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AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 19 January 2005 (19.01.2005); new claims 26-45 added; remaining claims unchanged (11 pages)] 1. A method for transmitting a report from a remote location having an integrated receiver decoder to a distribution station having a server, comprising the steps of: a) receiving at the integrated receiver decoder a command having a return path from the server; b) generating a return email utilizing said return path; c) generating the report; d) attaching the report to said return email; and e) sending said return email and the report to the server.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating the report further comprises the step of selecting status information.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein status information is selected from the group consisting of unit information, tuner information, carrier settings, network controller information, video decoder information, audio decoder information, group membership information, and alarm conditions.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating the report further comprises the step of generating an email header.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating a return email utilizing said return path is accomplished through the use of a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of attaching the report to said return email further includes the step of encoding the report.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of generating said return path in said command, transmitting said command from the server to the integrated receiver decoder, extracting binary data from said reply email and generating a human readable output.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said human readable output is an HTML file.
9. A system for transmitting a report from a remote location to a distribution station through a computer network, comprising: at least one integrated receiver decoder located at the remote location and operatively connected to the computer network, said at least one integrated receiver decoder including programming for generating a reply email including the report and sending said reply email to the distribution station; and a server located at the distribution station and operatively connected to the computer network, said server having software for processing said reply email and said report.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said programming is hardware implemented.
11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said programming is software implemented.
12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one integrated receiver decoder is operatively connected to the computer network through the use of a firewall.
13. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of integrated receiver decoders, each of said integrated receiver decoders located at the remote location and operatively connected to a router, said router operatively connected to the computer network.
14. A method for commanding at least one remote integrated receiver decoder, comprising: identifying within a control server at least one remote integrated receiver decoder to be commanded; sending a command to said identified at least one integrated receiver decoder; 24
receiving said command within said identified at least one integrated receiver decoder; processing said command within said identified at least one integrated receiver decoder; generating a report within said identified at least one integrated receiver decoder; and sending a reply email including said report from said identified at least one integrated receiver decoder to said control server.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one integrated receiver decoder is identified using an identifier selected from the group consisting of a MAC address, an IP address, and a group name.
16. The method according to claim 14, further comprises the steps of processing said sent reply mail within said control server and analyzing said report.
17. A system for transmitting commands to a remote location, comprising: a control server in communication with an email server; said email server in communication with a computer network; and at least one integrated receiver decoder located at the remote location and connected to said computer network, said at least one integrated receiver decoder including programming for generating a reply email including a report.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote location includes a firewall.
19. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a plurality of integrated receiver decoders located at the remote location, wherein each of said integrated receiver decoders operatively connected to a router.
20. The system according to claim 17, wherein said control server sends a command via satellite. 25
21. The system according to claim 17, wherein said control server sends an email to said email server.
22. A method of transmitting a report from a plurality of integrated receiver decoders to an email server, comprising the steps of: a) receiving a satellite communication including a command having a return path from a satellite; b) identifying within said command said return path; c) generating a return email utilizing said return path; d) selecting status information for the report; e) attaching said selected status information to said return email; and f) sending said return email and said selected status information over a computer network to the email server.
23. A system for transmitting a report, comprising: a plurality of integrated receiver decoders, each of said integrated receiver decoders having a database and operatively connected to a router; said router operatively engaged with a firewall; said firewall in communication with a computer network; and an email server in communication with said computer network, whereby said email server sends an email to at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders, the at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders receives said sent email; the at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders generates a reply email, the at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders selects status information from said database, the at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders attaches said selected status information to said reply email, and the at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders transmits the reply email with said attached status information to said email server.
AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE T9 26
24. A system for transmitting status information, comprising: a distribution station including a control server, said control server operatively engaged with a transmitter and an email server; a satellite for relaying a plurality of signals from said transmitter; a plurality of remote receivers, each remote receiver having a plurality of integrated receiver decoders, a router operatively connected to each of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders, and a firewall operatively connected to said router, each of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders adapted to receive at least one of said plurality of signals from said satellite; and a computer network operatively connected to said firewall and to said email server, whereby said control server sends via said satellite a command to at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders, said at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders receives said command, said at least one of said plurality of integrated receiver decoders generates a reply email having status information and sends said reply email over said computer network to said email server.
25. A method of transmitting a report over a computer network from at least one integrated receiver decoder having a memory device to an email server, comprising the steps of: a) generating an alarm condition within the at least one integrated receiver decoder; b) identifying within the memory device a return path; c) generating a return email utilizing said return path; d) selecting status information for the report; e) attaching said selected status information to said return email; and
AMENDED SHEET ARTICLE 19? 27
f) sending said return email and said selected status information over the computer network to the email server.
26. A reporting apparatus for an integrated receiver decoder configured to receive content data transport streams, decode content data from the transport stream and output content data, said reporting apparatus comprising: a microprocessor; a radio frequency input interface; a computer network interface; a memory; said microprocessor, said radio frequency input interface, said computer network interface and said memory all being in operative communication; said microprocessor being configured to receive at least one data packet containing an e- mail return address, said e-mail return address being addressed a transmission controller, said microprocessor being further configured to store said e-mail return address in said memory; said microprocessor being further configured to periodically update at least one parameter, said parameter being an operational status of the integrated receiver decoder, and said microprocessor being further configured to store a current status of said at least one parameter in said memory; said microprocessor being further configured to periodically survey at least one alarm condition in said integrated receiver decoder, said at least one alarm condition having an operational threshold at which alarm status is flagged; said microprocessor being further configured to write a report of said at least one parameter, said report including said alarm status when said operational threshold of said alarm condition is met; 28
said microprocessor being further configured to attach said report to an e-mail, said e- mail being addressed to said e-mail return address, said e-mail return address being recalled from send memory; said microprocessor being further configured to send said e-mail when a command in the data transport stream requests said e-mail and to send said e-mail when said alarm condition survey indicates that at least one of said operational thresholds for said alarm conditions is met.
27. The report apparatus of claim 26 wherein said report is flagged to indicate whether the report is sent in response to said alarm status or in response to the transmitted command to send said report.
28. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said microprocessor is further configured to include in said report an identification of said transmission controller requesting said report.
29. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said microprocessor is further configured with an alarm time out such that said reports of said alarm status are sent in said e- mail at a report period, said report period being longer than said periodic survey of said alarm conditions.
30. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said computer network is the internet.
31. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 further comprising a manual switch in operative communication with said microprocessor, said microprocessor being further configured to send said e-mail with said report in response to an operators signal to send said e- mail with said manual switch. 29
32. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 further comprising a transmitter, said microprocessor being configured to send said e-mail with said report via a radio frequency transmission sent by said transmitter.
33. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said microprocessor and said memory are configured to include in said report information selected from the group consisting of: unit information, tuner information, carrier settings, network controller information, video decoder information, audio decoder information, group membership and said at least one alarm condition.
34. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said microprocessor is further configured to include in said e-mail a "from" field.
35. The reporting apparatus of claim 34 wherein said from field includes a user account name.
36. The reporting apparatus of claim 34 wherein said from field includes an integrated receiver decoder serial number.
37. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said parameters are selected from the group consisting of: unit information, tuner information, carrier settings, search and acquisition information, network controller information, video decoder data, audio decoder data, relay settings, group membership information and an RF switch/LNB setting.
38. The reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein said microprocessor further comprises a report encoder, said encoder using a UU encode algorithm.
39. A status reporter for an uplink, the uplink being configured to transmit a content data transport stream for satellite distribution to a plurality of integrated receiver decoders, said status report apparatus comprising: a microprocessor, 30
a transmitter interface, a computer network interface, and a memory; said microprocessor, said transmitter interface, said computer network interface and said memory all being operative communication, said microprocessor being configured to send to at least one of the plurality of integrated receiver decoders at least one data packet containing an e-mail return address, said e-mail return address being addressed to a server in operative communication with the uplink transmitter; said microprocessor being further configured periodically request a status report from at least one of the plurality of integrated receiver decoders; said memory being configured to store a last reported status for each of the plurality of integrated receiver decoders; said microprocessor being further configured to receive said status report via an e-mail through said computer network interface; said microprocessor being further configured to receive an alarm status report, the alarm status report being received through said computer network interface and to store the alarm status report in said memory; said microprocessor being further configured to transmit a command in response to said receipt of one of the alarm status reports, said command being stored in said memory, and said microprocessor being further configured to direct said command in response to the alarm status report to the individual integrated receiver decoder from which the alarm status report was received, said direction being according to an identification of the sending integrated receiver decoder, said identification being included in said alarm status report.
40. The uplink apparatus of claim 39 wherein said computer network is the internet. 31
41. The uplink apparatus of claim 39 wherein said computer network interface is further configured to spool incoming e-mails.
42. The uplink apparatus of claim 39 wherein said microprocessor is further configured to receive the incoming status reports and to identify the incoming status reports according to a flag on each of the incoming status reports, said flag indicating whether the incoming status report was sent in response to a transmitted command for reports, or in response to an alarm condition.
43. A data structure for an integrated receiver decoder configured to receive content data transport streams, decode content data from the transport stream and output content data, said data structure comprising: an instruction to store an e-mail return address in a memory, the e-mail return address being received in at least one data packet containing an e-mail return address, the e-mail return address being addressed a transmission controller, an instruction to store in a memory at least one parameter, said parameter being a current operational status of the integrated receiver decoder, an instruction to store at least one alarm condition in said integrated receiver decoder, each of said alarm conditions having a current alarm status and an operational threshold at which an alarm status is flagged, said alarm status being stored in a memory; an instruction to periodically review said alarm conditions; an instruction to review said current operational status of said parameter in response to a request for a status report; an instruction to write a parameter report of said at least one current operational parameter, 32
an instruction to write an alarm report of said alarm status when said operational threshold of said alarm condition is met; an instruction to attach said alarm reporter parameter reports to an e-mail, said e-mail being addressed to said e-mail return address, said e-mail return address being recalled from said memory; and an instruction to send said e-mail when a command in the data transport stream requests said e-mail and to send said e-mail when said alann condition survey indicates an operational threshold for an alarm is met.
44. The method of claim 1 wherein said return path is an e-mail return path.
45. The method of claim 1 wherein said return path is transmitted in a data portion a data packet.
AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19f