Video pedestal network

• US 6,594,826 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1997
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Irdeto USA Incorporated (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Irdeto Access B.V. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Siccardo, Paolo L., Rao, R. Padmanabha, Levesque, Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US08/892,502
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• Field of Search: 725/86-104, 725/61, 725/114-119, 725/143-148, 370/395-1-3, 370/444
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/81 combined with telephone network over which the broadcast is continuously available
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2883 ATM DSLAM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64307 ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• 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 7/108 : the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An architecture for distributing digital information to subscriber units wherein selection from among multiple digital services is accomplished by transmitting a tuning command from a subscriber unit to an intermediate interface. The intermediate interface selects the desired service from a broadband network and transmits it to the subscriber unit over a bandwidth-constrained access line. The bandwidth-constrained access line may be implemented with existing infrastructure, yet the subscriber unit may access a wide variety of digital information available on the broadband network. Universal broadband access is thus provided at low cost. Output bandwidth of broadcast equipment may also be optimized.

Claims

1. In a digital information transmission system coupled to a plurality of subscriber units via a communication network, said subscriber units including privileged and non-privileged subscriber units, a system for allocating access to a channel among said subscriber units, said system comprising:

means for transmitting a content stream from a plurality of available content streams over said channel, said available content streams including general access content streams and limited access content streams;

means for receiving a request specifying a desired content stream from one of said plurality of subscriber units;

prioritization means, coupled to said receiving means and transmitting means, for initiating transmission of a limited access content stream over said channel only if a request for said limited access stream is received from a privileged subscriber unit, and for initiating access to a general access content stream only if no request from a privileged subscriber unit for a limited access stream is currently being fulfilled.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said prioritization means further comprises:

means for, once transmission of said limited access content stream has been initiated, receiving messages from further privileged subscriber units indicating that said limited access content stream is being monitored and receiving further messages from privileged subscriber units indicating that said is no longer being monitored, and upon a determination that no privileged subscriber unit is currently monitoring said limited access content stream, thereafter terminating transmission of said limited access content stream and accepting requests for transmitting general access content streams over said channel.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said channel is an MPEG multiplexed packet stream allocation.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said channel is a frequency allocation.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said communications network comprises a hierarchical network interconnecting said video transmission system and said plurality of subscriber units.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said transmitting means is an MPEG multiplexer.

7. In a digital information transmission system coupled to a plurality of subscriber units via a communications network, a digital information stream server having a channel for communication to said subscriber units, said system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of content streams, said content streams including general access content streams and limited access content streams;

means for transmitting a content stream from said plurality of said content streams over said channel;

means for receiving a request specifying a desired content stream from one of said plurality of subscriber units; and

prioritization means, coupled to said receiving means and transmitting means, for initiating transmission of a limited access content stream over said channel only if a request for said limited access stream is received, and for initiating access to a general access content stream only if no request for a limited access stream is currently being fulfilled.