Data transmission device, reception device, data transmission system, and data transmission method

• US 6,363,061 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1998
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yuzawa, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M
• Application Number:
  US09/033,017
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 370/498, 370/503, 370/537, 370/539, 370/541, 370/486, 370/487, 370/345, 370/326, 348/423.1, 348/464, 348/487, 348/491, 348/492, 348/734, 455/45, 709/219
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8402 involving a version number, e.g. version number of EPG data arrangements for version control in computers G06F8/71

Abstract

Proper data is selected from a plurality of data which are multiplexed and transmitted to download the proper data. The maker and model of a receiver and the version of a control program are stored in a load section as a maker ID, a model ID, and a version ID. The section number and the total number of sections are also stored. It is checked whether the maker ID and the model ID coincide with those stored in the ROM of the receiver to check whether the version number is newer than that of the control program of the receiver. Therefore, it can be checked whether the program should be downloaded. With reference to the list of section numbers which have been downloaded, it can be found whether a program divided into a plurality of sections to be transmitted is completely downloaded. With reference to the list of section numbers and the total number of sections, the progress state of downloading can be known.

Claims

1. A data transmission device for time-divisionally multiplexing signals of a plurality of communications channels and further multiplexing the plurality of time-divisionally multiplexed signals to simultaneously transmit the signals, comprising at least one multiplexer operable to multiplex the signals of the plurality of communications channels with (i) receiver maker identification information for identifying makers of reception devices for receiving transmitted information, (ii) receiver model identification information for identifying models of the makers of the reception devices, and (iii) information specifying one or more of the communications channels through which the receiver maker identification information and the receiver model identification information are transmitted.

2. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one multiplexer is further operable to multiplex version identification information of the information with the signals of the plurality of communications channels.

3. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one multiplexer is further operable to multiplex quantity information representing the quantity of the information with the signals of the plurality of communications channels.

4. A method for time-divisionally multiplexing signals of a plurality of channels and further multiplexing the plurality of time-divisionally multiplexed signals to simultaneously transmit the signals, comprising multiplexing the signals of the plurality of channels with (i) receiver maker identification information for identifying makers of reception devices for receiving transmitted information, (ii) receiver model identification information for identifying models of the makers of the reception devices, and (iii) information specifying one or more of the communications channels through which the receiver maker identification information and the receiver model identification information are transmitted.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising multiplexing version identification information of the information with the signals of the plurality of communications channels.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising multiplexing quantity information representing the quantity of the information with the signals of the plurality of communications channels.