Transport processor

• US 6,781,601 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheung, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US10/068,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20020093517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 345/637, 345/638, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/156, 348/385.1, 348/388.1, 348/394.1, 348/552, 725/6, 725/28, 725/54, 725/116, 725/37, 725/100, 725/105, 725/107, 725/109-110, 725/132-134, 725/114, 725/91, 370/312, 370/319, 370/348-349, 370/389, 370/394, 370/431-433, 370/437, 370/443, 370/445, 370/461-462, 370/487, 370/488, 370/514, 370/335, 370/342, 370/441, 709/217, 709/223, 709/227, 709/230, 709/231, 709/237, 709/203, 375/130, 375/140, 375/142
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0224 Details of interlacing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/125 using unified memory architecture [UMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/28 for enhancement of character form, e.g. smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/346 for systems having a bit-mapped display memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/36 characterised by the display of a graphic pattern, e.g. using an all-points-addressable [APA] memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/66 for reducing bandwidth of signals; for improving efficiency of transmission H04B1/68 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42615 involving specific demultiplexing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 : Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for processing information, specifically data packets. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for processing information, comprising determining if a first identifier associated with the information is acceptable and assigning a second identifier to the information. The method further includes determining a type of processing that is required using the second identifier and performing that type of processing on the information.

Claims

1. A method for processing information, comprising:

(a) determining if a first identifier associated with the information is stored in an identifier table;

(b) extracting data associated with said first identifier if said first identifier is stored in said identifier table;

(c) assigning a second identifier to the information;

(d) determining a type of processing that is required using said second identifier; and

(e) performing said type of processing on the information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating steps (a) through (e) in a repetitive manner.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) determining if there is any other information to be processed; and

(g) terminating the method if there is no other information to be processed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the information from at least one input band.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one packet of data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first identifier is a program identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said second identifier is a unique tag.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating what processing is required using only said second identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said type of processing comprises at least one of at least encrypting, decrypting, filtering or buffering.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising performing error checking on said information.

11. A method for processing at least one data packet using a data processor, comprising:

(a) receiving the at least one data packet from at least one input band;

(b) determining if a packet identifier associated with the data packet is stored in an identifier table;

(c) extracting information associated with said packet identifier if said packet identifier is stored in said identifier table;

(d) assigning a unique tag to the data packet;

(e) communicating said unique tag to at least one processing block;

(f) determining if processing of the data packet is required using said unique tag;

(g) determining a type of processing that is needed based only on said unique tag; and

(h) performing said type of processing.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeating steps (a) through (h) in a repetitive manner.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

(i) determining if there is any more data packets to be processed; and

(j) terminating the method if there are no more data packets to be processed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said type of processing comprises at least one of at least encrypting, decrypting, filtering or buffering.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising performing error checking on the at least one data packet.

17. A method for processing at least one data packet using a data processor, comprising:

(a) receiving at least two transport streams; and

(b) processing the at least one data packet from said two transport streams, comprising;

(1) determining if a packet identifier associated with the at least one data packet is acceptable;

(2) assigning a tag to the at least one data packet;

(3) communicating said tag to at least one processing block;

(4) determining if processing of the at least one data packet is required using said tag;

(5) determining a type of processing that is required using said tag; and

(6) performing said type of processing.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said two transport streams comprise independent serial transport streams.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said two transport streams comprise at least one in-band and one out-of-band stream.