Addressing Fringe Areas in Broadcast Networks

• US 20110072469A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Väre, Jani, Alamaunu, Jyrki
• Application Number:
  US12/562,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20110072469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/42 for identifying broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

Methods and systems for addressing fringe areas within a broadcast network are described. At least one broadcast stream may be transmitted at a broadcast network A determination may be made as to whether a fringe area exists in the broadcast network. Information of the fringe area may be provided to a receiver in at least one signaling section associated to the at least one broadcast stream. A fringe area may occur within a single transmitter coverage area or cell of the broadcast network or over a plurality of different transmitter coverage areas or cells within the broadcast network. The fringe areas may be represented by one or more generally elliptically shaped regions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting at a broadcast network at least one broadcast stream;

determining if at least one fringe area exists in the broadcast network; and

providing information of the at least one fringe area in at least one signaling section associated to the at least one broadcast stream.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fringe area in the broadcast network is identified for at least one of:

at least one cell and at least one transmitter coverage area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining includes utilizing at least one generally elliptically shaped area to indicate a location of the at least one fringe area.

4. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one generally elliptically shaped area comprises an ellipse defined by:

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one generally elliptically shaped area is defined by a rotational angle.

6. A method comprising:

receiving at least one broadcast stream;

determining information of at least one fringe area in a broadcast network associated with the at least one broadcast stream;

determining whether to change to a different communication network based upon the determined information; and

changing to the different communication network based upon the determined information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one fringe area in the broadcast network is identified for at least one of:

at least one cell and at least one transmitter coverage area.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining information of at least one fringe area includes inspecting at least one associated signaling section of the at least one broadcast stream.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the information of the at least one fringe area includes data associated with at least one generally elliptically shaped area surrounding the at least one fringe area.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one fringe area spans a plurality of transmitter coverage areas within the broadcast network.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of;

transmitting at a broadcast network at least one broadcast stream;

determining if at least one fringe area exists in the broadcast network; and

providing information of the at least one fringe area in at least one signaling section associated to the at least one broadcast stream.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one fringe area in the broadcast network is identified for at least one of:

at least one cell and at least one transmitter coverage area.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to utilize at least one generally elliptically shaped area to indicate a location of the at least one fringe area.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one generally elliptically shaped area comprises an ellipse defined by:

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of;

receiving at least one broadcast stream;

determining information of at least one fringe area in a broadcast network associated with the at least one broadcast stream;

determining whether to change to a different communication network based upon the determined information; and

changing to the different communication network based upon the determined information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one fringe area in the broadcast network is identified for at least one of:

at least one cell and at least one transmitter coverage area.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one fringe area spans a plurality of cells within the broadcast network.

18. One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions, that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method of:

transmitting at a broadcast network at least one broadcast stream;

determining if at least one fringe area exists in the broadcast network; and

providing information of the at least one fringe area in at least one signaling section associated to the at least one broadcast stream.

19. The one or more computer readable media according to claim 18, wherein the determining includes utilizing at least one generally elliptically shaped area to indicate a location of the at least one fringe area.

20. One or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions, that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method of:

receiving at least one broadcast stream;

determining information of at least one fringe area in a broadcast network associated with the at least one broadcast stream;

determining whether to change to a different communication network based upon the determined information; and

changing to the different communication network based upon the determined information.

21. The one or more computer readable media according to claim 20, wherein the determining information of at least one fringe area includes inspecting at least one associated signaling section of the at least one broadcast stream.