Networked multimedia system

• US 20040068747A1
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russ, Samuel H., Robertson, Neil C., Nair, Ajith N., Gaul, Michael A., Prus, Bohdan S., Lett, David B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/98
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 Switchers or splitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing downstream signals to a plurality of receiver networks. A receiver network (i.e., a networked multimedia system) includes a splitter/isolation module (SIM), a primary set-top terminal (STT), and at least one remote device. The remote devices communicate with the primary STT via the SIM over coaxial cable. Accordingly, the remote devices utilize some or all of the features including hardware and software that are included in the primary STT via the networked multimedia system.

Claims

1. A network system, comprising:

a primary set-top terminal (STT) for receiving downstream signals from a communications network and for selectively storing presentations included in the downstream signals, the primary STT comprising;

a tuner system for providing tuned signals;

a modulator for modulating the tuned signals to a predetermined frequency and for providing modulated signals; and

a plurality of remote devices coupled to the primary STT, each remote device for receiving the downstream signals and for selecting and receiving a tuned modulated signal,

wherein the tuner system is responsive to a processor, and wherein the processor is responsive to one of the plurality of remote devices.

2. The network system of claim 1, wherein the primary STT further includes a storage device for storing the presentations, and wherein the tuned modulated signal includes a stored presentation.

3. The network system of claim 1, wherein the modulator is one of a QAM modulator, a QPSK modulator, a 8 VSB modulator, and a COFDM modulator.

4. The network system of claim 1, further comprising a splitter/isolation module (SIM) for receiving the downstream signals and for providing the downstream signals to at least one of the primary STT and the plurality of remote devices, and for receiving upstream signals from at least one of the primary STT and the plurality of remote devices and providing the upstream signals to the communications network.

5. The network system of claim 4, wherein the SIM receives the tuned modulated signal and provides the tuned modulated signal to the plurality of remote devices, and wherein the SIM receives at least one reverse command signal provided by the plurality of remote devices and provides the at least one reverse command signal to the primary STT.

6. The network system of claim 5, wherein the upstream signals are transmitted in a plurality of upstream frequencies, and wherein a reverse frequency of the at least one reverse command signal is excluded from the plurality of upstream frequencies.

7. The network system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of remote devices communicates with the primary STT by transmitting at least one reverse command signal via coaxial cable.

8. The network system of claim 7, wherein the at least one reverse command signal is transmitted in an OOK format.

9. The network system of claim 7, wherein the at least one reverse command signal is transmitted in an FSK format.

10. The network system of claim 9, wherein a QPSK transmitter transmits the at least one reverse command signal in the FSK format, the QPSK transmitter comprises:

a precoder for precoding the at least one reverse command signal,

a serial-to-parallel converter for providing a parallel precoded signal,

an encoder for encoding the parallel precoded signal into I and Q bits, and

a QPSK modulator for modulating the I and Q bits into the FSK format.

11. The network system of claim 1, wherein the downstream signals are transmitted in a plurality of downstream frequencies, and wherein the predetermined frequency of the tuned modulated signal is excluded from the plurality of downstream frequencies.

12. The network system of claim 1, wherein the tuned modulated signal is one of a stored presentation, a VOD presentation, an IPG application, an NMS application, and a television channel.

13. The network system of claim 1, wherein a remote device includes at least one tuner for tuning to a presentation included in the downstream signals.

14. A broadband communications system for transmitting downstream signals having a downstream frequency range and upstream signals having an upstream frequency range, the broadband communications system including a headend, a communications network, and a plurality of receiver networks, a receiver network comprising:

a splitter/isolation module (SIM) having an input port and a plurality of output ports, the SIN for receiving downstream signals at the input port and for outputting the downstream signals to at least one of the plurality of output ports, and for receiving at the plurality of output ports a plurality of upstream signals and for outputting the plurality of upstream signals at the input port;

a primary set-top terminal (STT) coupled to one of the plurality of output ports for receiving the downstream signals, and for providing one of the plurality of upstream signals, the primary STT including a tuner system for providing at least one tuned presentation; and

at least one remote device coupled to another of the plurality of output ports, the at least one remote device in communication with the primary STT, the at least one remote device for receiving the downstream signals, the at least one remote device for selecting and receiving the at least one tuned presentation.

15. The broadband communications system of claim 14, the receiver network further including a local device coupled to the primary STT for receiving the tuned presentation, wherein the local device provides the tuned presentation to a viewing display.

16. The broadband communications system of claim 14, the primary STT further including a modulator coupled to the tuner system, the modulator for modulating the at least one tuned presentation to a predetermined frequency.

17. The broadband communications system of claim 16, wherein the primary STT further includes a storage device for storing the at least one tuned presentation.

18. The broadband communications system of claim 17, wherein the storage device, upon command from a processor, provides a stored presentation to the modulator for modulation and transmission to the at least one remote device.

19. The broadband communications system of claim 18, wherein the at least one remote device can perform, via the primary STT, play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, and stop functions on the received stored presentation.

20. The broadband communication system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined frequency is excluded from the downstream frequency range.

21. The broadband communications system of claim 14, wherein the at least one remote device provides reverse command signals having a reverse frequency requesting the tuned presentation, and wherein the reverse frequency is excluded from the upstream frequency range.

22. The broadband communications system of claim 17, wherein the primary STT further includes a processor for controlling the tuner system and the storage device.

23. A method for providing a networked multimedia system comprising the steps of:

receiving downstream signals having a downstream frequency range at a primary STT and a plurality of remote devices;

providing the downstream signals via a tuning system located in the primary STT to at least one of a coupled local device, a storage device, and a modulator;

receiving a reverse command signal having a reverse frequency at the primary STT provided by at least one of the plurality of remote devices;

processing the reverse command signal and extracting a presentation indicative of the reverse command signal from one of the downstream signals and the storage device;

modulating the extracted presentation to a modulation frequency; and

transmitting the modulated presentation to the at least one of the plurality of remote devices.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of providing upstream signals having an upstream frequency range to a headend via a communications network provided by the primary STT, wherein the reverse frequency of the reverse command signal is excluded from the upstream frequency range.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the modulation frequency is excluded from the downstream frequency range.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the reverse command signal is transmitted in an FSK format.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the reverse command signal is transmitted in an OOK format.

28. A method for providing a networked multimedia system, the networked multimedia system including a primary STT, a splitter/isolation module (SIM), and a plurality of remote devices, the method comprising the steps of:

at at least one of the plurality of remote devices,

receiving user input signals that are indicative of a selected presentation;

processing the user input signals to determine whether the selected presentation is indicative of one of a downstream signal and a stored presentation; and

transmitting the user input signals that are indicative of the stored presentation to the primary STT via the SIM; and

at the primary STT,

processing the user input signals;

extracting the stored presentation;

modulating the extracted stored presentation to a predetermined frequency; and

transmitting the stored presentation to the at least one of the plurality of remote devices.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

at the primary STT,

receiving the downstream signal; and

storing presentations included in the downstream signal in a storage device.

30. A method for providing an interactive network, the interactive network including a headend facility for transmitting and receiving interactive signals over a communications network to a network multimedia system, the network multimedia system including a gateway device, a splitter/isolation module (SIM), and a plurality of client devices, the method comprising the steps of:

at at least one of the plurality of client devices,

receiving user input signals that are indicative of a selected presentation;

processing the user input signals to determine whether the selected presentation is indicative of one of a broadcast content, a stored presentation, and a headend server presentation; and

transmitting reverse command signals indicative of one of the stored presentation and the headend server presentation to the gateway device via the SIM;

at the gateway device,

processing the reverse command signals to determine whether the selected presentation is one of the stored presentation and the headend server presentation; and

transmitting the processed headend server presentation to the headend facility via the communications network; and

at the headend facility,

processing and extracting the content presentation that is indicative of the headend server presentation; and

forwarding the content presentation to the at least one of the plurality of client devices.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

subsequent to determining the selected presentation is the stored presentation,

extracting the stored presentation from a storage device;

modulating the stored presentation at a predetermined frequency; and

transmitting the modulated stored presentation to the plurality of client devices via the SIM.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

at the gateway device,

receiving the broadcast content;

upon input, tuning a selected presentation included in the broadcast content; and

providing the tuned presentation to one of a local device, a storage device, and a modulator.