METHOD FOR PROVIDING MULTICAST SERVICES

• US 20120084815A1
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Liao, Ning, Li, Jun, Shi, Yun Tao
• Granted Patent: US 9,077,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47

Abstract

It is provided a method for providing a service guide in a network providing a plurality of multicast services, said network comprising at least one client device connected to an intermediate a first device, wherein a subset of said plurality of multicast services is being multicast to said at least one client device via said intermediate first device, and the service guide provides a list of the plurality of multicast services in a second order; and at the side of a client device, the method comprises the steps of determining a list of the plurality of multicast services in a first order, wherein the order is changed from the second order to the first order based on the multicast services of the subset; and presenting said list of multicast services in said first order.

Claims

1. A method for providing a service guide in a network providing a plurality of multicast services, said network comprising at least one client device connected to a first device, wherein a subset of said plurality of multicast services is being multicast to said at least one client device via said first device, and the service guide provides a list of the plurality of multicast services in a second order, wherein, at the side of a client device, it comprises the steps of

determining a list of the plurality of multicast services in a first order, wherein the order is changed from the second order to the first order based on the multicast services of the subset;

and

presenting said list of multicast services in said first order.

2. The method of the claim 1, wherein, the multicast services of said subset are listed in a predetermined position of said list.

3. The method of the claim 2, wherein, said predetermined position is the top of the list.

4. The method of the claim 1, wherein, the multicast services of said subset are listed in sequence in said list.

5. The method of the claim 1, wherein the step of determination further comprises:

receiving a message including information about said list of the plurality of multicast services in said first order from said first device; and

deriving said list of the plurality of multicast services in said first order from said message.

6. The method of the claim 1, wherein, before the step of determination it comprising:

receiving the list of multicast services in a second order; and

the step of determination further comprises

changing the list from the second order to the first order based on information about multicast services of said subset.

7. The method of the claim 6, wherein before changing, it further comprises:

receiving a message including said information about multicast services of said subset; and

deriving said information from the message.

8. The method of the claim 6, wherein before changing, it further comprises:

receiving access information used for accessing the multicast services;

snooping packets; and

determining said information about multicast services of said subset based on said access information and said packets.

9. The method of the claim 8, wherein it further comprises:

snooping packets periodically during said client device'"'"'s reception of a multicast service; and

updating the order of said list of multicast services based on the snooped packets and said access information.

10. The method of the claim 8, characterized in that wherein said access information comprises multicast group addresses for receiving a plurality of multicast services.

11. The method of the claim 6, wherein it further comprises:

determining the information about multicast services of said subset based on physical layer frames.

12. The method of the claim 1, wherein it further comprises:

receiving an instruction for surfing; and

presenting the multicast services of said subset in a one by one manner.

13. The method of the claim 11, wherein it further comprises:

presenting multicast services not belonging to said subset in a one by one manner.

14. An apparatus for providing a service guide in a network providing a plurality of multicast services, wherein, said apparatus connects to a first device and the service guide provides a list of the plurality of multicast services in a second order, wherein the apparatus comprises

a receiver configured to receive the list of the plurality of multicast services in the second order;

and

a rendering module configured to present a list of the plurality of multicast services in a first order, wherein, the order is changed from the second order to the first order based on one or more multicast services that is being multicasted by the first device.

15. The apparatus of the claim 14, wherein, it further comprises a snooping module configured to snoop multicast packets based on the list of the plurality of multicast services received by the receiver or detect multicast services presented in physical-layer frame.

16. The apparatus of the claim 14, wherein, it further comprises a channel surfing module configured to switch channels in the list of the second order one after another.