IN-BAND ON-CHANNEL BROADCASTING DIFFERENT CONTENT BY DIFFERENT MESH NETWORK TRANSCEIVERS

• US 20170374631A1
• Filed: 09/12/2017
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Littlejohn, Jeffrey Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,913,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/322 Power control of broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Digital content can be broadcast in a sideband of an analog broadcast channel using multiple digital in-band on-channel (IBOC) transceivers connected in a mesh configuration to form an IBOC mesh network. The digital IBOC transceivers are positioned at various geographic locations, so that unlike traditional “HD” radio broadcasts, the IBOC broadcast transmission is spread out over a wide area, using multiple low power digital IBOC transceivers rather than being broadcast from the same location as the analog signal. An edge transceiver associated with the mesh network can deliver different broadcast content to different transceivers, or nodes, within the mesh network, by delivering content to an intermediate node and relying on the intermediate node to propagate the content through the mesh network. The mesh network provides bi-directional communication between a mesh transceiver and a user device.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting content via a plurality of in-band on-channel (IBOC) mesh networks including IBOC transceivers coupled together in a mesh configuration, the method comprising:

receiving, at an edge transceiver associated with at least one IBOC mesh network, IBOC broadcast content to be delivered for IBOC broadcast to one or more particular IBOC transceivers included in the plurality of IBOC mesh networks;

delivering a first portion of the IBOC broadcast content, from the edge transceiver to a first target IBOC transceiver included in the plurality of IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content to an intermediate IBOC transceiver, which in turn propagates the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content through at least one IBOC mesh network to the first target IBOC transceiver; and

delivering a second portion of the IBOC broadcast content, different from the first portion, from the edge transceiver to a second target IBOC transceiver included in the plurality of IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content to the intermediate IBOC transceiver, which in turn propagates the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content through the at least one IBOC mesh network to the second target IBOC transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver and the second target IBOC transceiver are part of a single IBOC mesh network; and

the first target IBOC transceiver broadcasts the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content on a different sideband of a same channel used by the second target IBOC transceiver to broadcast the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate IBOC transceiver propagates IBOC broadcast content to a target IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast to a neighboring IBOC transceiver.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining which content to route to a particular IBOC transceiver based, at least in part, on user feedback relating to content delivered by the particular IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast, and routed to the edge transceiver through the at least one IBOC mesh network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the user feedback includes feedback information transmitted by a user device to the particular IBOC transceiver via a wireless local area network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver is part of a first IBOC mesh network; and

the second target IBOC transceiver is part of a second IBOC mesh network, different from the first IBOC mesh network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein propagating IBOC content through the IBOC mesh network includes:

transmitting messages within the IBOC mesh network using wired network interfaces.

8. An edge transceiver comprising:

an outward-facing network interface coupled to a digital content distribution device, and configured to receive IBOC broadcast content to be delivered for IBOC broadcast to one or more particular IBOC transceivers included in one or more IBOC mesh networks associated with the edge transceiver, the one or more IBOC mesh networks each including IBOC transceivers coupled together in a mesh configuration;

a processor and associated memory configured to control delivery of particular content to particular IBOC transceivers via an inward-facing network interface coupled to at least one IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks;

the inward-facing network interface configured to;

deliver a first portion of the IBOC broadcast content, from the edge transceiver to a first target IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content to an intermediate IBOC transceiver, which in turn propagates the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content through at least one IBOC mesh network to the first target IBOC transceiver; and

delivering a second portion of the IBOC broadcast content, different from the first portion, from the edge transceiver to a second target IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content to the intermediate IBOC transceiver, which in turn propagates the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content through the at least one IBOC mesh network to the second target IBOC transceiver.

9. The edge transceiver of claim 8, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver and the second target IBOC transceiver are part of a single IBOC mesh network; and

the first target IBOC transceiver broadcasts the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content on a different sideband of a same channel used by the second target IBOC transceiver to broadcast the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content.

10. The edge transceiver of claim 8, wherein the intermediate IBOC transceiver propagates IBOC broadcast content to a target IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast to a neighboring IBOC transceiver.

11. The edge transceiver of claim 8, wherein the processor and associated memory are further configured to:

determine which content to route to a particular IBOC transceiver based, at least in part, on user feedback relating to content delivered by the particular IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast, and routed to the edge transceiver through the at least one IBOC mesh network.

12. The edge transceiver of claim 11, wherein:

the user feedback includes feedback information transmitted by a user device to the particular IBOC transceiver via a wireless local area network.

13. The edge transceiver of claim 8, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver is part of a first IBOC mesh network; and

the second target IBOC transceiver is part of a second IBOC mesh network, different from the first IBOC mesh network.

14. An in-band on-channel (IBOC) communication system comprising:

one or more IBOC mesh networks, each including IBOC transceivers coupled together in a mesh configuration;

an edge transceiver associated with the one or more IBOC mesh networks, the edge transceiver including;

an outward-facing network interface coupled to a digital content distribution device, and configured to receive IBOC broadcast content to be delivered for IBOC broadcast to one or more IBOC transceivers included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks;

an inward-facing network interface coupled to at least one IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks;

a processor and associated memory configured to control delivery of particular content to particular IBOC transceivers via the inward-facing network interface;

the inward-facing interface configured to;

deliver a first portion of the IBOC broadcast content, from the edge transceiver to a first target IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content to the at least one IBOC transceiver in the one or more IBOC mesh networks;

deliver a second portion of the IBOC broadcast content, different from the first portion, from the edge transceiver to a second target IBOC transceiver included in the one or more IBOC mesh networks, by transmitting the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content to the at least one IBOC transceiver;

the at least one IBOC transceiver acting as an intermediate IBOC transceiver, wherein the intermediate IBOC transceiver is configured to;

in response to receiving the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content from the edge transceiver, propagate the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content through at least one IBOC mesh network to the first target IBOC transceiver; and

in response to receiving the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content from the edge transceiver, propagate the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content through the at least one IBOC mesh network to the second target IBOC transceiver.

15. The IBOC communication system of claim 14, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver and the second target IBOC transceiver are part of a single IBOC mesh network; and

the first target IBOC transceiver broadcasts the first portion of the IBOC broadcast content on a different sideband of a same channel used by the second target IBOC transceiver to broadcast the second portion of the IBOC broadcast content.

16. The IBOC communication system of claim 14, wherein the intermediate IBOC transceiver propagates IBOC broadcast content to a target IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast to a neighboring IBOC transceiver.

17. The IBOC communication system of claim 14, wherein the processor and associated memory are further configured to:

determine which content to route to a particular IBOC transceiver based, at least in part, on user feedback relating to content delivered by the particular IBOC transceiver via IBOC broadcast, and routed to the edge transceiver through the at least one IBOC mesh network.

18. The IBOC communication system of claim 17, wherein:

the user feedback includes feedback information transmitted by a user device to the particular IBOC transceiver via a wireless local area network.

19. The IBOC communication system of claim 14, wherein:

the first target IBOC transceiver is part of a first IBOC mesh network; and

the second target IBOC transceiver is part of a second IBOC mesh network, different from the first IBOC mesh network.

20. The IBOC communication system of claim 14, wherein propagating IBOC content through the at least one IBOC mesh network includes:

transmitting messages within the at least one IBOC mesh network using wired network interfaces.