Method and apparatus for injecting information assets into a content stream

• US 20050129067A1
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sedna Patent Services LLC
• Inventors: LaRocca, Tobie J., Bertram, Michael C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,248,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/477
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23611 Insertion of stuffing data into a multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bitrate synchronisation arrangements in time-division multiplex systems using bit stuffing for systems with different or fluctuating information rates H04J3/073
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transport encoded asset data and content data, multiplexing the transport encoded content data with a plurality of NULL transport packets to provide “place holder” for the asset data transport packets, and replacing the NULL transport packets with asset data transport packets prior to transmitting the multiplexed transport stream to a set top box.

Claims

1. In an information distribution system providing content data and asset data comprising navigational information to at least one subscriber, an apparatus for processing content and asset information comprising:

means for inserting, within a transport stream including content packets, a plurality of NULL packets;

means for replacing at least some of said NULL packets with asset packets, said asset packets comprising navigational information for facilitating control and presentation of navigational menus for selecting content at a set-top terminal, said asset packets being associated with said content packets to produce a composite transport stream including said navigational information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

packetizing, using a transport packetizer, at least one information stream comprising an asset information stream, said asset information stream being associated with a content stream.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said asset information stream comprises a plurality of asset information sub-streams.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of NULL packets to be inserted into said transport stream including content packets is determined with respect to a bandwidth reservation signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing mapping data indicative of the location of NULL packets within said transport stream including content packets and NULL packets.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said means for replacing comprises:

means for finding, using said mapping data, the location of a next NULL packet within said transport stream including content packets and NULL packets;

means for determining, according to an asset injection rate, if said next NULL packet should be replaced by an asset packet; and

in the case of a determination that said next NULL packet should be replaced by an asset packet, means for replacing said next NULL packet with a next asset packet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for inserting said asset packets is repeated according to an asset injection count.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

means for interacting with a subscriber to receive a content request;

means for retrieving a transport stream including said requested content packets and any inserted NULL packets; and

means for transporting, to said requesting subscriber, a transport stream including said transport stream including said requested content and said inserted asset packets.

9. In an information distribution system providing content data and asset data comprising navigational information to at least one subscriber, a method comprising:

receiving, from a set top terminal, a request for content;

retrieving a packetized transport stream associated with said request for content, said packetized transport stream having content packets and NULL packets inserted therein;

replacing at least some of said NULL packets with asset packets, said asset packets comprising said navigational information for facilitating control and presentation of navigational menus for selecting content at the set-top terminal, said asset packets being associated with content packets of said transport stream to produce a composite transport stream including said navigational information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a mapping table defining content packets associated with asset packets.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a number of NULL transport packets for insertion within the packetized content stream based on said asset packets associated with said content packets defined in said mapped table.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said retrieving a packetized transport stream further comprises:

sending said retrieved packetized transport stream to a transport processor.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending said asset packets to the transport processor.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

packetizing asset data to produce said asset packets; and

packetizing said content data to produce said content packets.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a bandwidth reservation signal to indicate a number of NULL packets inserted into said transport stream including content packets.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing mapping data indicative of the location of NULL packets within said transport stream including content packets and NULL packets.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing an asset rate control signal to adapt a utilization level of said NULL packets.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing an asset count signal to replace a plurality of NULL packets with each asset packet.