Method and apparatus for opportunistically broadcasting rich media digital content
First Claim
1. A method of distributing a digital data file, comprising the steps of:
- broadcasting a digital broadcast stream in a broadband digital broadcast channel; and
simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using unused bandwidth within the broadband digital broadcast channel.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for digital data distribution or broadcasting that takes advantage of non-deterministic (or “opportunistic”) unused bandwidth in dynamically optimized broadband digital broadcast systems. Digital data files received from broadcasts are stored in mass storage devices for viewing at a later time at high speed, overcoming “last mile” narrow bandwidth issues. Instead of reserving a particular communications channel or data transfer spectrum, data is opportunistically “piggybacked” onto unrelated broadcasts, using otherwise unused bandwidth within existing broadcast channels or spectrums. The broadcast source does not target the digital files at specific identifiable users or broadcast contents based on their interactive requests. Data broadcasting in accordance with the present invention may be implemented to work with any medium which allows the delivery of large files in a one-to-many fashion (i.e., “broadband broadcast medium”), such as digital cable, digital broadcast satellite, terrestrial digital television, and computer networks that are broadcast-enabled and sufficiently broadband.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method of distributing a digital data file, comprising the steps of:
-
broadcasting a digital broadcast stream in a broadband digital broadcast channel; and
simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using unused bandwidth within the broadband digital broadcast channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19)
-
-
17. A method of broadcasting a digital data file, comprising the steps of:
-
broadcasting at least one digital broadcast stream in at least one of a plurality of broadband digital broadcast channels; and
simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using an unused bandwidth undeterministically within at least one of the broadband digital broadcast channels in which a digital broadcast stream is broadcast.
-
-
20. A method of distributing a digital data file, comprising the steps of:
-
broadcasting at least one digital broadcast stream in a broadband digital broadcast channel at a particular schedule, wherein different digital broadcast streams may be broadcast at different schedules; and
simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using an unused bandwidth within the broadband digital broadcast channel undeterministically with respect to the schedules of the digital broadcast streams.
-
-
21. A method of transferring a digital data file, comprising the steps of:
-
broadcasting at least one digital broadcast stream in at least one of a plurality of broadband digital broadcast channels, wherein a plurality of digital broadcast streams may be broadcast at different schedules;
simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using an unused bandwidth, at least one of undeterministically within one of the broadband digital broadcast channels in which a digital broadcast stream is broadcast and underterministically with respect to said schedules;
tuning to the digital broadcast stream;
selectively downloading the digital data file from the digital broadcast stream at the corresponding channel and schedule; and
at least one of storing the digital data file in a storage device, executing the digital data file, and utilizing the digital data file. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30)
-
-
27. A system for distributing a digital data file, comprising:
-
means for broadcasting a digital broadcast stream in a broadband digital broadcast channel; and
means for simultaneously broadcasting the digital data file using an unused bandwidth within the broadband digital broadcast channel.
-
-
28. A system for distributing a digital data file to end users via local television stations that broadcast digital broadcast streams at predetermined channels and schedule, comprising:
-
a content ingestion center having means for staging and packaging the digital file into staged data packets;
distributing means for distributing the staged data packets to the local television stations that serve the end users;
injecting means provided at the local television stations to inject the staged data packets into a digital broadcast stream in a channel that has available bandwidth; and
means for broadcasting the digital broadcast stream along with the digital data file indiscriminately to end users; and
tuners located at end users to tune into the channel to download the staged data packets, said tuners having means for decoding the staged data packets into the digital data file.
-
Specification