Apparatus and method for addressing control in a network for distributed data

• US 20040177368A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wegener Communications, Inc. (Wegener Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wegener Communications, Inc. (Wegener Corporation)
• Inventors: Pelkey, Gary L., Simyon, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

In a content data distribution network, a system for directing control instructions to selected ones of a plurality of receivers. The system comprises a stored value, stored in a memory location reserved for at least one local parameter in each of the plurality of receivers. An uplink distributes to the plurality of receivers over said content data distribution network a transmitted value. The system compares the stored value and transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to the selected ones of the plurality of receivers at which the control instructions are to be executed. Comparisons may be made to functions of the stored values. Comparisons may be made to multiple stored values. Multiple comparisons may be connected together with boolean operators. The stored values can be changed by the transmitted control instructions.

Claims

1. In a content data distribution network, a system for directing control instructions to selected ones of a plurality of receivers, said system comprising:

a stored value, said stored value being stored in a memory location reserved for a local parameter in at least one of said plurality of receivers;

a transmitted value, said transmitted value being distributed over said content data distribution network to said plurality of receivers; and

a difference operator, said difference operator comparing said stored value and said transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control instruction to be executed in said selected ones of said plurality of receivers according to said comparing said stored value and said transmitted value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said control instruction is transmitted over said content data distribution network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said control instruction and said transmitted value are transmitted together in a packet over said content data distribution network.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one other stored value;

at least one other transmitted value,

a comparison operator, said comparison operator comparing said at least one other stored value and said at least one other transmitted value; and

a boolean operator connecting said comparing said stored value and said transmitted value with said comparing said at least one other stored value and said at least one other transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a function, said stored value being entered into said function to produce a result; and

said difference operator comparing said result and said transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one other stored value is entered into said function.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said stored value may be changed by a transmitted change instruction.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a False value of said comparing said stored value and said transmitted value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

10. In a content data distribution network, a system for directing control instructions to selected ones of a plurality of receivers, said system comprising:

a stored value, said stored value being stored in a memory location reserved for a local parameter in at least one of said plurality of receivers;

a transmitted value, said transmitted value being distributed over said content data distribution network to said plurality of receivers;

a function, said stored value being entered into said function to produce a result; and

a comparison operator, said comparison operator comparing said result and said transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a control instruction to be executed in said selected ones of said plurality of receivers according to said comparing said stored value and said transmitted value.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one other stored value is entered into said function.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

at least one other stored value;

at least one other transmitted value,

at least one other function,

said at least one other stored value being entered into said at least one other function to produce at least one other result;

at least one other comparison operator, said at least one other comparison operator comparing said at least one other result and said at least one other transmitted value; and

a boolean operator connecting said comparing said result and said transmitted value with said comparing said at least one other result and said at least one other transmitted value such that a True value corresponds to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein said comparison operator is a difference operator.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said stored value may be changed by a transmitted change instruction.

28. The system of claim 10, wherein said at least one local parameter identifier identifies at least one of said memory locations.

29. The system of claim 10, wherein said at least one local parameter identifier is an address for at least one of said memory locations.

16. A method of executing instructions in a selected one of a plurality of receivers in a content data distribution network comprising:

storing a stored local parameter value in a memory location in said at least one of said plurality of receivers;

receiving a transmitted local parameter value in said at least one of said plurality of receivers; and

comparing said stored local parameter value to said transmitted local parameter value according to a difference operator.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

executing at least one control instruction in said at least one of said plurality of receivers according to said comparison.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of entering said stored value in a function to produce a result, said comparing step comparing said result to said transmitted local parameter value according to a difference operator.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said difference operator is a comparison operator.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of changing said stored value via a transmission over said content data distribution network.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of comparing at least one other stored local parameter value to said transmitted local parameter value according to a comparison operator.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of connecting said comparison with at least one other comparison.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said at least one other comparison is according to a comparison operator.

24. An apparatus for receiving content data distributed over a network and for processing said content data according to at least one control instruction, said apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a data transport stream;

a memory having multiple locations, said locations each containing a stored value; and

a compare processor in operative communication with said memory and in operative communication with said data transport stream receiving means, said compare processor being configured to access one of said locations in said memory according to a location indicator in said data transport stream and being configured to compare said stored value to a transmitted value according to a difference operator in said data transport stream, said transmitted value being in said data transport stream;

whereby, said control instruction is further processed for use when said comparison is true.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said memory further stores a function, and wherein said processor is configured to compare said function of said stored function according to a comparison operator, whereby, said control instruction is further processed for use when said comparison is true.

26. In a content data distribution network, a system for directing control instructions to selected ones of a plurality of receivers, said system comprising:

at least one local parameter, said parameter being variable among at least two of said plurality of receivers;

a memory location corresponding to said local parameter in at least one of said plurality of receivers;

at least one stored value, said stored value quantifying said at least one of local parameter for said plurality of receivers, said stored value being stored in said memory location;

a function, said function modifying said at least one stored value to produce a result;

a transmitted value, said transmitted value being transmitted over said content data distribution network, and said transmitted value being associated in said transmission with one of said local parameters; and

a difference operator, said difference operator comparing said result to said transmitted value;

whereby said control instructions are directed to said selected ones of said plurality of receivers according to said comparison of said difference operator.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said transmission includes at least one local parameter identifier.