COMBINING ONLINE BROWSING AND ON-DEMAND DATA BROADCAST FOR SELECTING AND DOWNLOADING DIGITAL CONTENT

• US 20030009770A1
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: PACIFICI, GIOVANNI, MUNSON, JONATHAN P., YOUSSEF, ALAA S., TANTAWY, AHMED, MARCONCINI, FRANCO
• Granted Patent: US 6,597,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method for receiving digital content data on a user'"'"'s system for playing or recording, the content data being compressed and encrypted with a first encrypting key, said method comprising the steps of: tuning a receiver to a selected frequency; receiving content data through a broadcast transmission at the selected frequency; assembling the content data that is received; and transferring the content data to a player for playing the content data after all the content data has been received.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an information processing system and computer readable medium is disclosed for carrying out the above method.

Claims

1. A method for receiving digital content data on a user'"'"'s system for playing or recording, said method comprising the steps of:

tuning a receiver to a selected frequency;

receiving content data through a broadcast transmission at the selected frequency;

assembling the content data that is received; and

transferring the content data to a player for playing the content data after all the content data has been received.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving further includes the sub-steps of:

interfacing a content host emulator to the player; and

emulating a unicast the communication with a content host site during the receipt of the broadcast transmission such that communication commands between the player and the content host emulator includes at least one communications command that is used between the player and a selected content host during a unicast transmission.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of emulating further comprises the content host emulator includes all the communications commands that are used between the player and a selected content host during a unicast transmission.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of assembling further includes the sub-steps of:

determining if all of the content data has been received;

requesting the re-transmission of any missing portions of the content data; and

after receiving the missing portions, assembling the missing portion of the content data so as to completely construct the content data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sub-step of requesting re-transmission includes the sub-step of requesting the missing portion of the content data to be re-transmitted through a broadcast transmission.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sub-step of requesting re-transmission includes the sub-step of requesting the missing portion of the content data to be re-transmitted through a unicast transmission.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

scheduling a time to receive the digital content;

wherein the step of tuning includes the sub-step of tuning a receiver at the scheduled time.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is the content data is compressed and encrypted with a first encrypting key.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

decrypting at least part of the content data with a first decrypting key, which corresponds to the first encrypting key, to produce decrypted content data;

decompressing the decrypted content data to produce decompressed content data; and

playing or recording the decompressed content data.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content data includes music data and the step of playing includes the sub-step of playing the music data.

11. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for receiving digital content data on a user'"'"'s system for playing or recording, said computer readable medium comprising the instructions of:

tuning a receiver to a selected frequency;

receiving content data through a broadcast transmission at the selected frequency;

assembling the content data that is received; and

transferring the content data to a player for playing the content data after all the content data has been received.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the program instruction of receiving further includes the program instructions of:

interfacing a content host emulator to the player; and

emulating a unicast the communication with a content host site during the receipt of the broadcast transmission such that communication commands between the player and the content host emulator includes at least one communications command that is used between the player and a selected content host during a unicast transmission.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the program instruction for emulating further comprises the content host emulator includes all the communications commands that are used between the player and a selected content host during a unicast transmission.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the program instruction for assembling further includes the program instructions of:

determining if all of the content data has been received;

requesting the re-transmission of any missing portions of the content data; and

after receiving the missing portions, assembling the missing portion of the content data so as to completely construct the content data.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the program instruction for requesting re-transmission includes the program instruction for requesting the missing portion of the content data to be re-transmitted through a broadcast transmission.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the program instruction for requesting re-transmission includes the program instruction for requesting the missing portion of the content data to be re-transmitted through a unicast transmission.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising the program instruction for:

scheduling a time to receive the digital content;

wherein the program instruction for tuning includes the program instruction for tuning a receiver at the scheduled time.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising the program instructions of:

decrypting at least part of the content data with a first decrypting key, which corresponds to the first encrypting key, to produce decrypted content data;

decompressing the decrypted content data to produce decompressed content data; and

playing or recording the decompressed content data.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the content data includes music data and the program instruction for playing includes the program instruction for playing the music data.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim, wherein the content is the content data is compressed and encrypted with a first encrypting key.

21. A information processing system for receiving digital content data on a user'"'"'s system for playing or recording, said computer readable medium comprising:

a receiver with tuner for selecting a frequency;

means for receiving content data through a broadcast transmission at the selected frequency;

a buffer for assembling the content data that is received; and

means for transferring the content data to a player for playing the content data after all the content data has been received.

22. The information processing system according to claim 21, further comprising:

an interface for interfacing a content host emulator to the player; and

an emulator for emulating a unicast the communication with a content host site during the receipt of the broadcast transmission such that communication commands between the player and the content host emulator includes at least one communications command that is used between the player and a selected content host during a unicast transmission.