Method and device for providing downloaded objects to an application

• US 20020107995A1
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Service Centre Europe N.V. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Service Centre Europe N.V. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Skaringer, Lars, Thiery, Olivier
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/4433 Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
• 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 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method and device for providing downloaded objects to an application including downloading from a received transport stream a module containing an object requested by an application, storing the downloaded module, monitoring whether the stored module is the current version, when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is a current version, providing the application with the object from the stored module, and when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is not a current version, copying only the objects of the stored module still in use by the application, downloading the current version of the stored module and overwriting the stored module with the downloaded current version of the stored module.

Claims

1. A device for providing downloaded objects to an application, the device including:

an object layer interface for downloading from a received transport stream a module containing an object requested by an application;

a module memory for storing downloaded modules; and

a controller for monitoring whether the modules in the module memory are current versions;

wherein

when the application requests an object contained in a stored module and the stored module is a current version, the object layer interface provides the application with the object from the module memory and, when the application requests an object contained in a stored module and the stored module is not a current version, the object layer interface downloads the current version of the module and overwrites the module stored in the module memory;

the device further including;

an object cache for storing objects;

wherein

when the application requests an object contained in a stored module and the stored module is not the current version, before the object layer interface overwrites the stored module with the current version of the stored module, the controller copies into the object cache only the objects of the stored module still in use by the application.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is responsive to information in the transport stream regarding the current versions of the modules transmitted in the transport stream.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the controller monitors whether modules are the current version according to the specifications for MHP platforms.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the objects are DSM-CC objects and the modules are DSM-CC modules.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein the objects are copied from the module memory to the object cache by copying the corresponding BIOP messages.

6. A device according to claim 1 further including at least one filter for filtering from the transport stream packets of a module to be downloaded.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the device is a television device.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein the device is MHP compliant.

10. A computer readable storage medium having recorded thereon code components that, when loaded on a computer and executed, will cause that computer to operate according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A method of providing downloaded objects to an application, the method including:

downloading from a received transport stream a module containing an object requested by an application;

storing the downloaded module;

monitoring whether the stored module is the current version;

when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is a current version, providing the application with the object from the stored module; and

when the application requests an object of a stored module and the stored module is not a current version, copying only the objects of the stored module still in use by the application, downloading the current version of the stored module and overwriting the stored module with the downloaded current version of the stored module.