Service Discovery in Broadcast Networks

• US 20110023070A1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Virtanen, Kari Sakari, Vare, Jani Petteri
• Application Number:
  US12/445,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20110023070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859

Abstract

Broadcast configuration data such as service information, program specific information and electronic service guide data may be misconfigured in non-standard or misconfigured broadcast networks. A network and data analysis server may be used to monitor network broadcasts for configuration information, check whether the configuration information is valid and transmit updated information to a central service discovery database system. The service discovery database system may be used to repair misconfigured or incomplete configuration information before storing it to a database. Terminals with fast service discovery enabled or that have received misconfigured data through the broadcast network may request configuration data from the service discovery database system. Additionally, terminals and/or network analysis servers may receive broadcast signals through a first network connection while communicating with the database system over a second network connection.

Claims

1. A method for discovering configuration information at a terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a first receiver of the terminal, a broadcast signal through a first network connection, wherein the broadcast signal includes broadcast content and original configuration information; and

receiving, at a second receiver of the terminal, repaired configuration information through a second network connection, wherein the repaired configuration information corresponds to the broadcast signal received through the first network connection; and

processing the broadcast signal received at the first receiver in accordance with the repaired configuration information received at the second receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network connection includes a Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) network connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network connection includes at least one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network connection, a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) network connection and a cellular communication network connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of program specific information and service information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the repaired configuration information includes a repaired version of the original configuration information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the original configuration information is misconfigured.

7. A method for discovering configuration information at a terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving a broadcast signal through a first network connection, wherein the broadcast signal includes first configuration data;

determining whether the first configuration data is valid; and

in response to determining that the first configuration data is not valid, requesting second configuration data from a service discovery database system through a second network connection.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second configuration data includes a repaired version of the first configuration data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first configuration data is misconfigured.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of using the second configuration data to process broadcast content included in the broadcast signal.

11. A system for providing configuration data to mobile terminals, the system comprising:

a configuration information database; and

a data analysis server configured to;

receive configuration data through a first network connection from a broadcast network;

determine whether the configuration data is valid;

in response to determining that the configuration data is not valid, repairing the configuration data; and

storing the configuration data in the configuration information database.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data analysis server is further configured to transmit the repaired configuration data to a remote database through a second network connection.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the data analysis server is configured to determine whether the configuration data is valid based on whether the configuration data is complete.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the data analysis server is further configured to monitor the broadcast network for changes to the configuration data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data analysis server is further configured to transmit updated configuration data to the database system in response to detecting changes to the configuration data.

16. A server for distributing configuration data, the server comprising:

a processor;

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps of;

receiving a request message through the receiver;

determining whether the request message corresponds to an upload request; and

in response to determining that the request message corresponds to the upload request;

receiving configuration data;

determining whether the configuration data is valid; and

in response to determining that the configuration is not valid, repairing the configuration data.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions for performing the steps of:

determining whether the request message corresponds to a download request; and

in response to determining that the request message corresponds to the download request, transmitting configuration data to a requesting terminal.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the download request includes location information corresponding to the requesting terminal.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein repairing the configuration data includes obtaining user input to complete the configuration data.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions for performing the steps of:

determining whether the configuration data includes new information; and

in response to determining that the configuration data includes new information, notifying one or more mobile terminals registered with the server.