Simulating two way connectivity for one way data streams for multiple parties

• US 6,064,420 A
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Harrison, Edward R., Call, Dale R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/151,926
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 348/12, 348/13, 348/552, 348/553, 348/465, 348/10, 345/327, 345/328, 455/6.3, 455/5.1, 455/4.2
• US Class Current: 725/136
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A host device is disclosed. The host device includes a processor and a control mechanism. The processor operates to receive primary and associated data, the associated data being targeted for different recipients, decode and separate the associated data from the primary data, and cause the associated data to be correspondingly rendered on separate hand held devices. The processor also operates the control mechanism to control a separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

(a) a processor to receive primary and associated data, with the associated data being targeted for different recipients, to decode and separate the associated data from the primary data, and to cause the associated data to be separately rendered, with the associated data being correspondingly rendered for the targeted recipients,

the processor is also to separately cause a separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data; and

(b) a control mechanism coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor in causing said separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data; and

(c) a splitter coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor in splitting the associated data for corresponding rendering, wherein the splitter comprises a first plurality of instructions that facilitate transmission of the split associated data to the corresponding targeted recipients and a second plurality of instructions that facilitate incremental transmission of the split associated data to the corresponding targeted recipients in a round robin fashion, when executed by the processor.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the splitter comprises a plurality of instructions that splits the associated data for corresponding rendering, when executed by the processor.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a plurality of buffers to correspondingly buffer the split associated data.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a plurality of queues to correspondingly queue the split associated data.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a selected one of a wire and a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor in rendering the associated data on corresponding hand held devices of the target recipients.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the selected one of a wire and wireless communication interface is a selected one of a wire and a wireless transmitter/receiver that further facilitates the processor in receiving associated data request inputs from the hand held devices.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a selected one of at least a computer and a set top box.

8. A system comprising:

(a) a host device to receive primary and associated data, with the associated data being targeted for different recipients, to decode and separate the associated data from the primary data, and to cause the associated data to be correspondingly rendered on hand held devices of the targeted recipients,

the host device is to further separately cause a separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data; and

(b) the hand held devices, communicatively coupled to the host device, and responsive to render the associated data responsive to the host device, each of the hand held devices having external physical dimensions that are suitable for hand held usage while viewing the separately rendered primary data.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the host device comprises:

(a.1) a processor to receive the primary and the associated data, to decode and separate the associated data from the primary data, and to cause the associated data to be correspondingly rendered on the hand held devices of the targeted recipients; and

(a.2) a control mechanism coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor to control the separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the host device further comprises a splitter coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor in splitting the associated data for corresponding rendering.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the splitter comprises a first plurality of instructions that split the associated data for corresponding rendering, when executed by the processor of the host device.

12. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the host device further comprises a second plurality of instructions that facilitate transmission of the split associated data to the corresponding targeted recipients, when executed by the processor of the host device.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the second plurality of instructions facilitate incremental transmission of the split associated data to the corresponding targeted recipients in a round robin fashion.

14. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the host device further comprises a plurality of buffers to correspondingly buffer the split associated data.

15. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the host device further comprises a plurality of queues to correspondingly queue the split associated data.

16. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the host device further comprises a selected one of a wire and a wireless communication interface coupled to the processor to facilitate the processor in rendering the associated data on corresponding ones of the hand held devices.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the selected one of a wire and a wireless communication interface is a selected one of a wire and a wireless transmitter/receiver that further facilitates the processor in receiving associated data request inputs from the hand held devices.

18. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the control mechanism is an IR transmitter that operates by the processor to transmit IR remote control commands to the separate display apparatus to cause the separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data.

19. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the host device is a computer and the separate display apparatus is a television.

20. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a set top box, and the separate display apparatus is a television.

21. A method comprising:

(a) receiving primary and associated data, where the associated data are targeted for different recipients;

(b) decoding and separating the associated data from the primary data, and causing the associated data to be separately rendered correspondingly for the targeted recipients, wherein the associated data is split for corresponding rendering and incrementally transmitted to the corresponding targeted recipients in a round robin fashion; and

(c) causing a separate display apparatus to separately receive and render the primary data.