Method and apparatus for limiting access to satellite communication signals

• US 6,147,642 A
• Filed: 06/05/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Titantv Inc.
• Original Assignee: Decisionmark Corp. (Broadcast Interactive Media, LLC)
• Inventors: Perry, Jack, Cechota, David J., Franken, Kenneth A., McCurry, Martha S., Moubarak, Toufic T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US09/092,128
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.15, 342/357.16, 455/12.1, 455/272, 455/131
• US Class Current: 342/357.52
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18547 for geolocalisation of a station position fixing by direction or distance determination G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling the reception of satellite signals as a function of the location of a receiver for receiving said satellite signals and further as a function of the signal strength of a terrestrially broadcast television signal at said location of the satellite receiver is disclosed. In one embodiment, a GPS receiver and a radio receiver are utilized to control the reception at the location. In another embodiment, a distributed approach is utilized which uses at least two separated servers in which one is used for inputting information relating to a location of the satellite receiver and another server is utilized for determining the relationship of the signal strength of that position to a predetermined threshold and either directly through a hardware connection or indirectly through a display terminal providing for manipulation of the satellite receiver and satellite transmitter combination so as to restrict access to signal reception by said satellite receiver at the location if a strength of a terrestrially broadcast television signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. An apparatus for regulating access to satellite communication signals comprising:

means for locating latitude and longitude coordinate for a particular location on the surface of the earth, and generating a location signal in response thereto;

means, responsive to said location signal, for generating a signal strength signal which is representative of a strength of a terrestrially broadcast television signal at said particular location; and

means for manipulating a combination of a satellite receiver and a satellite transmitter in response to said signal strength signal;

so that access to a predetermined satellite signal can be alternatively enabled and disabled for said particular location.

2. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for locating a longitude and latitude coordinate for a particular location comprises a GPS receiver.

3. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for generating a signal strength signal comprises a radio receiver.

4. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for locating a latitude and longitude coordinate for a particular location includes a geocoding server which takes street addresses and generates corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates.

5. An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for generating signal strength signals includes a signal server utilizing a Longley-Rice signal strength calculator to determine a geographic reception area having a signal strength above a predetermined threshold and further using a Puckett point-in-polygon tester to compare said coordinates with points inside said geographic reception area.

6. An apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for locating a latitude and longitude coordinate for a particular location includes a geocoding server which takes street addresses and generates corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates.

7. An apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for manipulating includes a display screen for visually displaying information relating to a satellite communication signal access characteristic for said particular location.

8. An apparatus of claim 7 wherein said geocoding server is a first computer coupled to a computer network.

9. An apparatus of claim 5 wherein said signal strength server is provided by said computer.

10. A method of regulating access to satellite communication signals comprising:

determining geographic reference information for a particular location on the surface of the earth wherein said determining geographic reference information utilizes a geocode server;

generating signal strength signals representative of a signal strength of a predetermined terrestrially broadcast signal at said particular location;

inhibiting use of a predetermined satellite signal in response to said signal strength signal, when said signal strength signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

11. A method of claim 10 wherein said determining geographic reference information utilizes a GPS receiver.

12. A method of claim 10 wherein said determining geographic reference information utilizes a geocode server.

13. A method of claim 12 wherein said inhibiting use of a predetermined satellite signal utilizes a display screen to display access information relating to an access characteristic.

14. A method of regulating satellite communication signals comprising the steps of:

receiving an address of a predetermined location and generating a geographic reference signal having a predetermined signal format in response thereto;

determining a signal strength signal representative of a strength of a television signal received at said predetermined location; and

comparing said signal strength signal to a predetermined threshold and generating in response thereto a satellite signal control signal for regulating access to satellite signals received at said predetermined location.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an address of a predetermined location and generating a geographic reference signal having a predetermined signal format in response thereto;

means for determining a signal strength signal representative of a strength of a television signal received at said predetermined location; and

means for comparing said signal strength signal to a predetermined threshold and generating in response thereto a satellite signal control signal for regulating access to satellite signals received at said predetermined location.

16. An apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for receiving an address and generating a geographic reference signal is a first computer utilizing a Web browser to communicate with a coupled second computer utilizing a geocode server.

17. An apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for determining is a third computer coupled to said second computer.

18. An apparatus of claim 17 further including a display device for displaying information relating to said satellite signal control signal.

19. A satellite signal control apparatus comprising:

a browser means at a first location for receiving information relating to a street address of a second location, a geocoding means for generating a latitude and longitude reference signal corresponding to said street address for said second location;

a processor based means, disposed at a third location and coupled to said first location via a computer network, said processor based means for generating a signal strength signal representative of a strength of a terrestrially broadcast signal at said second location, where said processor based means for generating utilizes a point in polygon approach and a Longley-Rice signal strength calculator to generate said signal strength signal;

said processor based means for generating further for comparing said signal strength signal with a predetermined reference level and generating in response thereto a satellite signal control signal.