Transmission system and transmission method, and reception system and reception method

• US 6,370,143 B1
• Filed: 04/29/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Yasuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/069,674
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 370/390, 370/397, 370/352, 370/254, 370/375, 370/477, 370/404, 370/486, 370/234, 370/230, 370/338, 370/396, 370/395, 370/349, 708/300, 709/315, 709/219, 709/220, 709/249, 709/312, 709/314, 709/238, 709/200, 714/748, 345/333, 345/327, 725/81, 725/116, 725/134, 725/24, 725/39, 725/131, 725/38, 725/151, 705/52, 705/51, 705/1, 379/115, 379/117, 379/127, 379/90.01, 375/145, 455/3.02, 455/422, 455/426, 455/428, 340/905, 707/104
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to distribute data efficiently.

A server structures at least update report data, which is data not containing update data and in which information indicating that data has been updated is arranged, in relation to update data, which has been updated, out of data stored in a database, and transmits the update report data over a unidirectional broadcasting network enabling broadcast. When receiving the update report data, a reception terminal transmits a request for the update data, concerning which the fact that data has been updated is reported by the update report data, over a communication network enabling bi-directional communication. The server retrieves the update data corresponding to the request from a database, and transmits it to the reception terminal over the communication network. In this case, when update data is concerned with data enjoying a high audience rating, the server transmits the update data itself to the reception terminal over the broadcasting network.

Claims

1. A transmission system for transmitting data stored in a database over a broadcast network, the transmission system comprising:

an allocating means for establishing a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for at least first program data and second program data in accordance with at least a first program data audience rating and a second program data audience rating;

a structuring means for structuring the first program data and the second program data to be transmitted over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the first program data and second program data over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation, wherein

the first program data audience rating and the second program data audience rating are determined from viewing history information returned to the transmission system by reception terminals.

2. A transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said first program data comprises at least one of updated data for a first program and a first program update report, the first program update report indicative that the first program has been updated, and wherein the second program data comprises at least one of updated data for a second program and a second program update report, the second program update report indicative that the second program has been updated.

3. A transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the first program data comprises a first program update report generated in response to a first program data update, and wherein the allocating means establishes a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for the first program update report.

4. A transmission system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a communicating means for communicating with the reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

a retrieving means for retrieving updated data for at least one of the first program and the second program from said database in response to an updated data request received from a requesting reception terminal over the bi-directional network,

wherein said communicating means transmits the updated data over the bi-directional network to the requesting reception terminal.

5. A transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communicating means for communicating with the reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

a collecting means for collecting, over the bi-directional network, the viewing history information returned to the transmission system by the reception terminals, the viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program data and the second program data.

6. A transmission method for transmitting data stored in a database over a broadcast network, the method comprising:

establishing a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for at least first program data and second program data in accordance with a at least a first program data audience rating and a second program data audience rating;

structuring the first program data and the second program data to be transmitted over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation; and

transmitting the first program data and second program data over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation, wherein

the first program data audience rating and the second program data audience rating are determined from viewing history information returned to the transmission system by reception terminals.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein structuring comprises structuring first program data including at least one of updated data for a first program and a first program update report, the first program update report indicative that the first program has been updated, and further comprising structuring second program data including at least one of updated data for a second program and a second program update report, the second program update report indicative that the second program has been updated.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the first program data comprises a first program update report generated in response to a first program data update, and wherein establishing comprises establishing a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for the first program update report.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

communicating with the reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

retrieving updated data for at least one of the first program and the second program from said database in response to an updated data request received from a requesting reception terminal over the bi-directional network,

wherein communicating comprises transmitting the updated data over the bi-directional network to the requesting reception terminal.

10. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

communicating with the reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

collecting, over the bi-directional network, the viewing history information returned to the transmission system by the reception terminals, the viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program data and the second program data.

11. A transmission system for transmitting data stored in a database over a broadcast network, the transmission system comprising:

a structuring means for structuring first program update reports based on a first program data format for first program data, the first program update reports indicative that a first program has been updated;

an allocating means for establishing a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for the first program update reports, the bandwidth allocation less than a total available broadcast network bandwidth;

a transmitting means for transmitting the first program update reports over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation.

12. A transmission system according to claim 11, wherein said allocating means establishes the bandwidth allocation for the first program update reports at least one of intermittently and on a continuous basis.

13. A transmission system according to claim 11, wherein said allocating means allocates a first program data bandwidth that is at most a remaining quantity of the total available broadcast network bandwidth for transmission of the first program data, and wherein the transmission means transmits the first program data over the broadcast network according to the remaining quantity of the total available broadcast network bandwidth.

14. A transmission system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a communicating means for communicating with reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

a collecting means for collecting, over the bi-directional network, viewing history information returned to the transmission system by the reception terminals, the viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program data, wherein

the allocating means allocates the first program data bandwidth in accordance with the viewing history information.

15. A transmission system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a communicating means for communicating with reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

a retrieving means for retrieving first program updated data from said database in response to an updated data request received from a requesting reception terminal over the bi-directional network,

wherein said communicating means transmits the first program updated data over the bi-directional network to the requesting reception terminal.

16. A transmission method for transmitting data stored in a database over a broadcast network, the method comprising:

structuring first program update reports based on a first program data format for first program data, the first program update reports indicative that a first program has been updated;

establishing a bandwidth allocation of the broadcast network for the first program update reports, the bandwidth allocation less than a total available broadcast network bandwidth;

transmitting the first program update reports over the broadcast network in accordance with the bandwidth allocation.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein establishing comprises establishing a first program data bandwidth that is at most a remaining quantity of the total available broadcast network bandwidth for transmission of the first program data, and wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the first program data over the broadcast network according to the remaining quantity of the total available broadcast network bandwidth.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

communicating with reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

collecting, over the bi-directional network, viewing history information returned to the transmission system by the reception terminals, the viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program data, wherein

establishing comprises establishing the first program data bandwidth in accordance with the viewing history information.

19. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

communicating with reception terminals over a bi-directional network; and

retrieving first program updated data from said database in response to an updated data request received from a requesting reception terminal over the bi-directional network,

wherein communicating comprises transmitting the first program updated data over the bi-directional network to the requesting reception terminal.

20. A reception system for receiving data stored in a database in a transmission system and transmitted over a broadcast network, the reception system comprising:

a receiving means for receiving a first program update report based on a first program data format for first program data, the first program update reports indicative that a first program has been updated;

a requesting means for issuing a first program data update request in response to the first program update report; and

a communicating means for communicating with the transmission system over a bi-directional network;

wherein the communicating means transmits the first program data update request to the transmission system over the bi-directional network, and receives first program updated data from the database over the bi-directional network in response to the first program data update request.

21. A reception system according to claim 20, further comprising a history information management unit for maintaining viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program updated data.

22. A reception system according to claim 21, wherein the communication means transmits the viewing history information to the transmission system for bandwidth allocation.

23. A method for receiving data stored in a database in a transmission system and transmitted over a broadcast network, the method comprising:

receiving a first program update report based on a first program data format for first program data, the first program update reports indicative that a first program has been updated;

issuing a first program data update request in response to the first program update report; and

communicating with the transmission system over a bi-directional network;

wherein communicating comprises transmitting the first program data update request to the transmission system over the bi-directional network, and receiving first program updated data from the database over the bi-directional network in response to the first program data update request.

24. A reception system according to claim 23, further comprising maintaining viewing history information indicative of audience viewing history for the first program updated data.

25. A reception system according to claim 24, wherein communicating further comprises transmitting the viewing history information to the transmission system for bandwidth allocation.