Correcting for data losses with feedback and response

• US 20050060752A1
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pendakur, Ramesh, Hallford, Jason C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A digital content transmission and reception system that uses feedback and re-transmission of missing content is described. A content transmission system broadcasts a complete set of digital content to a plurality of content reception systems via a communication link. A content reception system receives a corresponding incomplete set of digital content, determines particular content portions that are missing, and provided feedback indicating the missing content portions to the content distribution system. The content distribution system the re-transmits content based on the feedback.

Claims

1-29. -29. (Cancelled)

30. A method comprising:

broadcasting digital data;

receiving feedback indicative of missing data from each of a plurality of receivers;

determining a subset of the missing data indicated to be missing in the feedback received from each of the plurality of receivers based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing; and

broadcasting the subset.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said determining the subset comprises determining the subset based at least in part on a type of the digital data.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said determining the subset comprises determining the subset based at least in part on achieving compliance with a guaranteed level of quality.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said determining the subset comprises determining the subset based at least in part on a run length of missing data indicated in the feedback.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said determining the subset comprises determining the subset based at least in part on a user preference indicated in the feedback.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

scheduling a timeslot for broadcasting the subset; and

transmitting the timeslot.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein said broadcasting the subset is performed at a regularly scheduled timeslot.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting video for delayed viewing.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting at least a portion of a movie.

39. The method of claim 30, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting the digital data over a digital TV channel.

40. A transmission system comprising:

a transmitter to broadcast digital data over a first communication link;

a re-transmission system coupled with a second communication link to receive feedback indicative of missing data from each of a plurality of receivers;

logic of the re-transmission system to determine a subset of the missing data indicated to be missing in the feedback received from each of the plurality of receivers based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing.

41. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the logic to determine the subset comprises logic to determine the subset based at least in part on a type of the digital data.

42. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the logic to determine the subset comprises logic to determine the subset based at least in part on achieving compliance with a guaranteed level of quality.

43. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the logic to determine the subset comprises logic to determine the subset based at least in part on a run length of missing data indicated in the feedback.

44. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the logic to determine the subset comprises logic to determine the subset based at least in part on a user preference indicated in the feedback.

45. The transmission system of claim 40, further comprising:

logic of the re-transmission system to schedule a timeslot for broadcasting the subset; and

logic to broadcast the subset at a regularly scheduled timeslot.

46. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the digital data comprises video for delayed viewing.

47. The transmission system of claim 46, wherein the digital data comprises at least a portion of a movie.

48. The transmission system of claim 40, wherein the transmitter is to broadcast the digital data over a digital TV channel.

49. A method comprising:

broadcasting digital data over a first channel; and

broadcasting missing data over a second channel.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the second channel is dedicated to broadcasting missing data.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the second channel is a regularly running channel that carries missing data.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein the first channel does not carry missing data.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein the second channel does not carry original digital data.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein a bandwidth of the second channel is lower than a bandwidth of the first channel.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting video for delayed viewing.

56. The method of claim 49, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting at least a portion of a movie.

57. The method of claim 49, wherein said broadcasting the digital data comprises broadcasting the digital data over a digital TV channel.

58. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter to broadcast digital data over a first channel that does not carry missing data and to broadcast missing data over a second channel.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the second channel is a regularly running channel.

60. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein a bandwidth of the second channel is lower than a bandwidth of the first channel.

61. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the digital data comprises video for delayed viewing.

62. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the digital data comprises at least a portion of a movie.

63. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the first channel comprises a digital TV channel.

64. A system comprising:

a content reception system;

a receiver of the content reception system to receive television data via a communication link; and

a reception verification system of the content reception system to determine if the television data has missing data and if so provide feedback indicating the missing data; and

a television set coupled with the content reception system to receive the television data and at least some subsequently received missing data.

65. The system of claim 64, further comprising a set top box comprising the reception verification system.

66. The system of claim 64, further comprising a coupling of the set top box with a back channel link to allow the reception verification system to provide the feedback over the backchannel link.

67. The system of claim 64, further comprising a personal video recorder comprising the reception verification system.

68. The system of claim 64, further comprising a user interface of the television set to allow a user to affect the feedback.

69. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine a subset of missing data that is indicated to be missing in feedback received from each of a plurality of receivers based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing.

70. The machine-readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine the subset based at least in part on a type of the digital data.

71. The machine-readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine the subset based at least in part on achieving compliance with a guaranteed level of quality.

72. The machine-readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine the subset based at least in part on a run length of missing data indicated in the feedback.

73. The machine-readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine the subset based at least in part on a user preference indicated in the feedback.