Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems

• US 20070266414A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kahn, Raynold, Klauss, Peter, Dulac, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a first portion of a program via broadcast signal and receiving a second portion of the program via an Internet protocol (IP) based signal. The example method may further comprise combining the first and the second portions and at least one of store the combined first and second portions in a file or playback the combined first and second portions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first portion of a program via a broadcast signal; and

receiving a second portion of the program via a point-to-point communication signal.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the program is at least one of a video program or an audio program.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the point-to-point communication signal is an Internet protocol (IP) signal, and wherein receiving the second portion of the program via the point-to-point communication signal uses at least one of a file transfer protocol (FTP) or an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal is at least one of a satellite broadcast signal, a wireless broadcast signal, a wired broadcast signal, a cable television broadcast signal, an Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) radio frequency broadcast signal, a Multi-channel Multi-point Distribution System (MMDS) broadcast signal, a Local Multi-point Distribution System (LMDS) broadcast signal, an Internet-based broadcast signal, a cellular broadcast signal, a power-line broadcast signal, a fiber optic broadcast signal, or any point-to-point or multicast Internet Protocol (IP) delivery mechanism.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal represents a first plurality of data packets comprising the first portion of the program, and wherein the point-to-point communication signal contains a second plurality of data packets comprising the second portion of the program.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein a same packet format is used for the first and the second plurality of packets.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the first and the second plurality of packets comprise an entirety of the program.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and the second portions comprise an entirety of the program.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

combining the first and the second portions; and

storing the combined first and second portions in a file.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

playing back the first portion; and

playing back the second portion.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the second portion is played back before the first portion.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first portion represents an end portion of the program, and wherein the second portion represents a beginning portion of the program.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first portion represents at least a beginning and an end portion of the program, and wherein the second portion represents a middle portion of the program.

14. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive broadcast signal representing a first portion of a program; and

receive a point-to-point communication signal containing a second portion of the program.

15. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the first and the second plurality of packets comprise an entirety of the program.

16. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the first and the second portions comprise an entirety of the program.

17. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

combine the first and the second portions; and

store the combined first and second portions in a file.

18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

play back the first portion; and

play back the second portion.

19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the second portion is played back before the first portion.

20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the first portion represents an end portion of the program, and wherein the second portion represents a beginning portion of the program.

21. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the first portion represents a beginning and an end portion of the program, and wherein the second portion represents a middle portion of the program.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a first interface to receive a broadcast signal representing a first portion of a program; and

a second interface to receive an Internet protocol (IP) based signal comprising a second portion of the program.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising a storage device to store a file containing combined first and second portions.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the combined first and second portions comprises the second portion followed by the first portion.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the combined first and second portions comprises a beginning part of the first portion, then the second portion followed by an ending part of the first portion.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising a display module to playback combined first and second portions.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein the combined first and second portions comprises the second portion followed by the first portion.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein the combined first and second portions comprises a beginning part of the first portion, then the second portion followed by an ending part of the first portion.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the first interface, the second interface and the storage device are implemented in the same housing.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the storage device is a hard disk drive.