NEAR VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SIGNAL RECEIVER

• US 20090049503A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Akira Shimazu, Hajime Inoue, Keiji Kanota, Toshimichi Nagashima, Yukio Kubota
• Original Assignee: Akira Shimazu, Hajime Inoue, Keiji Kanota, Toshimichi Nagashima, Yukio Kubota
• Inventors: Kubota, Yukio, Nagashima, Toshimichi, Inoue, Hajime, Kanota, Keiji, Shimazu, Akira
• Application Number:
  US12/183,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049503A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26275 for distributing content or additional data in a staggered manner, e.g. repeating movies on different channels in a time-staggered manner in a near video on demand system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method of providing content video data comprising:

providing first content data to a user location,

wherein the first content data is provided through a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying the first content data and each transmission of the first content data on the plurality of video channels being offset by a predetermined time interval;

selecting one of said video channels for a user;

displaying the first content data;

pausing the first content data at a selected time;

recording the first content following the pausing; and

resuming display of the content data at a subsequent time following the selected time.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

providing second content data to the user location; and

displaying the second content data during a time interval between the selected time and the subsequent time.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

identifying a series of time codes indicating an elapsed time of the first content data;

storing a particular time code at a time the first content data is paused;

identifying a time code closest to and prior to the stored time code;

monitoring a video channel associated with the identified time code; and

displaying the first content data of the monitored video channel when the identified time code equals the stored time code.

25. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

calculating a time period between the pausing step and the resuming step;

identifying a video channel that carries a segment of the first content data during the time period between the pausing step and the resuming step;

determining a period of time before transmission of the segment will occur; and

displaying the segment from the identified video channel at the time the segment occurs.

26. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

identifying a refresh segment of first content data,

the refresh segment being a portion of the first content data displayed prior to the pause step;

storing the refresh content; and

displaying the refresh segment during the resuming step.

27. An apparatus for providing content video data comprising:

means for providing first content data to a user location,

wherein the first content data is provided through a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying the first content data and each transmission of the first content data on the plurality of video channels being offset by a predetermined time interval;

means for selecting one of said video channels for a user;

means for pausing the first content data at a selected time;

means for recording the first content data following the pausing; and

means for resuming display of the content data at a subsequent time following the selected time.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for providing second content data to the user location; and

means for displaying the second content data during a time interval between the selected time and the subsequent time.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for identifying a series of time codes indicating an elapsed time of the first content data;

means for storing a particular time code at a time the first content data is paused;

means for identifying a time code closest to and prior to the stored time code;

means for monitoring a video channel associated with the identified time code; and

means for displaying the first content data of the monitored video channel when the identified time code equals the stored time code.

30. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for calculating a time period between the selected time and the subsequent time;

means for identifying a video channel that carries a segment of the first content data during the time period between the selected time and the subsequent time;

means for determining a period of time before transmission of the segment will occur; and

means for displaying the segment from the identified video channel at the time the segment occurs.

31. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for identifying a refresh segment of first content data,

the refresh segment being a portion of the first content data displayed prior to the selected time;

means for storing the refresh content; and

means for displaying the refresh segment at the subsequent time.

32. A method of providing content video data comprising:

providing first content data to a user location,

wherein the first content data is provided through a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying the first content data and each transmission of the first content data on the plurality of the channels being offset by a predetermined time interval;

selecting one of said video channels for a user;

pre-storing a first segment of the first content data;

reproducing the stored first segment;

identifying a pause position code of the first segment disposed at a terminal portion of the first segment at a selected pause time;

identifying a resume position code of the first segment at a resume time, the resume time being subsequent to the pause time;

identifying a channel carrying remaining segments of the first content data, based on the identified resume position code; and

displaying the first content from the identified channel based on the resume position code.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising:

providing second content data to the user location; and

displaying the second content data during a time interval between the pause time and the resume time.

34. The method according to claim 32, further comprising:

identifying a series of position codes indicating an elapsed portion of the first content data;

storing a particular position code when the first content data is paused;

identifying a position code closest to and prior to the stored position code;

monitoring a video channel associated with the identified position code; and

displaying the first content data of the monitored video channel when the identified position code equals the stored position code.

35. The method according to claim 32, further comprising:

identifying a refresh segment position code of a refresh segment of the first content data,

the refresh segment being a portion of the first content data displayed prior to the pause time;

storing the refresh segment; and

displaying the refresh segment based on the resume position code.

36. An apparatus for providing content video data comprising:

means for providing first content data to a user location,

wherein the first content data is provided through a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying the first content data and each transmission of the first content data on the plurality of the channels being offset by a predetermined time interval;

means for selecting one of said video channels for a user;

means for pre-storing a first segment of the first content data;

means for reproducing the stored first segment;

means for identifying a pause position code of the first segment disposed at a terminal portion of the first segment at a selected pause time;

means for identifying a resume position code of the first segment at a resume time, the resume time being subsequent to the pause time;

means for identifying a channel carrying remaining segments of the first content data, based on the identified resume position code; and

means for displaying the first content from the identified channel based on the resume position code.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising:

means for providing second content data to the user location; and

means for displaying the second content data during a time interval between the pause time and the resume time.

38. The method according to claim 36, further comprising:

means for identifying a series of position codes indicating an elapsed portion of the first content data;

means for storing a particular position code when the first content data is paused;

means for identifying a position code closest to and prior to the stored position code;

means for monitoring a video channel associated with the identified position code; and

means for displaying the first content data of the monitored video channel when the identified position code equals the stored position code.

39. The method according to claim 36, further comprising:

means for identifying a refresh segment position code of a refresh segment of the first content data,

the refresh segment being a portion of the first content data displayed prior to the pause time;

means for storing the refresh segment; and

means for displaying the refresh segment based on the resume position code.