Transmission of data items

• US 6,057,886 A
• Filed: 11/21/1996
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Gestel, Henricus A. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US08/754,666
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/461, 348/463, 348/465, 348/467, 348/468, 348/473, 348/906, 348/460, 375/295, 375/260, 370/389, 370/471, 370/476, 370/473, 370/394, 370/428, 370/470, 370/474
• US Class Current: 725/54
• 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 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035

Abstract

A system for transmitting a plurality of data items from a transmitter to one or more receivers. Each data item (Di) is identified by a unique number (i) within a given range. According to the invention, a field (F) comprising both ends (k₁,k₂) of the given range is also transmitted. This allows a receiver to check whether all data items have been received and to check which data item(s) is (are) missing, if any. The invention may generally be used in systems delivering data items to multimedia stations. The invention is particularly suitable for transmitting electronic program guide information in a television broadcast system.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a plurality of data items, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a field indicating the number of data items;

transmitting the plurality of data items, each item including an identifier;

characterized in that the plurality of identifiers form an ordered sequence, and in that the field indicating the number of data items comprises a first and a second subfield, said subfields representing the range of said sequence of identifiers, the first subfield representing a beginning of the range and the second subfield representing an end of the range.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subfields are modulo-N numbers, where N is the maximum number of data items.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data items constitute information about television programmes to be broadcast.

4. A method of receiving and processing a plurality of data items from a transmitter, comprising the steps of:

receiving a field indicating the number of data items;

receiving the plurality of data items, each item including an identifier;

comparing the number of received data items with the number indicated by the received field to determine whether all data items have been received;

characterized in that the field indicating the number of data items comprises a first and a second subfield, said subfields representing the range of an ordered sequence of identifiers, the first subfield representing a beginning of the range and the second subfield representing an end of the range, the method further comprising the step of checking whether and which identifiers within said range are missing so as to determine which data items have not yet been received.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the subfields are modulo-N numbers, where N is the maximum number of data items.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data items constitute information about television programmes to be broadcast.

7. A transmitter for transmitting a plurality of data items, comprising:

means for transmitting a field indicating the number of data items;

means for transmitting the plurality of data items, each item including an identifier;

characterized in that the plurality of identifiers form an ordered sequence, and in that the field indicating the number of data items comprises a first and a second subfield, said subfields representing the range of said sequence of identifiers, the first subfield representing a beginning of the range and the second subfield representing an end of the range.

8. A transmitter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the subfields are modulo-N numbers, where N is the maximum number of data items.

9. A transmitter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data items constitute information about television programmes to be broadcast.

10. A receiver for receiving and processing a plurality of data items from a transmitter, comprising

means for receiving a field indicating the number of data items;

means for receiving the plurality of data items, each item including an identifier;

means for comparing the number of received data items with the number indicated by the received field to determine whether all data items have been received;

characterized in that the field indicating the number of data items comprises a first and a second subfield, said subfields representing the range of an ordered sequence of identifiers, the first subfield representing a beginning of the range and the second subfield representing an end of the range, the receiver further comprising means for checking whether and which identifiers within said range are missing so as to determine which data items have not yet been received.

11. A receiver as claimed in claim 10, wherein the subfields are modulo-N numbers, where N is the maximum number of data items.

12. A receiver as claimed in claim 10, wherein the data items constitute information about television programmes to be broadcast.