provider. The partner service provider requests program guide data from the primary service provider with the first encrypted token. The primary service provider communicates program guide data to the partner service provider. A user network device requests program guide data from the partner service provider. The partner service provider communicates the program guide data through the network. The user network device displays the program guide data on a display.

Abstract: An entitlement system and method of operating the same includes a file share storage and a file publisher that receives schedule data and generates a formatted file in a first format from the schedule data. The file publisher stores the formatted files in the file share storage. The entitlement system also includes an entitlement cache and a file processor communicating the formatted files from the file share storage to the entitlement cache. An authorization server receives an access request from a user device and accesses the formatted file. The authorization server compares a first content identifier from the formatted file to an authorized rights list for the user device and authorizes the user device to access the content in response to comparing.

Abstract: A system and method for operating with profiles includes a head end associating a first account profile having first profile settings and a first identifier and a second account profile having second profile settings and a second identifier with a user account. A first user receiving device operates with the first profile settings. The head end communicates second profile settings to the first user receiving device and the first user receiving device operates with the second profile settings.

Abstract: A system and method for collecting usage data from a first user device and a second user device includes a first module receiving a first device action signal from the first user device having first device usage data associated therewith. The first module receives a second device action signal from second user device having second device usage data associated therewith and stores the storing the first device usage data and the second device usage data in the usage queue. A usage data collector is in communication with the first module and receives the first usage data and the second usage data to a usage data collector. A central data storage site receives the usage data from the usage data collector.

Abstract: A method and system for communicating between a user network device and a server includes a first server and a user network device that requests an electronic token (eToken) from the first server. The first server communicates the eToken, a signature key, and a server time. The user network device determines a signature using the server time and signature key and communicates a request for data to a second server. The request for data includes a signature. The second server communicates data to a user network device.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating between a user device locator module and a user receiving device includes forming a secure connection with the user device locator module. The user receiving device communicates user identifier data and port data to the user device locator module. An authentication module authenticates the user data from the user device locator module and generates an authentication signal. The user device locator module registers the port data at the user device locator module in response to the authentication signal.

Abstract: A method and system for providing digital rights to a user device is set forth. The user device forms a selection signal from guide data. The user device communicates a digital rights determination signal to a first authentication module in response to selecting. The first authentication module communicates a query signal to a second authentication module to determine whether the user device is authorized to receive content associated with the selection signal. The second authentication module communicates an address of a content delivery module to the user device through the first authentication module when the user device is authorized. A digital rights management server communicates a request for content to a content delivery module using the address of the content delivery module. The content delivery module communicates content to the user device corresponding to the selection signal. The user device displays content on the display associated with the user device.

Abstract: A method and system for authenticating a user receiving device to communicate with a partner service device includes a primary service provider. A user receiving device generates a request for a first encrypted token. The user receiving device communicates the request for the first encrypted token to an authentication web service of the primary service provider. The authentication web service generates the first encrypted token. The primary service provider communicates the first encrypted token to the user receiving device. The user receiving device communicates the first encrypted token to the partner service provider. The partner service provider communicates data to the user receiving device after receiving the first encrypted token.

Abstract: A content ingestion system and method of operating the same includes a client module receiving a schedule data signal from an external service provider to a content ingestion module. The system also includes a first queue receiving the schedule data signal from the client module. The system further includes a switch module forming a plurality of objects from the schedule data signal and a second queue receiving the plurality of objects from the first switch module. A persistence module is also included in the system that reads the objects from the second queue and storing the objects in a database.

Abstract: A method and system for authenticating a partner service provider and a primary service provider includes a network and, a partner service provider generating a request for a first encrypted token from a partner service provider and communicating the request to the network. An authentication web service receives the request for the first encrypted token from the network and generates the first encrypted token. The partner service provider generates a request for data with the first encrypted token and communicates the request for data to the network. A data web service receives the request for data and communicates the request for data from the data web service to the authentication web service. The authentication web service validates the request for data and communicates a validation result to the data web service. The data web service communicates data to the partner service provider from the data web service after validating.

Abstract: A system and method is set forth for communicating between a user network device, a partner service provider, a primary service provider and a user network device. The user network device initiates an account set-up page from the partner service provider, provides primary service account data in response to the account setup page and communicates the primary service account data to the primary service provider setup web service. The primary service provider validates the primary service account data and generates an encrypted token in response to validating the primary service account data. The user network device generates a request for data through a partner service provider. The partner service provider communicates the request for data with the encrypted token to the primary service provider. The primary service provider validates the request for data at the authentication web service and communicates data to the client device from a data web service through the partner service provider after validating.

Abstract: A method and system for providing program guide data to a user network device associated with a user identifier includes a partner service provider in communication with the user network device and a primary service provider in communication with the partner service provider authenticating the user network device provider using the user identifier. The user network device generates a request for program guide data and communicates the user identifier and the request to the partner service provider. The partner service provider or the primary service provider communicates program guide data to the user network device based on the identifier data. The user network device displays the program guide data on a display device.