Method and apparatus for designating a preferred source to avoid duplicative programming services

• US 6,401,242 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Guo, Zicheng, Eyer, Mark K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/599,293
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/98, 725/35, 725/36, 725/63, 725/118, 725/127
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Interactive Program Guide (IPG) data for television is delivered to integrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) in a decoder population via, for example, a satellite network. The IPG data provides scheduling information for global and local programming services which are carried via the satellite network as well as another network such as a CATV network or a terrestrial broadcast network. Each IRD is assigned to an IPG region using unit addressing. At the IRD, IPG data is filtered so that only the global data and the region-specific data for the IRD'"'"'s IPG region is retained and processed by the IRD. Channel map data is also delivered to the IRDs so that bundles of IRD data can be filtered out using firmware filtering to discard program sources that are not present in the channel map. The IRD data which is retained after filtering is used to provide scheduling information via an on-screen display. A preferred source may be designated when there are duplicative channels on the different networks.

Claims

1. A method for delivering programming services to a decoder via at least first and second communication plants, wherein a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said first communication plant and a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said second communication plant are duplicative with one another, comprising the steps of:

designating one of the duplicative programming services as a preferred source to allow the recovery and display thereof by the decoder in lieu of the non-designated programming service; and

delivering data to the decoder to designate the preferred source via at least one of said first and second communication plants.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the step of designating one of the duplicative programming services as a preferred source occurs at a television headend; and

the data which designates the preferred source is sent from the headend to the decoder via at least one of said first and second communication plants.

2. An apparatus for delivering programming services to a decoder via at least first and second communication plants, wherein a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said first communication plant and a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said second communication plant are duplicative with one another, comprising:

means for designating one of the duplicative programming services as a preferred source to allow the recovery and display thereof by the decoder in lieu of the non-designated programming service; and

means for delivering data to the decoder to designate the preferred source via at least one of said first and second communication plants.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein:

the means for designating one of the duplicative programming services as a preferred source is located at a television headend; and

the means for delivering data to the decoder which designates the preferred source is located at the headend.

3. A decoder which receives programming services via at least first and second communication plants, wherein a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said first communication plant and a programming service which is delivered to the decoder via said second communication plant are duplicative with one another, comprising:

means for recovering data which designates one of the duplicative programming services as a preferred source to allow the recovery and display thereof by the decoder in lieu of the non-designated programming service, wherein;

the data which designates the preferred source is delivered to the decoder via at least one of said first and second communication plants.

6. A decoder in accordance with claim 3, wherein:

the data which designates the preferred source is delivered to the decoder from a television headend via at least one of said first and second communication plants.