Method and Apparatus for Determining Broadcast Reception Requirements Based on Location

• US 20100023978A1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ATI Technologies ULC (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Poddar, Manish, Garg, Dinesh Kumar
• Application Number:
  US12/191,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A disclosed method comprises obtaining location data including geographic coordinates; searching stored digital video broadcast network requirements data corresponding to the location data; and tuning to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by the digital video broadcast network requirements data. The step of obtaining location data may further comprise obtaining Global Positioning System (GPS) data; and searching using the GPS data. An integrated circuit includes tuner logic, operative to tune to, and receive, a digital video broadcast network channel in response to a command; location data logic to receive location data; digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic to obtain location data from the location data logic and search stored digital video broadcast network requirements data corresponding to the location data, and send the command to the tuner logic to tune to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by the digital video broadcast network requirements data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

searching stored digital video broadcast network requirements data based on location data including geographic coordinates; and

tuning to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said location data including geographic coordinates, comprises:

Global Positioning System (GPS) data; and

wherein searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data based on location data including geographic coordinates comprises;

searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data using said GPS data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said location data including geographic coordinates, comprises:

location server data; and

wherein searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data based on location data including geographic coordinates comprises;

searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data using said location server data.

4. A method comprising:

searching stored digital video broadcast network requirements data based on location data including geographic coordinates;

tuning to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data; and

initializing a protocol stack code for a digital video broadcast network technology indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that said protocol stack code is not present;

requesting said protocol stack code from a communications network associated with said geographic coordinates; and

downloading said protocol stack code from said communications network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein tuning to a digital video broadcast network channel further comprises:

turning on a tuner circuitry associated with said digital video broadcast network technology and tuning to said digital video broadcast network channel using said tuner circuitry.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining location data including geographic coordinates, further comprises:

obtaining Global Positioning System (GPS) data; and

searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data using said GPS data.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining location data including geographic coordinates, further comprises:

obtaining location server data; and

searching said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data using said location server data.

9. A mobile communication device comprising:

tuner logic, operative to tune to, and receive, a digital video broadcast network channel in response to a command;

location data logic, operative to receive location data, including geographic coordinates;

digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic, operatively coupled to said tuner logic and to said location data logic, said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic being operative to;

obtain location data, including geographic coordinates, from said location data logic;

search stored digital video broadcast network requirements data corresponding to said location data; and

send said command to said tuner logic to tune to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data; and

a display, operatively coupled to said tuner logic, said display operative to display digital video received via said tuner logic over said digital video broadcast network channel.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein said location data logic further comprises:

at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or location server data logic, for communicating with a location server to obtain said location data, including geographic coordinates; and

memory for storing said stored digital video broadcast network requirements data.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein said location tuner logic further comprises:

a plurality of tuner and demodulation modules, each tuner and demodulation module corresponding to a digital video broadcast network technology.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 9, further comprising:

multi-mode manager logic, operatively coupled to said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic and to said tuner logic, said multi-mode manager logic operative to control said tuner logic and manage initialization and shut down of a plurality of protocol stack codes, each protocol stack code of said plurality of protocol stack codes being associated with a specific digital video broadcast network technology; and

wherein said digital video broadcast network reception logic initializes a specific protocol stack code for a corresponding digital video broadcast network technology via said multi-mode manager logic.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic is further operative to:

determine that a needed protocol stack code is not present in a mobile communication device memory;

request said needed protocol stack code from a communications network associated with said geographic coordinates; and

download said needed protocol stack code from said communications network.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein said location tuner logic further comprises:

a plurality of tuner and demodulation modules, each tuner and demodulation module corresponding to a digital video broadcast network technology; and

wherein said multi-mode manager logic is operative to turn on a specific tuner and demodulation module, of said plurality of tuner and demodulation modules, said specific tuner and demodulation module being associated with said digital video broadcast network technology and tune to said digital video broadcast network channel using said specific tuner and demodulation module.

15. An integrated circuit comprising:

tuner logic, operative to tune to, and receive, a digital video broadcast network channel in response to a command;

location data logic, operative to receive location data, including geographic coordinates;

digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic, operatively coupled to said tuner logic and to said location data logic, said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic being operative to;

obtain location data, including geographic coordinates, from said location data logic;

search stored digital video broadcast network requirements data corresponding to said location data; and

send said command to said tuner logic to tune to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein said location data logic further comprises:

at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or location server data logic, for communicating with a location server to obtain said location data, including geographic coordinates.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein said location tuner logic further comprises:

a plurality of tuner and demodulation modules, each tuner and demodulation module corresponding to a digital video broadcast network technology.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 15, further comprising:

multi-mode manager logic, operatively coupled to said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic and to said tuner logic, said multi-mode manager logic operative to control said tuner logic and manage initialization and shut down of a plurality of protocol stack codes, each protocol stack code of said plurality of protocol stack codes being associated with a specific digital video broadcast network technology; and

wherein said digital video broadcast network reception logic initializes a specific protocol stack code for a corresponding digital video broadcast network technology via said multi-mode manager logic.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein said digital video broadcast network reception requirements logic is further operative to:

determine that a needed protocol stack code is not present in a mobile communication device memory;

request said needed protocol stack code from a communications network associated with said geographic coordinates; and

download said needed protocol stack code from said communications network.

20. A computer readable media comprising:

executable instructions, for executing on at least one processor, that when executed cause said at least one processor to;

obtain location data including geographic coordinates;

search stored digital video broadcast network requirements data corresponding to said location data; and

tune to a digital video broadcast network channel indicated by said digital video broadcast network requirements data.

21. The computer readable media of claim 20, wherein said executable instructions, when executed, further cause said at least one processor to:

determine that a needed protocol stack code is not present in a memory;

request said needed protocol stack code from a communications network associated with said geographic coordinates; and

download said needed protocol stack code from said communications network.