Applications registry for a television environment

Abstract

An applications registry provides a repository of television-based applications. The registry stores information about television-based applications registered, and allows users to view information regarding the registered television-based applications through one or more portals. The information includes a general description of the television-based applications, a description of an entitlement model for the television-based applications, and downloading information to permit a user to download the application to the home media system. The user accesses the registry, to view information about the television-based application, through a home media system. The home media system, which includes a television, accesses the portal over a network, such as the Internet.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for providing a portal for accessing an application registry to a user device, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a server, a request from the user device to view data stored in the registry, wherein the data is related to a plurality of applications;   transmitting, from the server, the data related to the plurality of applications to the user device;   receiving, by the server, a selection of one of the plurality of applications from the user device; and   in response to receiving the selection of one of the plurality of applications, transmitting, from the server, data related to procuring the selected application to the user device.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 receiving, by the registry, data related to an application from an application source; and 
 storing the data related to the application in the registry. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 receiving the application from the application source; and   storing the application in the registry;   wherein transmitting data related to procuring the selected application to the user device comprises transmitting the selected application to the user device.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the application source is a third party application source. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the portal is accessed over a communications network. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein transmitting the data related to procuring the selected application comprises transmitting a network location of a portion of the selected application from which the portion can be downloaded. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising executing the selected application as a remote application on a computer platform remote from the user device and implementing a user interface of the remote application on the user device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising executing a portal application as a remote application on a computer platform that is remote from the user device and implementing a user interface of remote application on the user device. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising providing, to the user device, access to a customized portal providing a set of applications, the method further comprising:
 receiving, by the server, a request to view data related to the applications provided by the customized portal from the user device; and   transmitting, from the server, the data related to the applications provided by the customized portal to the user device.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the customized portal provides a particular view of the applications. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the customized portal provides a particular set of applications. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 providing, by the server, a category within the portal to the user device; 
 receiving, by the server, a selection of a category from the user device; and 
 transmitting, from the server, data related to applications belonging to the selected category to the user device. 
 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the category provided by the server is based on a criteria received from the user device. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the category provided by the server is based on a criteria received from a third party. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the portal comprises a plurality of categories, and the plurality of categories are arranged in a hierarchy. 
     
     
         36 . A system for providing a portal for accessing an application registry to a user device, the system comprising a server configured to:
 receive a request from the user device to view data stored in the registry, wherein the data is related to a plurality of applications;   transmit the data related to the plurality of applications to the user device;   receive a selection of one of the plurality of applications from the user device; and   in response to receiving the selection of one of the plurality of applications, transmit data related to procuring the selected application to the user device.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36  further, wherein the server is further configured to:
 receive data related to an application from an application source; and 
 store the data related to the application in the registry. 
 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the server is further configured to:
 receive the application from the application source; and   store the application in the registry;   wherein transmitting data related to procuring the selected application to the user device comprises transmitting the selected application to the user device.   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the application source is a third party application source. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the portal is accessed over a communications network. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein transmitting the data related to procuring the selected application comprises transmitting a network location of a portion of the selected application from which the portion can be downloaded. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 36 , further comprising a computer platform remote from the user device, wherein the computer platform is configured to execute the selected application as a remote application. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 36  further comprising a computer platform that is remote from the user device, wherein the computer platform is configured to execute a portal application as a remote application. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the server is configured to:
 receive a request to view data related to the applications provided by a customized portal from the user device; and   transmit the data related to the applications provided by the customized portal to the user device.   
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the customized portal provides a particular view of the applications. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the customized portal provides a particular set of applications. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 36  wherein the server is further configured to:
 provide a category within the portal to the user device; 
 receive a selection of a category from the user device; and 
 transmit data related to applications belonging to the selected category to the user device. 
 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the category provided by the portal is based on a criteria received from the user device. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the category provided by the portal is based on a criteria received from a third party. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein portal comprises a plurality of categories, and the plurality of categories are arranged in a hierarchy.