Devices and methods for dynamic broadcast

• US 10,397,040 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Reimers, Ulrich, Palka, Piotr, Bremer, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Louie, Oscar A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gebre, Messeret F
• Application Number:
  US15/938,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 709231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/423 Transmitter side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A dynamic broadcast system and a spectrum management device for use in a dynamic broadcast system. A dynamic white space database unit stores and dynamically updates a dynamic white space database of frequency resources that are assigned for broadcasting broadcast content but can locally not be used for broadcasting. One or more white space devices can access the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database. A spectrum server dynamically manages the frequency resources included in the dynamic white space database for access by the one or more white space devices.

Claims

1. A device for allocating frequency resources to terminals, the device comprising:

circuitry configured to

allocate the frequency resources between broadcast services and wireless broadband services in a defined group of frequencies;

store and update a database of allocated frequency resources and of white spaces in the defined group of frequencies;

manage frequency resources that are included in the database for access by one or more terminal devices that make use of the frequency resources that are included in the database, the terminal devices being put in a white space database queue when no frequency resources are available to match a request;

revoke one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the terminal devices based on a revoke message;

send a queue propose message to the one or more of the terminal devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the terminal devices on the database queue;

determine whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, put the one or more of the terminal devices in the database queue.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the queue propose message relates to a queue for the frequency resources revoked.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the queue propose message relates to a queue for the frequency resources that match a filter which include the revoked frequency resources.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to send information relating to alternative frequency resources to the frequency resources that are to be revoked.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to send the information relating to the alternative frequency resources to the frequency resources that are to be revoked in response to the request from the one or more terminal devices.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is configured to send the information relating to the alternative frequency resources to the frequency resources that are to be revoked if the queue confirm message is not received from said one or more of the terminal devices.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the revoke message indicates the frequency resources to be revoked at a time in the future.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency resources comprise frequency resources for cellular network data transmission.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency resources comprise frequency resources for wi-fi network data transmission.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast services use unidirectional transmissions and the wireless broadband services use bidirectional network.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the white spaces are unallocated frequencies but that are allocatable by the device.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the revoking is based on a prioritization level for the service.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the allocating is based on at least one of geographical location and transmit power.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the allocating is based on time information and geographical location information.

15. A method for allocating frequency resources to terminals, the method comprising:

allocating, using circuitry, the frequency resources between broadcast services and wireless broadband services in a defined group of frequencies;

storing and updating, using the circuitry, a database of allocated frequency resources and of white spaces in the defined group of frequencies;

managing, using the circuitry, frequency resources that are included in the database for access by one or more terminal devices that make use of the frequency resources that are included in the database, the terminal devices being put in a white space database queue when no frequency resources are available to match a request;

revoking, using the circuitry, one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the terminal devices based on a revoke message;

sending, using the circuitry, a queue propose message to the one or more of the terminal devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the terminal devices on the database queue;

determining, using the circuitry, whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, putting, using the circuitry, the one or more of the terminal devices in the database queue.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the queue propose message relates to a queue for the frequency resources revoked.

17. The method according to claim 15, comprising sending, using the circuitry, information relating to alternative frequency resources to the frequency resources that are to be revoked.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when carried out on a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

allocating the frequency resources between broadcast services and wireless broadband services in a defined group of frequencies;

storing and updating a database of allocated frequency resources and of white spaces in the defined group of frequencies;

managing frequency resources that are included in the database for access by one or more terminal devices that make use of the frequency resources that are included in the database, the terminal devices being put in a white space database queue when no frequency resources are available to match a request;

revoking one of the frequency resources granted to one or more of the terminal devices based on a revoke message;

sending a queue propose message to the one or more of the terminal devices from which said one of the frequency resources was revoked, offering to put the one or more of the terminal devices on the database queue;

determining whether a queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, the queue confirm message indicating how long said one or more of the white space devices is willing to wait in the database queue; and

if the queue confirm message is received from said one or more of the terminal devices in response to the queue propose message, putting the one or more of the terminal devices in the database queue.