Internet protocol (IP) television
First Claim
1. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
- a source real-time routing server or a group server to provide a listing of broadcast television program content available from a source; and
at least one destination real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have a broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, wherein the source real-time routing server is to unicast the requested broadcast television program to the at least one destination real-time routing server, wherein the at least one destination real-time routing server is to multicast the requested broadcast television program to the at least one end-point device.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for delivering broadcast television (TV) using an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The IPTV system and methods use real-time routing servers to unicast and/or multicast of broadcast television programs. The IPTV system and methods may enable advertisers to insert local commercials into national or international television broadcasts. The IPTV system and methods offer network-based time-shifting of broadcast television programming rather than personal video recorder (PVR)-based time-shifting. The IPTV system and methods may provide scalable video on-demand (VOD) by multicasting video content and dynamically determining whether to speed up or slow down a bit stream to catch up to or wait for the previous or next multicast of the video content. The IPTV system and methods also may enables interactive television programming whereby a viewer may be permitted to exchange video with a television program and have that video displayed.
77 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a source real-time routing server or a group server to provide a listing of broadcast television program content available from a source; and
at least one destination real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have a broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, wherein the source real-time routing server is to unicast the requested broadcast television program to the at least one destination real-time routing server, wherein the at least one destination real-time routing server is to multicast the requested broadcast television program to the at least one end-point device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a source real-time routing server or a group server to provide a listing of broadcast television program content available from a source; and
a set of destination real-time routing servers having;
a first destination real-time routing server to receive a first request to have a broadcast television program in the listing of broadcast television program content delivered to a first set of end-point devices; and
a second destination real-time routing server to receive a second request to have the broadcast television program in the listing of broadcast television program content delivered to a second set of end-point devices, wherein the source real-time routing server is to multicast the requested broadcast television program to the set of destination real-time routing servers, wherein the first and the second destination real-time routing servers are to multicast the requested broadcast television program to the first and the second sets of end-point devices, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a first group server associated with a first service provider;
a first content server associated with a first service provider;
a second group server associated with a second service provider; and
a second content server associated with a second service provider; and
a real-time routing server to provide a listing of broadcast television program content available from the second service provider to at least one end-point device serviced by the first service provider and to send a request to the first group server to have a broadcast television program delivered to the at least one end-point device, wherein the second content server is to send the requested broadcast television program to the real-time routing server, and wherein the real-time routing server is to multicast the broadcast television program to the at least one end-point device. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a storage device to store a broadcast television program, the broadcast television program having a series of intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames; and
a real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have the broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, the real-time routing server to retrieve the broadcast television program from the storage device and to send the broadcast television program to the end-point device, the real-time routing server further to receive a request from the at least one end-point device to PAUSE the broadcast television program, wherein the real-time routing server is to terminate sending the broadcast television program to the end-point device in response to the request from the at least one end-point device to PAUSE the broadcast television program. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a storage device to store a broadcast television program, the broadcast television program having a series of intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames; and
a real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have the broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, the real-time routing server to retrieve the broadcast television program from the storage device and to send the broadcast television program to the end-point device, the real-time routing server further to receive a request from the at least one end-point device to REWIND the broadcast television program, wherein the real-time routing server is to send intraframes in a backward sequence to the end-point device. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a storage device to store a broadcast television program, the broadcast television program having a series of intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames; and
a real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have the broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, the real-time routing server to retrieve the broadcast television program from the storage device and to send the broadcast television program to the end-point device, the real-time routing server further to receive a request from the at least one end-point device to FAST FORWARD the broadcast television program, wherein the real-time routing server is to determine whether the real-time routing server is multicasting the broadcast television program to the end-point device in response to the request to FAST FORWARD the broadcast television program. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a storage device to store a broadcast television program, the broadcast television program having a series of intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames; and
a real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have the broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, the real-time routing server to retrieve the broadcast television program from the storage device and to send the broadcast television program to the end-point device, the real-time routing server further to receive a request from the at least one end-point device to PLAY the broadcast television program, wherein the real-time routing server is to determine whether the real-time routing server is multicasting the broadcast television program to the end-point device in response to the request to PLAY the broadcast television program. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A system for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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a storage device to store a broadcast television program, the broadcast television program having a series of intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames; and
a real-time routing server to receive a request from at least one end-point device to have the broadcast television program delivered to the end-point device, the real-time routing server to retrieve the broadcast television program from the storage device and to send the broadcast television program to the end-point device, the real-time routing server further to receive a request from the at least one end-point device to deliver the broadcast television program in SLOW MOTION, wherein the real-time routing server is to send intraframes, predictive frames, and bidirectional frames to the end-point device at a speed slower than in response to the request to deliver the broadcast television program in SLOW MOTION. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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determining whether a request from at least one end-point device to have media content delivered to the end-point device is a first request for the media content, the media content being designated for on-demand access, if the request for the media content is the first request for the media content, then multicasting the media content to the end-point device;
if the request for the media content is not the first request for the media content, then determining whether the end-point device can join an in-progress multicast of a copy of the media content; and
if the end-point device can join an in-progress multicast of the media content, then unicasting a second copy of the media content to the end-point device at a first frame rate that is fast enough to allow the second copy of the media content to synchronize with the in-progress multicast of the media content at or before a predetermined point in the multicast. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the system comprising:
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determining whether a request from at least one end-point device to have media content delivered to the end-point device is a first request for the media content, the media content being designated for on-demand access, if the request for the media content is the first request for the media content, then multicasting the media content to the end-point device;
if the request for the media content is not the first request for the media content, then determining whether the end-point device can join a multicast of a copy of the media content to be started in the future;
if the end-point device can join a multicast of the media content to be started in the future, then unicasting a second copy of the media content to the end-point device at a second frame rate that slower than the frame rate of the next multicast to be started in the future. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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39. A method for delivering television over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the method comprising:
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determining an encoding format of a television show;
receiving a request from an end-point device to participate in the television show;
determining an encoding format of the end-point device;
determining whether a first real-time routing server is suitable for processing the encoding format of the end-point device to be compatible with the encoding format of the television show;
if the first real-time routing server is suitable for processing the encoding format of the end-point device to be compatible with the encoding format of the television show, then;
processing the encoding format of the end-point device to be compatible with the encoding format of the television show; and
permitting the end-point device to participate in the television show. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification