Reliable communication of data by supplementing a unidirectional communications protocol

• US 6,574,795 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Carr, Wayne J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US09/370,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 725/121-123, 725/90, 725/71, 709/321-324, 714/16, 714/48, 714/748-750, 370/395.65, 370/394, 370/486, 370/487
• US Class Current: 725/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/4516 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 21/4622 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

An information delivery system includes receiving platforms to receive data communicated from a transmitting source according to a unidirectional transfer protocol over a link. At least some receiving platforms process the received data to determine if a portion of expected data is missing. If so, a receiving platform is able to generate and send a request for the missing data according to a supplemental protocol that is separate from the unidirectional transfer protocol. The transmitting source is able to receive the request for missing data and to retransmit the missing data. The data may include ancillary information (e.g., enhancement data) associated with audio/video content (e.g., television content). By adding the supplemental protocol to enable requests for missing data, a unidirectional transfer protocol that is not reliable is made reliable as a mechanism is provided to ensure receipt of the transmitted data.

Claims

1. A method of reliably communicating resource data, comprising:

receiving resource data segments transmitted by a source according to a unidirectional multicast resource transfer protocol that permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order;

receiving an announcement indicative of a location of the resource data segments;

in response to the announcement, identifying the location of the resource data segments;

determining if one or more segments of the resource data are missing; and

utilizing a secondary delivery mechanism defined outside the unidirectional multicast transfer protocol to request retransmission of the missing resource data segments,

wherein receiving the resource data segments includes receiving ancillary data associated with an audio/video broadcast.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed by receivers, and wherein the determining is performed by at least one of the receivers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the resource data segments to a plurality of receivers, wherein the determining is performed by one or more modules that are separate from the receivers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting is performed over a back link coupled between a receiving platform and the source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting includes sending a request containing one or more identifiers associated with the missing resource data segments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting includes sending a request containing one or more data ranges corresponding to the missing resource data segments.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting includes sending a request according to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the requesting includes sending a GET or POST request according to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving includes receiving the resource data segments transmitted according to a Unidirectional Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting includes requesting retransmission of the missing segments from the source.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting includes requesting retransmission of the missing segments from a server other than the source.

12. A system comprising:

a receiver to receive data communicated according to a one-way communications protocol that does not provide for reliable delivery of the data but where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order, and the receiver to receive an announcement indicative of a location of the data; and

a controller to use the announcement to identify a location of the data and determine if a portion of the data is missing and to generate a request to retransmit missing data according to a supplemental protocol defined separately from the one-way communications protocol so that reliable delivery of the data is available.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the data includes enhancement data associated with an audio/video broadcast.

14. A method of reliable communications, comprising:

transmitting segments of information according to a one-way transfer protocol for receipt by one or more receiving platforms where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order;

transmitting an announcement indicative of a location of the segments of information;

receiving one or more requests according to a supplemental protocol separate from the one-way transfer protocol from one or more receiving platforms for missing information segments; and

retransmitting the missing information segments in response to the one or more requests.

15. A method of reliable communications, comprising:

transmitting segments of information according to a one-way transfer protocol for receipt by one or more receiving platforms where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order;

transmitting an announcement indicating a location of the segments of information;

receiving one or more requests according to a supplemental protocol separate from the one-way transfer protocol from one or more receiving platforms for missing information segments; and

retransmitting the missing information segments in response to the one or more requests,

wherein the information segments are transmitted as ancillary data associated with an audio/video broadcast.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the requests are received from a back link coupled to the one or more receiving platforms.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the retransmitting includes retransmitting the missing information segments over a transport medium used to transmit the ancillary information segments.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the retransmitting includes retransmitting the missing information segments according to an Internet Protocol multicast technique.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the retransmitting includes retransmitting the missing information segments according to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the information segments are transmitted as ancillary data associated with a television broadcast.

21. A system for receiving data over a link, comprising:

a receiver to receive data communicated according to a one-way communications protocol where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order, the receiver to receive an announcement indicative of a location of the data; and

a controller to process the announcement and the received data to determine if a portion of expected data is missing, the controller generating a request for the missing data, the request being defined according to a supplemental protocol separate from the one-way communications protocol,

wherein the data includes enhancement resource data associated with audio/video content.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a circuit to send the request for missing data over a secondary link according to the supplemental protocol.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the supplemental protocol includes a Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the one-way communications protocol includes a Unidirectional Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the enhancement resource data is according to an Advanced Television Enhancement Forum Specification.

26. A system for transmitting data over a transport medium, comprising:

a transmitter to transmit data over the transport medium according to a unidirectional transfer protocol where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order, the transmitter to transmit an announcement indicating a location of the data over the transport medium;

a receiver to receive one or more requests for missing data, the one or more requests being defined outside the unidirectional transfer protocol; and

a controller to process the one or more requests and to identify the missing data requested for retransmission by the transmitter,

wherein the data includes ancillary information associated with audio/video content.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the transmitter retransmits the missing data over the transport medium.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising a second transmitter to transmit the missing data over a secondary communications link.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the second transmitter transmits the missing data according to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second transmitter and the receiver form a transceiver.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the transmitter sends the missing data by Internet Protocol multicast.

32. An article including one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions for communicating data, the instructions when executed causing a system to:

receive data over a transport medium sent according to a unidirectional transfer protocol where the protocol permits delivery of data segments repeatedly and out of order;

receive an announcement over the transport medium indicative of a location of the data;

determine if a portion of the data is missing; and

generate a request defined according to a supplemental protocol separate from the unidirectional transfer protocol for retransmission of the missing data portion.

33. The article of claim 32, wherein receiving the data comprises receiving enhancement data associated with an audio/video broadcast.