System and method for multi-channel WiFi video streaming

• US 10,009,638 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IP Investment Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Mobilitie, LLC (Bai Communications Pty Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jabara, Gary B., Linder, Lloyd Frederick, Simon, David Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tesfaye, Aklil M
• Application Number:
  US14/577,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20150106855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A video or multimedia distribution system receives multiple video streams and transcodes them into a single stream of UDP packets with each of the plurality of video data packets for respective ones of the video streams being assigned a port number corresponding to the respective video stream. The UDP packets are routed to a plurality of Access Points (APs) for transmission. A User Equipment (UE) communicates with the APs and selects one or more of the video streams for viewing on the UE by selecting the port number corresponding to the desired video streams. The UE can “change channels” to view other video streams by changing the port number to the port number of the desired video stream.

Claims

1. A system for the broadcast of television channels to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

a plurality of tuners each configured to receive a television channel and to generate an individual data stream corresponding to the respective television channel;

a server coupled to the plurality of tuners and configured to receive the individual data streams from the plurality of tuners and to convert the individual data streams to a single stream of data packets with each of the plurality of data packets for respective ones of the individual data streams having a port number corresponding to the respective individual data stream;

a plurality of wireless access points (APs) communicatively coupled to the server to receive the single stream of data packets therefrom, the APs being configured to transmit the single stream of data packets; and

a routing infrastructure coupled to the server and the plurality of APs to relay communications between the server and the plurality of APs, the routing infrastructure being configured to route the single stream of data packets to selected ones of the plurality of APs wherein each of the plurality of mobile communication devices can receive any of the individual data streams by processing only data packets from the single stream of data packets that have the port number or numbers corresponding to user-selected one or more of the individual data streams and wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices do not transmit any channel selection data to any of the plurality of APs.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is configured to convert the individual data streams to a single stream of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) data packets.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to receive an additional data stream from a source other than the tuner array, the server being configured to convert the individual data streams from the tuner array and the additional data stream into the single stream of data packets.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to select and assign an initial port number corresponding to each of the respective individual data streams.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the server is further configured to alter the initially selected port number corresponding to one of the individual data streams wherein the one data stream has a port number different from the initially selected port number.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the server is further configured to alter one of the individual data streams assigned to a particular port number.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data providing information about the content of each of the individual data streams and data corresponding to the port number for each of the individual data streams, and at least one of the plurality of APs is configured to transmit the guide data.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as text data.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as graphic data.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as image data.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as a plurality of images wherein each image is indicative of the content of a corresponding one of the individual data streams.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as a plurality of video images wherein each video image is derived from a corresponding one of the individual data streams.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is further configured to generate guide data as a series of data packets having a port number designed for the guide data and to combine the guide data packets into the single stream of data packets.

14. A method for the broadcast of television channels to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

receiving a plurality of television channels using a corresponding plurality of tuners, each of the plurality of tuners generating an individual data stream corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of television channels;

assigning a different port number to each of the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners;

converting each of the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners to a single stream of data packets with each of the data packets corresponding to the respective individual data streams including the port number assigned to the respective individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners;

sending the single stream of data packets to a plurality of wireless access points (APs) for transmission as a single stream of data packets; and

each of the plurality of mobile communication devices receiving the single stream of video data packets and selecting any of the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners by processing the data packets having the port number corresponding to user-selected individual data stream without transmitting any channel selection data from the respective mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein any of the plurality of mobile communication devices can select multiple ones of the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners by processing the data packets having the port numbers corresponding to user-selected individual data streams.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an additional data stream from a source other than the plurality of tuners, and

assigning a port number to the additional data stream that is different from any of the port numbers assigned to the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners;

wherein converting each of the individual data streams comprises converting the additional data stream in addition to the individual data streams generated by the plurality of tuners to a single stream of data packets.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating guide data to provide information about the content of each of the individual data streams and data corresponding to the port number for each of the individual data streams.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the guide data is generated as text data.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the guide data is generated as graphic data.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the guide data is generated as image data.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the guide data is generated as a plurality of images wherein each image is indicative of the content of a corresponding one of the individual data streams.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the guide data is generated as a reduced resolution video image derived from a corresponding one of the individual data streams.

23. A wireless access point (AP) for the broadcast of a plurality of video streams to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

an input connector configured to receive a radio frequency signal containing a plurality of television channels;

a plurality of tuners each coupled to the input connector and configured to receive one of the plurality of television channels and to generate an individual data stream corresponding to the television channel;

a processor configured to receive the individual video streams from the plurality of tuners and to combine the individual video streams into a single stream of video data packets with each of the video data packets in the single stream of video data packets having a port number corresponding to the respective individual video stream; and

a frequency transmitter configured to transmit the single stream of video data packets to the plurality of mobile communication devices to permit each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to select a television channel for viewing on the respective mobile communication device by processing only the video data packets in the single stream of video data packets having a user-selected port number corresponding to the user-selected television channel without transmitting any channel selection data from the respective mobile communication device.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the processor is implemented as an application specific integrated circuit.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the processor is implemented as a digital signal processor.

26. The system of claim 23 for use in a home wherein the input connector is a cable input connector and the plurality of mobile communication devices comprises computing tablets, televisions, and video recorders.

27. The system of claim 23 for use in a home wherein the input connector is coupled to a satellite receiver.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising a receiver configured to receive communications from any of the mobile communication devices, the processor being further configured to receive a channel request from one of the mobile communication devices via the receiver, the processor generating a command to alter one of the plurality of tuners to thereby receive one of the plurality of television channels and to generate an individual data stream corresponding to the requested television channel.

29. A system for the broadcast of a plurality of video streams to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

a content provider server storing a plurality of data files, the serving being coupled to a wide-area network and configured to provide a video data stream using a unicast data protocol;

a local video processor coupled to the wide-area network and configured to receive the unicast data stream;

an input connector configured to receive a radio frequency signal containing a plurality of television channels;

a plurality of tuners each configured to receive one of the plurality of television channels and to generate an individual data stream corresponding to the television channel;

a processor coupled to the plurality of tuners and configured to receive the individual data streams from the plurality of tuners and the unicast data stream from the content provider server and to combine the individual video streams and the unicast data stream into a single stream of video data packets with each of the video data packets in the single stream of video data packets having a port number corresponding to the respective individual data stream and the unicast data stream; and

a radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit the single stream of video data packets to the plurality of mobile communication devices to permit a user of each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to select one of the individual video streams or the unicast data stream for viewing on the respective mobile communication device by processing only the video data packets in the single stream of video data packets having a user-selected port number corresponding to the user-selected one of the individual video streams or the unicast data stream without transmitting any channel selection data from the respective mobile communication device.