Digital broadcast system

• US 20030084283A1
• Filed: 09/04/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey Seth Pixton
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Seth Pixton
• Inventors: Pixton, Jeffrey Seth
• Application Number:
  US10/233,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084283A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/163
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution

Abstract

A system for providing broadcasting services is disclosed. The system includes a digital channel database for storing a program from a broadcaster; a computer network for accessing and distributing the program as a data stream; a tower controller for receiving the program data stream from the computer network; and at least one transmitter selected by the tower controller to receive the data stream and to broadcast the program to end-user receivers.

Claims

1. A system for providing broadcasting services, comprising:

a digital channel database for storing a program from a broadcaster;

a computer network for accessing and distributing the program as a data stream;

a tower controller for receiving the program data stream from the computer network; and

at least one transmitter selected by the tower controller to receive the data stream and to broadcast the program to end-user receivers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content provider accesses at least one of the following types of information from the digital channel database:

bit-rate availability in a location of an end-user receiver;

a graphical view of an RF saturation pattern in said location;

a cost of service for each transmitter from the at least one transmitter; and

end-user demographics in said location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data-stream is cached at the digital channel database for gradual release to the end-user receivers at a time specified by the broadcaster.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein after the data-stream arrives at the tower controller, the tower controller attaches security and control parameters to the data-stream before forwarding the data-stream to the transmitters.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said parameters include at least one of the following:

a data-stream authentication key;

a codec;

RF transmission control data for said data-stream;

or

pay-per-channel receiver identification.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data stream received by the transmitter includes a data-stream authentication key, a specific receiver ID key, and a pay-per-channel authorization key.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a software controlled RF signal transmitters using a plurality of parametrics sent by the tower controller for transmission of the data stream.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of parametrics comprise:

channel center frequency;

channel width;

subcarrier spacing;

symbol rate; and

frame rate.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the parametrics are sent by the tower controller via a control channel that constantly outputs the parametrics for said data stream and for other data streams relayed by the tower controller.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the data-stream authentication key is a key created by the tower controller for every data stream it transmits.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the data-stream identification key is identified and decrypted by the transmitter to verify that the data-stream is legitimate and that a decryption key used to decrypt the data-stream identification key works.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmitter informs the tower controller that the decryption of the data-stream authentication key has failed.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcaster desiring to reach a specific geographical location for broadcasting the program selects through the digital channel database, which transmitters from the at least one transmitter the broadcaster wants the program transmitted from.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the program is transmitted by the transmitter over a first RF channel and the digital channel database sends instructions via a control channel to the transmitter to move the program to a second RF channel when said first RF channel becomes unusable.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the program is transmitted by the transmitter over a first RF channel and the transmitter reports to the digital channel database a continuity of channel performance by monitoring the RF spectrum in the end-users'"'"' location for signal interference.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcaster produces the program content with a codec.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the end-user receiver receives the codec via a control channel in association with the data-stream, authenticates the codec with a data-stream identification key, installs the codec into a library of codecs, and plays the program using the codec.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmit the program over a channel that includes a digital data stream segment and a key data stream.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the digital data stream segment varies in width depending on a data rate of the data-stream.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the transmitter transmits the digital data stream segment according to bandwidth specification set by the tower controller.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the bandwidth is calculated by the digital channel database.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the key data stream segment includes broadcaster identification information and channel authentication information.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the end-user receiver first resolves the key data stream before demodulating the data contained in the digital data stream.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the transmitter transmits a same OFDM symbol multiple times in succession.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the OFDM symbols can be averaged by the end user receiver for error correction.