Digital television broadcasting system

• US 6,271,893 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Toru, Tsukidate, Ryota, Takeuchi, Yoshiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US09/220,890
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 348/730, 348/725, 348/729, 348/460, 348/473, 348/477, 348/552, 348/553, 348/554, 348/6, 348/10, 348/12, 348/423, 348/906, 725/30, 725/50, 725/54, 455/5.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.2, 455/4.1, 455/6.1
• US Class Current: 348/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/09 Arrangements for receiving desired information automatically according to timetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A digital television transmitter transmits a transport stream (hereinafter referred to as “TS”) comprising content data for a plurality of channels to receivers. In the transmitter, program information is periodically inserted in the TS; and an expected time of program alteration is included in said TS. A television receiver comprises a first portion always supplied with an electric power, a second portion which, if supplied with a second electric power, becomes capable of collecting program information included in said TS in corporation with said first portion, and a third portion which. if supplied with a third electric power, becomes capable of displaying said program. At an expected time of program alteration previously received, the second power is supplied to the second portion to collect program information, which is preferably stored in nonvolatile memory. The transmitter sending an alert signal to the receiver via a second transmission media ensures the reception of changed or special program information.

Claims

1. A digital television transmission system ensuring reception of program information by receivers served by the system, the system including:

means for transmitting a transport stream (hereinafter referred to as “

TS”

) comprising content data for a plurality of channels to receivers;

means for periodically including, in said TS, program information on programs scheduled for broadcasting; and

means for including in said program information an expected time of program alteration, identifying a time when any alterations to said program information are going to be transmitted.

4. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means, responsive to a determination that there are a plurality of said expected times, for adjusting said expected times so as to ensure at least a predetermined interval between any adjacent expected times.

5. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for including in said program information a code and a time indicating that a special broadcast is going to be delivered at said time.

7. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for including in said program information a code indicating that a special broadcast is being delivered.

9. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 5, further comprising means responsive to a detection of said code, for transmitting an alert signal via a transmission medium different from a transmission medium used for transmitting said TS.

11. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

means responsive to a detection of said code for transmitting an alert signal at said time via transmission media different from said TS.

13. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 7, further comprising means responsive to a detection of said code for transmitting an alert signal via transmission media different from said TS.

14. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for including in said program information a time and date of program alteration.

16. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for including a priority in said program information.

20. A digital television transmission system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for including in said program information a transmission interval for said program information.

2. A digital television receiver for receiving a program contained in a transport stream (hereinafter referred to as “

TS”

), the receiver comprising;

means for supplying first, second and third electric powers, said means for supplying providing said first electric power constantly and providing said second and said third electric powers in accordance with independent control settings therefor;

a first portion which, when supplied with said first electric power, operates for controlling the digital television receiver and for controlling said second and third electric powers;

a second portion which, when supplied with said second electric power, is enabled to collect program information and an expected time of program alteration included in said TS, said expected time of program alteration identifying a time when any alterations to said program information are going to be transmitted; and

a third portion which, when supplied with said third electric power, is enabled to display said program,

said first portion comprising;

means for causing said second portion to be supplied with said second power at said expected time previously collected;

means for storing said program information and said expected time; and

means, responsive to a request for a display of said program information or said program from a user, for causing said third portion to be supplied with said third power.

3. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for causing said second portion to be supplied includes means, responsive to a determination that there are a plurality of said expected times within a predetermined period, for causing said second portion to be supplied with said second power only at a latest one of said expected times.

6. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 2, wherein said first portion further comprises:

means, responsive to a detection of a code and a time indicating that a special broadcast is going to be delivered at said time, for storing at least said detected time; and

means for causing said second portion and said third portion to be supplied with said second and third powers, respectively, at said detected time.

8. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 2, wherein said first portion further comprises:

means, responsive to a detection of a code indicating that a special broadcast is being delivered, for causing said second portion and said third portion to be immediately supplied with said second and third powers, respectively.

10. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 6, wherein said first portion further comprises means, responsive to a reception of an alert signal via a transmission medium different from a transmission medium used for transmitting said TS, for causing said second portion to be supplied with said second power for a reception of said code and said time.

12. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 6, wherein said first portion further comprises means, responsive to a reception of an alert signal via a transmission medium different from a medium used for transmitting said TS, for causing said second portion and said third portion to be immediately supplied with said second and third powers, respectively.

15. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 2, wherein said first portion further comprises:

means for making a test to see if received program information has already been stored in said means for storing said program information; and

means, response to an affirmative decision by said means for making a test, for updating already stored program information with said received program information only if times and dates of said already stored program information and said received program information are different from each other.

17. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 2, wherein said program information comprises program records associated with respective programs and wherein said first portion further comprises:

means for making a test to see if received program information has already been stored in said means for storing said program information; and

means, response to a negative decision by said means for making a test, for making another test to see if there is any program record having a priority field whose value is lower in priority than that of a received program record; and

means, responsive to an affirmative decision by said means for making another test, for discarding said found program record having said lower priority value and storing said received program record.

18. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 17, wherein a reception interval for each program record is used as said priority assuming that the longer the reception interval, the higher the priority.

19. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 18, wherein said first portion further comprises means for calculating said reception interval for each program.

21. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 18, wherein said first portion further comprises:

means for displaying a frame of program information;

means for applying a preset index pattern to a matrix comprising cells defined by channel columns and time rows to yield an index map, said preset index pattern being arranged such that a larger index is assigned to cells having higher possibility of access; and

means for collecting program information according to said index map.

22. A digital television receiver as defined in claim 21, wherein means for collecting program information comprises means for collecting detailed information for programs with largest index.