Internet download enhancement system

• US 6,532,495 B1
• Filed: 04/27/1999
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Abdel-Malek, Aiman Albert, Welles, Kenneth Brakeley II
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/299,927
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 709/232, 709/249, 709/218, 709/226, 709/238, 709/223, 709/230, 709/234, 709/235, 709/233, 725/118, 725/100
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/4622 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 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An Internet download enhancement system for downloading a file comprising an application arranged to initiate a download process and receive a downloaded file over one of a narrow band download path and a broadband broadcast download path, wherein modules in communication with the application are arranged to provide selectable download options among the available download paths. The selectable download options are based at least on an unused bandwidth of one or more of the download paths, thereby enabling the input of a selected download option. The modules are arranged in response to the input to cause a download process to download files over one of the narrow band download path and the broadband broadcast download path and then to output the downloaded file to application.

Claims

1. An Internet download enhancement system for downloading a file comprising:

(a) a subscriber system comprising;

a data receiver;

a demodulator, said demodulator arranged to receive said file from said data receiver and output a demodulated file;

a processor including a memory, an operating system residing in said memory for controlling operations of the subscriber system, and modules residing in said memory, said modules comprising;

a subscriber resident application including at least one subscriber Internet session arranged to receive one of said downloaded file and said demodulated file and connected to said demodulator, said subscriber Internet session being responsive to subscriber input and arranged to identify said file based on said input, wherein said file is received by a first download path and said demodulated file is received by a second download path;

an information control module for detecting a download request input to the application by a subscriber, obtaining broadcast channel availability information and displaying said information;

a download path selection module for detecting a selection of a download path selected by said subscriber and outputting data to one of said subscriber Internet session and a download path detecting and file transmitting module; and

a downloaded file detection module for detecting presence of a downloaded file and providing the file to the subscriber Internet session;

(b) an Internet services provider (ISP) system comprising;

a processor including a memory, an operating system residing in said memory for controlling operations of the ISP system, and modules residing in said memory, said modules comprising;

an ISP resident application including at least one ISP Internet session connected to an Intemet for receiving a file, said ISP Internet session being responsive to said subscriber session;

a broadcast availability file that stores updated unused

a processor including a memory, an operating system residing in said memory for controlling operations of the ISP system, and modules residing in said memory, said modules comprising;

an ISP resident application including at least one ISP Internet session connected to an Internet for receiving a file, said ISP Internet session being responsive to said subscriber session;

a broadcast availability file that stores updated unused bandwidth availability information relating to one or more broadcast channels;

an update module for updating said broadcast availability file, said update module being connected to an unused bandwidth reading module for reading said availability information and to said information control module for output of said information; and

said download path detecting and file transmitting module for receiving input and transmsmitting said file to a download file insertion module for insertion of the file into a broadcast signal stream generated by a broadcast signal transmission system;

(c) a broadcast channel provider system comprising;

a processor including a memory, an operating system residing in said memory for controlling operations of the broadcast channel provider system, and modules residing in said memory, said modules comprising;

said unused bandwidth reading module for reading data from an unused bandwidth determination module;

a broadcast signal transmission system; and

said download file insertion module for receiving said file and outputting said file to said broadcast signal transmission system for insertion into said current broadcast signal stream.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber memory includes said demodulator and said data receiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first download path is a point-to-point data path and said second download path is a broadband broadcast data path.

4. The system of claim 3 where said broadband broadcast data path is a high definition television data path.