Communication system

• US 20010049819A1
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Published: 12/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Pereboom, Graham
• Granted Patent: US 6,898,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8402 involving a version number, e.g. version number of EPG data arrangements for version control in computers G06F8/71

Abstract

The present invention is related to a communication system in which a transmitter (2) transmits cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects (20,22,24,26) to a terminal (10). If said objects are used in the terminal there is no mechanism to establish whether said objects are consistent, e.g. that they are originated at the same time. To ensure that the objects are consistent, they are combined in a common transport entity. The receiver is arranged to extract only the complete set of mutually related objects from the common transport entity. Consequently, the consistency is always ensured.

Claims

1. Communication system comprising a transmitter for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects via a communication network to a terminal, said terminal comprising processing means for processing said plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that the transmitter comprises assembling means for combining said mutually related objects into a combined transport entity, the processing means being arranged for extracting said plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity and for processing said plurality of said mutually related objects.

2. Communication system according to

claim 1

, characterized in that said transmitter is arranged for introducing into the combined transport entity an update indicator to indicate that the combined transport entity is updated, and in that the processing means being arranged for extracting said updated objects from the common transport entity if an update is indicated.

3. Communication system according to claim, characterized in that the transport entity comprises a header indicating the size of the header and the size of the objects combined into said transport entity, and in that the update indicator comprises a version number.

4. Transmitter for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that the transmitter comprises assembling means for combining said mutually related objects into a combined transport entity.

5. Terminal comprising receive means for receiving a plurality of cyclically transmitted mutually related objects, said terminal further comprises processing means for processing said plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that said mutually related objects are combined into a combined transport entity and in that the processing means are arranged for extracting said plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity and for processing said plurality of said mutually related objects.

6. Communication method comprising transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects via a communication network to a destination, the method further comprises processing said plurality of mutually related objects received at the destination, characterized in that the method comprises combining said mutually related objects into a combined transport entity, and in that the method comprises extracting said plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity and in that the method comprises processing said plurality of said mutually related objects.

7. Signal comprising a cyclic sequence of a plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that said mutually related objects are combined into a combined transport entity.

8. Signal according to

claim 7

, characterised in that said combined transport entity comprises an update indicator.

9. Signal according to

claim 8

, characterised in that the combined transport entity comprises a header indicating the size of the header and the size of the objects combined into said transport entity, and in that the update indicator comprises a version number.

10. Tangible medium comprising a computer program, said program being arranged for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that the program comprises an assembling step for combining said mutually related objects into a combined transport entity.

11. Tangible medium comprising a computer program for receiving a plurality of cyclically transmitted mutually related objects, said program further being arranged for processing said plurality of mutually related objects, characterized in that said mutually related objects are combined into a combined transport entity and in that the program extracting said plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity.