Method for universal messaging and multiplexing of video, audio, and data streams
First Claim
1. In a packet-based communication system wherein elementary streams are segmented into packetized elementary stream packets to form packetized elementary streams, a method of providing transport layer services comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of first elementary streams, including elementary streams of differing type;
segmenting the first elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of first message streams, each message having a common message structure across the differing types of elementary streams;
converting the first message streams into first packetized elementary streams, each first packetized elementary stream associated with a particular first elementary stream;
multiplexing the first packetized elementary streams into an output streams;
providing a plurality of second elementary streams;
segmenting the second elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of second message streams, each second message stream associated with a particular second elementary stream;
associating a data channel identifier with each second message stream;
storing each data channel identifier in a field in its associated message stream;
multiplexing the second message streams into a second packetized elementary stream; and
multiplexing the second packetized elementary stream with the first packetized elementary streams.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method is disclosed for supplying arbitrary types of information in a digital signal conformant to the structures defined in ISO standard ISO/IEC 13818-1, known generally as MPEG2 Systems. The method extends Program Stream and Transport Stream structures by application of principles developed for standardization of bidirectional data communications protocols to define a universal messaging syntax applicable to all types of information, including Internet data streams, VBI data streams, other types of data streams, as well as MPEG2 video, audio, and control; to define a multiplexing structure that is independent of the details of the MPEG2 signal structure; and to define a scheme for addressing such enhanced MPEG2 signals, or portions of signals, to individual decoders or to groups of decoders.
201 Citations
40 Claims
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1. In a packet-based communication system wherein elementary streams are segmented into packetized elementary stream packets to form packetized elementary streams, a method of providing transport layer services comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of first elementary streams, including elementary streams of differing type;
segmenting the first elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of first message streams, each message having a common message structure across the differing types of elementary streams;
converting the first message streams into first packetized elementary streams, each first packetized elementary stream associated with a particular first elementary stream;
multiplexing the first packetized elementary streams into an output streams;
providing a plurality of second elementary streams;
segmenting the second elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of second message streams, each second message stream associated with a particular second elementary stream;
associating a data channel identifier with each second message stream;
storing each data channel identifier in a field in its associated message stream;
multiplexing the second message streams into a second packetized elementary stream; and
multiplexing the second packetized elementary stream with the first packetized elementary streams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. In a packet-based communication system wherein elementary streams are segmented into packetized elementary stream packets to form packetized elementary streams, a method of providing transport layer services comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of first elementary streams, including elementary streams of differing type;
segmenting the first elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of first message streams, each message having a common message structure across the differing types of elementary streams;
converting the first message streams into first packetized elementary streams, each first packetized elementary stream associated with a particular first elementary stream; and
multiplexing the first packetized elementary streams into an output stream;
wherein each message of certain packetized elementary streams is an MPEG private_stream—
1 packetized elementary stream packet comprising a message header and a message payload wherein the message header includes a private data extension field.- View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form an output stream for transmission to a remote site, a method of providing transport layer services to the elementary streams comprising the steps of:
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segmenting the elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of message streams, each message stream associated with a particular elementary stream;
associating data channel identifiers with certain message streams, each data channel identifier associated with a particular elementary stream and stored in a field in its associated message stream;
multiplexing the certain message streams into a first packetized elementary stream; and
converting the remaining message streams into second packetized elementary streams. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
converting the packetized elementary stream packets of certain second packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the transport stream.
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18. The method of claim 17 wherein the sections are table sections which include program specific information or service information.
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19. The method of claim 17 wherein each message is an MPEG private_stream—
- 1 packetized elementary stream packet comprising a message header and a message payload.
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20. The method of claim 19 wherein the message header includes a private data extension field.
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21. The method of claim 20 where in the private data field includes a channel_number subfield for associating a data channel with the message stream.
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22. The method of claim 20 wherein the private data field includes a decoder_identifier subfield for addressing a decoder.
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23. The method of claim 22 wherein the decoder_identifier subfield comprises an Internet protocol subnetwork address.
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24. The method of claim 20 wherein the private data field includes a decoder_identifier subfield for addressing a group of decoders.
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25. The method of claim 20 wherein the private data field includes a message_type subfield for identifying elementary stream data type carried in the message payload.
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26. The method of claim 14 wherein the output stream is an Asynchronous Transfer Mode stream.
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27. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form a transport stream for transmission to a remote site, a method of providing transport layer services to the elementary streams comprising the steps of:
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segmenting the elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of message streams, each message stream associated with a particular elementary stream;
associating data channel identifiers with certain message streams, each data channel identifier associated with a particular message stream and stored in a field in the associated message stream;
multiplexing the certain message streams into a private packetized elementary stream;
converting the remaining message streams into second packetized elementary streams; and
multiplexing the private and second packetized elementary streams into the transport stream. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
converting packetized elementary stream packets of certain second packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the transport stream.
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29. The method of claim 28 wherein the sections are table sections which include program specific information or service information.
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30. The method of claim 28 wherein the sections are private sections.
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31. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form a transport stream for transmission to a remote site having a decoder, a method of retrieving the elementary streams at the decoder comprising the steps of:
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receiving the transport stream at the remote site;
demultiplexing the transport stream into a first packetized elementary stream and second packetized elementary streams;
demultiplexing the first packetized elementary stream into plural first message streams and converting the second packetized elementary streams into second message streams, each message comprising a packetized elementary stream packet;
identifying data channel identifiers associated with the plural first message streams, each data channel identifier associated with a particular first message stream; and
reassembling packetized elementary stream packets of the first and second message streams into elementary streams.
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32. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form a transport stream for transmission to a remote site, apparatus for providing transport layer services to the elementary streams comprising:
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means for segmenting the elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of message streams, each message stream associated with a particular elementary stream;
means for associating data channel identifiers with certain message streams, each data channel identifier associated with a particular message stream;
means for multiplexing the certain message streams into a private packetized elementary stream;
means for converting the remaining message streams into second packetized elementary streams; and
means for multiplexing the private and second packetized elementary streams into the transport stream.
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33. In a packet-based communication system wherein elementary streams are segmented into packetized elementary stream packets to form packetized elementary streams, a method of providing transport layer services comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of first elementary streams;
segmenting the first elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of first message streams;
converting the first message streams into first packetized elementary streams, each first packetized elementary stream associated with a particular first elementary stream; and
multiplexing the first packetized elementary streams into a transport stream, wherein the multiplexing step further comprises;
converting the packetized elementary stream packets of certain first packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the transport stream.
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34. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form an output stream for transmission to a remote site, a method of providing transport layer services to the elementary streams comprising the steps of:
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segmenting the elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of message streams, each message stream associated with a particular elementary stream;
associating data channel identifiers with certain message stream, each data channel identifier associate with a particular message stream and stored in a field in its associated message stream;
multiplexing the certain message streams into a first packetized elementary stream;
converting the remaining message streams into second packetized elementary streams; and
multiplexing the first and second packetized elementary streams into the transport stream, the multiplexing further comprising;
converting the packetized elementary stream packets of certain second packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the transport stream.
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35. In a packet-based communication system wherein a plurality of elementary streams are multiplexed to form a transport stream for transmission to a remote site, a method of providing transport layer services to the elementary streams comprising the steps of:
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segmenting the elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of message streams, each message stream associated with a particular elementary stream;
associating data channel identifiers with certain message streams, each data channel identifier associated with a particular message stream;
multiplexing the certain message streams into a private packetized elementary stream;
converting the remaining message streams into second packetized elementary streams; and
multiplexing the private and second packetized elementary streams into the transport stream, the multiplexing further comprising;
converting packetized elementary stream packets of certain second packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the transport stream.
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36. In a packet-based communication system wherein elementary streams are segmented into packetized elementary stream packets to form packetized elementary streams, a method of providing transport layer services comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of first elementary streams, including elementary streams of differing type;
segmenting the first elementary streams into messages to form a plurality of first message streams, each message having a common message structure across the differing types of elementary streams;
converting the first message streams into first packetized elementary streams, each first packetized elementary stream associated with a particular first elementary stream; and
multiplexing the first packetized elementary streams into an output stream, the multiplexing comprising the steps of;
converting the packetized elementary stream packets of certain first packetized elementary streams into sections;
segmenting the sections and the packetized elementary stream packets of the remaining packetized elementary streams into transport stream packets; and
multiplexing the transport stream packets into the output stream. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification