Method and apparatus for providing broadcast information with indexing

• US 5,818,510 A
• Filed: 06/27/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Throckmorton, John A., Cobbley, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/669,723
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/10, 348/13, 348/12, 455/2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 711/117-123, 711/125, 711/126
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/738 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method and apparatus generates and transfers a stream of broadcast information which includes multiple video and audio information segments to a receiving device. Once received, the segments are stored in a cache and indexing information associated with the segments is made available to end users of the apparatus. The end users are then able to select which segment(s) they would like to receive, and the selected segment(s) is transmitted to the requesting user(s). In one embodiment, when a new segment is received, a determination is made as to whether it is a more recent version of another segment already stored by the apparatus. If it is a more recent version, then the older version is overwritten by the newer version.

Claims

1. A method for playing broadcast information comprising :

receiving broadcast information including an audio program;

storing at least one part of the audio program in a storage device;

displaying a set of indexing information associated with different portions of the at least one part of the audio program which can be retrieved for playing;

retrieving at least one of the different portions of the at least one part of the audio program from the storage device based on at least a selected portion of the set of indexing information; and

playing the at least one of the different portions of the audio program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing comprises:

determining whether a first part of the audio program is a more recent version of a second part of the audio program, wherein the second part was previously stored in the storage device; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the first part is the more recent version.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether an end user is currently accessing the second part; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the end user is not currently accessing the second part, otherwise deleting the second part from the storage device when the end user completes accessing the second part.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the deleting comprises overwriting the second part with the first part.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast information comprises a repeating news broadcast.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving a set of text information associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the audio program.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the set of text information to an end user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving a set of graphical images associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the audio program.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the set of graphical images.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the set of indexing information associated with a most recent audio program.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of portions of the at least one part of the audio program based on a selected subset of the set of indexing information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the set of indexing information in an order which is predetermined by a personal profile.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the set of indexing information during a vertical blanking interval (VBI) associated with the broadcast information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving closed caption information as part of the broadcast information; and

generating the set of indexing information from the closed caption information.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

(a) receiving broadcast information including video image data;

(b) storing at least one part of the video image data in a storage device;

(c) displaying a set of indexing information associated with the at least one part of the video image data;

(d) retrieving at least one portion of the at least one part of the video image data from the storage device based on the set of indexing information; and

(e) displaying the at least one portion of the video image data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein step (d) comprises the step of retrieving the at least one portion of the video image data from the storage device based on selected indexing information, wherein the selected indexing information is part of the set of indexing information.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

determining whether a first part of the video image data is a more recent version of a second part of the video image data, wherein the second part was previously stored in the storage device; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the first part is the more recent version.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the steps of:

determining whether an end user is currently viewing the second part; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the end user is not currently viewing the second part, otherwise deleting the second part from the storage device when the end user completes viewing the second part.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the deleting comprises overwriting the second part with the first part.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the broadcast information comprises a repeating news broadcast.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving a set of text information associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the video image data.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the step of displaying the set of text information, provided the first portion is displayed.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the receiving step (a) further comprises receiving a set of graphical images associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the video image data.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the step of displaying the set of graphical images, provided the first portion is displayed.

25. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

(a) receiving broadcast information including an audio program;

(b) storing at least one part of the audio program in a storage device;

(c) displaying a set of indexing information associated with different portions of the at least one part of the audio program which can be retrieved for playing;

(d) retrieving at least one of the different portions of the at least one part of the audio data from the storage device based on at least a selected portion of the set of indexing information; and

(e) playing the at least one of the different portions of the audio program.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:

determining whether a first part of the audio program is a more recent version of a second part of the audio program, wherein the second part was previously stored in the storage device; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the first part is the more recent version.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the steps of:

determining whether an end user is currently accessing the second part; and

deleting the second part from the storage device, provided the end user is not currently accessing the second part, otherwise deleting the second part from the storage device when the end user completes accessing the second part.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the deleting comprises overwriting the second part with the first part.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the broadcast information comprises a repeating news broadcast.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (a) comprises receiving a set of text information associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the audio program.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the step of providing the set of text information to an end user.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving a set of graphical images associated with a first portion of the at least one part of the audio program.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the step of displaying the set of graphical images.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (c) comprises providing the set of indexing information associated with a most recent audio program.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (c) comprises providing the set of indexing information in an order which is predetermined by a personal profile.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein step (a) comprises receiving the set of indexing information during a vertical blanking interval (VBI) associated with the broadcast information.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving closed caption information as part of the broadcast information; and

generating the set of indexing information from the closed caption information.

38. An apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit to receive broadcast information which includes an audio program;

a transmitting unit to transmit indexing information associated with the broadcast information to a playback device; and

a processing unit to store at least one part of the audio program in a storage device and determine whether a first part of the at least one part of the audio program is a more recent version of a second part of the at least one part of the audio program already stored in the storage device, and wherein the processing unit is operative to overwrite the second part in the storage device with the first part, provided the first part is the more recent version.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the processing unit is also operative to determine whether an end user is currently accessing the second part, and overwrite the second part in the storage device with the first part if the end user is not currently accessing the second part, and otherwise delete the first part from the storage device.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the processing unit is also operative to compress the at least one part of the audio program prior to storing the at least one part of the audio program in the storage device.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a capturing unit to digitize and compress the at least one part of the audio program.

42. An apparatus for playing broadcast information, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving broadcast information including an audio program;

means for storing at least one part of the audio program;

means for displaying a set of indexing information associated with different portions of the at least one part of the audio program which can be retrieved for playing;

means for retrieving at least one of the different portions of the at least one part of the audio data from the means for storing based on at least a selected portion of the set of indexing information; and

means for playing the at least one portion of the audio data.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising:

means for determining whether a first part of the audio program is a more recent version of a second part of the audio program, wherein the second part was previously stored by the means for storing; and

means for deleting the second part from the means for storing, provided the first part is the more recent version.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the means for providing includes means for providing the set of indexing information associated with a most recent audio program.

45. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the means for providing includes means for providing the set of indexing information in an order which is predetermined by a personal profile.

46. A method for displaying broadcast information comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving broadcast information including video image data;

(b) storing at least one part of the video image data in a storage device;

(c) displaying a set of indexing information associated with the at least one part of the video image data;

(d) retrieving at least one portion of the at least one part of the video image data from the storage device based on the set of indexing information; and

(e) displaying the at least one portion of the video image data.