Communication system and method capable of broadcasting by using terrestrial and satellite communication networks

• US 20030081587A1
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ichiyoshi, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

In a communication system for carrying out satellite communication through a satellite among users, a satellite communication center is located in a terrestrial network, such as an internet, and has a program table accessible through the terrestrial network and representative of a time schedule of each program to be broadcast through the satellite. The program table can be reserved to broadcast contents by a sender through the internet when an empty time zone is left on the program table. When the reservation is accepted, the contents are sent from the sender through the internet to the satellite communication center and are broadcast at a reserved time through the satellite to other users in accordance with the program table. The contents may be stored in advance in an information storage of the satellite communication center once before they are broadcast or be directly broadcast to the satellite at the reserved time.

Claims

1. A communication system for use in carrying out multicast/broadcast communication through a terrestrial network and a digital broadcast network having a plurality of digital broadcast channels, comprising:

a communication center which has a program table accessible through the terrestrial network and representative of a time schedule of each program in the digital broadcast channels; and

a digital broadcast station, included in the digital broadcast network and coupled to the communication center, for broadcasting information through the digital broadcast network by assigning the digital broadcast channels in a time sharing manner in accordance with the program table.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terrestrial network is an internet while the digital broadcast network is a satellite communication network including a satellite.

3. A communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the communication center has the program table that is included in a home page and that is to be reserved in an empty time zone of the program table through the internet.

4. A communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the satellite communication network includes a satellite earth station which is coupled to the communication center operated as a satellite communication center and which carries out two-way communication to the satellite through the digital broadcast channels.

5. A communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the internet comprises, as subscribers, a plurality of service providers for delivering broadcast contents and a plurality of subscriber terminals for receiving the broadcast contents through the satellite of the satellite communication network.

6. A communication system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the subscriber terminals include the ones that carry out two-way communication to the satellite and the other ones that are receive-only terminals for only receiving the broadcast contents from the satellite and that make access to the communication center through the internet.

7. A communication system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the other subscriber terminals make access to the home page of the communication center to check the program table.

8. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terrestrial network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) while the digital broadcast network is either one of a satellite communication broadcasting network and a terrestrial digital broadcasting network.

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terrestrial network is a mobile radio communication network while the digital broadcast network is either one of a satellite communication broadcasting network and a terrestrial digital broadcasting network.

10. A communication system for use in carrying out communication by combining a terrestrial communication network with a satellite communication network which includes a satellite and an earth station, comprising:

service providing terminals, coupled to the terrestrial communication network, for delivering service contents to the terrestrial communication network; and

a satellite communication center, coupled to the earth station and the terrestrial communication network, for assigning a time zone to the service contents sent through the terrestrial communication network to deliver the service contents to the satellite through the earth station within the assigned time zone.

11. A communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the satellite communication center has a program table accessible through the terrestrial communication network to determine a time schedule of each program to be broadcast by the satellite and comprises:

an interface circuit for sending the program table to the terrestrial communication network; and

a transmission circuit for transmitting the program table through the earth station to the satellite.

12. A communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmission circuit of the satellite communication center further transmits the service contents in accordance with the program table to the satellite through the earth station.

13. A communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the satellite communication center comprises:

an information storage for storing the service contents sent through the terrestrial communication network;

the transmission circuit being coupled to the information storage and transmitting the stored service contents with reference to the program table to produce the same within the assigned time zone.

14. A communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the assigned time zone is previously reserved as a reserved time zone by the use of the program table sent to the terrestrial communication network;

the service contents being received from the terrestrial communication network within the reserved time zone and being transmitted through the satellite communication center and the earth station through the satellite within the reserved time zone.

15. A method of carrying out multicast/broadcast communication through a terrestrial network and a digital broadcast network having a plurality of digital broadcast channels, comprising the steps of:

providing, in a communication center, a program table which is accessible through the terrestrial network and which is representative of a time schedule of each program in the digital broadcast channels; and

broadcasting information from the communication center through the digital broadcast network by assigning the digital broadcast channels in a time sharing manner in accordance with the program table.

16. A method of carrying out communication by combining a terrestrial communication network with a satellite communication network which includes a satellite and an earth station, comprising the steps of:

delivering service contents to the terrestrial communication network from service providing terminals which are coupled to the terrestrial communication network;

providing a satellite communication center, coupled to the earth station and the terrestrial communication network; and

assigning a time zone to the service contents sent through the terrestrial communication network in the satellite communication center to deliver the service contents to the satellite through the earth station within the assigned time zone.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the satellite communication center has a program table accessible through the terrestrial communication network to determine a time schedule of each program to be broadcast by the satellite, the method comprising the steps of:

sending the program table from the satellite communication center to the terrestrial communication network; and

transmitting the program table through the earth station to the satellite.