Content-based multiplexer device and multiplexing method

• US 6,522,672 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1997
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubshi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Murakami, Tokumichi, Kato, Yoshiaki, Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US08/892,094
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 370/353, 370/354, 370/468, 370/476, 370/486, 370/487, 370/535, 370/532, 370/537, 370/538, 370/539, 370/416, 370/540, 370/541, 348/385, 348/387, 348/423
• US Class Current: 370/539
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/047 Distributors with transistors or integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

The multiplexer device comprises a multiplexing means for multiplexing a plurality types of media information and outputting a multiplexed bit stream, a priority deciding means for deciding priority corresponding to each of the media information, and a multiplexing controller for controlling multiplexing of each of the media information according to the multiplexing means based on the priority decided by the priority deciding means. In addition the priority in each information is multiplexed.

Claims

1. A multiplexer device comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of media information and input priority table information,

wherein the priority table information includes packet identifying information for identifying each packet in a multiplexed bit stream, program identifying information for identifying each program composed of the media information, group identifying information indicating an association among programs, and priority information indicating priority.

2. The multiplexer device according to claim 1, wherein the priority information includes priority of each program and priority of each media information within each program.

3. A method of multiplexing media information, comprising:

multiplexing a plurality of media information on a packet basis,

wherein, when multiplexing packets of the plurality of media information, packet identifying information for identifying packets corresponding to each media information in a multiplexed bit stream, information indicating correspondence between media information, and information indicating priority of the media information are multiplexed.

4. The method of multiplexing media information according to claim 3, wherein the information indicating priority of the media information is provided hierarchically in correspondence to the information indicating correspondence among the media information.

5. The method of multiplexing media information according to claim 3, wherein the information indicating priority of the media information includes priority information indicating priority of a program and priority information indicating priority of each medium which forms the program.

6. The method of multiplexing media information according to claim 3, wherein the media information is encoded objects and the information indicating correspondence among said media information is information indicating a relation between objects.

7. The method of multiplexing media information according to claim 3, wherein the information indicating priority of the media information includes a priority value that represents different priority values represent different priority levels.