Context life time management of a user interface in a digital TV broadcast

• US 6,295,647 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1998
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Muralidharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/168,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 348/13, 348/589, 348/465, 348/6, 348/10, 348/423, 348/461, 348/469, 348/473, 348/474, 348/468, 455/5.1, 370/465, 370/522, 370/514, 375/240.26, 725/109, 725/112, 725/113, 725/114, 725/116, 725/117, 725/118, 725/144, 725/136, 725/146, 725/147, 725/148
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• 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 21/4437 Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

In a digital television broadcast that contains executable code segments that are associated with specific video segments, a context duration time is defined for each executable component. The context duration time is determined so as to correspond to the context of the video segment that is associated with the executable component. In a preferred embodiment, the context duration time for the executable component is determined when the corresponding video segment is being prepared for encoding into the transport stream. The context duration time is subsequently included in the encoding of the executable component in the transport stream. When the executable component is decoded from the transport stream, the context duration time is used to effect a termination of the executable component after the context duration time has elapsed. In this manner, each launched executable component will be terminated within a predetermined time from the start of execution of the executable component, independent of the subsequent contents of the transport stream.

Claims

1. A transport stream encoder comprising:

a video encoder that encodes video images into a sequence of one or more video packets, the video images having a determinable display duration time,

a data encoder that encodes executable code into a sequence of one or more data packets, the sequence of one or more data packets containing a context duration time parameter that is based on at least one of;

the display duration time of the video images, and

a predetermined maximum duration time of the video images.

2. The transport stream encoder of claim 1, wherein:

the sequence of one or more video packets also has a determinable display start time, and

the sequence of one or more data packets also includes a context start time that is based on the display start time.

3. The transport stream encoder of claim 1, further including

a multiplexer, operably coupled to the video encoder and the data encoder, that combines the sequence of one or more video packets and the sequence of one or more data packets into a transport stream to facilitate the transmission of the transport stream to a receiver.

4. The transport stream encoder of claim 3, wherein the transport stream is an MPEG-compliant transport stream.

5. The transport stream encoder of claim 3, further including a transmitter that transmits the transport stream to facilitate the reception of the transport stream at a transport stream decoder.

6. A transport stream decoder comprising:

a demultiplexer that receives a transport stream and produces therefrom a sequence of one or more video packets and a sequence of one or more data packets, the sequence of one or more video packets previously encoded from video images,

an application processor that processes the sequence of one or more data packets to produce executable code,

a memory, operably coupled to the application processor, that stores the executable code, and

an execution processor, operably coupled to the application processor and the memory, that executes the executable code in response to a launch command from the application processor, and terminates the executable code in response to a terminate command from the application processor, and wherein

the sequence of one or more data packets contains a context duration time parameter based on display duration time of the video images, and the application processor communicates the terminate command to the execution processor in dependence upon the context duration time parameter.

7. The transport stream decoder of claim 6, wherein the execution processor produces application images in response to the execution of the executable code, and the transport stream decoder further includes:

a video processor that processes the sequence of one or more packets into the video images, and

a video display, operably coupled to the video processor and the execution processor, that displays the video images and the application images.

8. The transport stream decoder of claim 7, wherein the sequence of one or more video packets have an associated display duration time that is substantially correlated to the context duration time parameter.

9. The transport stream decoder of claim 8, wherein the sequence of one or more video packets has a determinable display start time, and the application processor communicates the launch command to the execution processor to effect the execution of the executable code at a launch time that is substantially equal to the display start time.

10. The transport stream decoder of claim 8, wherein:

the sequence of one or more video packets contains a display start time,

the sequence of one or more data packets contains a context start time,

the video display displays the video images at the display start time, and

the application processor communicates the launch command to the execution processor so as to effect the execution of the executable code at the context start time.

11. The transport stream decoder of claim 6, wherein the transport stream is an MPEG-compliant transport stream.

12. The transport stream decoder of claim 6, further including a receiver to facilitate the reception of the transport stream from a transport stream encoder.

13. A method for encoding a transport stream comprising the steps of:

encoding video images into a sequence of one or more video packets,

determining a display duration time associated with the video images, and

encoding executable code into a sequence of one or more data packets, the encoding of the executable code including an encoding of a context duration time parameter that is based on at least one of;

the display duration time of the video images, and

a predetermined maximum duration time of the video images, and

multiplexing the sequence of one or more video packets and the sequence of one or more data packets to form the transport stream.

14. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of:

encoding a display start time into the sequence of one or more video packets, and

encoding a context start time that is based on the display start time into the sequence of one or more data frames.

15. The method of claim 13, further including the step of transmitting the transport stream to facilitate the reception of the transport stream at a transport stream decoder.

16. A method of decoding a transport stream, comprising the steps of:

demultiplexing a transport stream and producing therefrom a sequence of one or more video packets and a sequence of one or more data packets,

processing the sequence of one or more data packets and producing therefrom an executable code and a context duration time parameter,

executing the executable code for a time duration that is based upon the context duration time parameter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of executing the executable code produces application images, and the method further includes the steps of:

processing the sequence of one or more video packets to produce video images, and

displaying the video images and application images on a display device.

18. The method of claim 16, further including the step of receiving the transport stream to facilitate the reception of the transport stream from a transport stream encoder.