Data delivery services

• US 6,199,205 B1
• Filed: 03/20/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GPT Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Marconi Communications Limited (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Chopping, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/011,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.720, 455/3.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 348/12, 348/13, 348/10
• US Class Current: 725/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1858 Arrangements for data transmission on the physical system, i.e. for data bit transmission between network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A telecommunications data transmission system can provide transmission of data blocks using a unidirectional broadband link and a duplex narrowband link between two subscribers, the narrowband link providing control and addressing information regarding the data blocks sent via the broadband link from the first to the second subscriber, the transmission on the broadband link possibly being sent using Motion Picture Expert Group 2 encoding.

Claims

1. A telecommunications data transmission system, comprising:

a) a database for storing and encrypting blocks of data, and for generating an encryption key;

b) a subscriber terminal remote from the database;

c) a unidirectional broadband link operatively connected between the database and the subscriber terminal, for transmitting the encrypted blocks of data from the database to the subscriber terminal along the broadband link;

d) a duplex narrowband link operatively connected between the database and the subscriber terminal, for transmitting the encryption key from the database to the subscriber terminal in one direction along the narrowband link; and

e) the subscriber terminal being operative for initiating the transmission of the encrypted blocks of data by transmitting a call signal from the subscriber terminal to the database in a direction opposite to said one direction along the narrowband link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadband link includes a satellite for receiving and broadcasting the encrypted blocks of data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the encrypted blocks of data are encoded in a motion picture expert group-2 (MPEG-2) format.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the database is operative for initiating the transmission of the encrypted blocks of data by transmitting a transmit signal from the database to the subscriber terminal in said one direction along the narrowband link.

5. A telecommunications data transmission system, comprising:

a) first and second databases for respectively storing and encrypting first and second blocks of data, and for respectively generating first and second encryption keys;

b) first and second subscriber terminals respectively located remotely from the second and first databases;

c) a first unidirectional broadband link operatively connected between the first database and the second subscriber terminal, for transmitting the first encrypted blocks of data from the first database to the second subscriber terminal along the first broadband link;

d) a second unidirectional broadband link operatively connected between the second database and the first subscriber terminal, for transmitting the second encrypted blocks of data from the second database to the first subscriber terminal along the second broadband link;

e) a duplex narrowband link operatively connected between the first and second subscriber terminals, and also operatively connected between the first and second databases, for transmitting the first and second encryption keys in opposite directions along the narrowband link; and

f) the first and second subscriber terminals being operative for respectively initiating the transmission of the first and second encrypted blocks of data by respectively transmitting first and second call signals in opposite directions along the narrowband link.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each broadband link includes a satellite for respectively receiving and broadcasting the respective encrypted blocks of data.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein each encrypted blocks of data is encoded in a motion picture expert group-2 (MPEG-2) format.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the first and second databases are operative for respectively initiating the transmission of the first and second encrypted blocks of data by respectively transmitting first and second transmit signals in opposite directions along the narrowband link.