Apparatus and method for transporting information about broadcast programs

• US 6,782,553 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Tokumichi, Kato, Yoshiaki, Ogawa, Michiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shang, Annan Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/258,826
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 725/93, 725/94, 725/98, 725/91, 725/92, 725/95, 725/114-117, 725/135, 725/138, 725/144-147, 370/270, 370/474, 370/485, 370/486, 370/487, 370/537, 370/428, 370/461, 370/462, 340/825.5, 340/825.51, 340/825.52
• US Class Current: 725/146
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• 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

A program information transport apparatus comprises a update unit for accepting a request for a change in either one of program information and transmission control information stored in a memory, and for updating the contents of the memory according to the change at predetermined update times to update the program information. An information management unit can acquire the program information from the memory and then furnish the acquired program information at predetermined transport times to transport the program information. A transport unit then transports the program information from the information management unit to receivers.

Claims

1. A program information transport apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing program information about digital broadcast programs as well as transmission control information including a transport cycle time for the program information;

update means for accepting, at a first point of time, a request for a change in either one of the program information and transmission control information stored in said storage means, and for updating, at a second point of time subsequent to the first point of time, the contents of said storage means according to the requested change including all program information requested to be changed only at the next update time in a series of predetermined update times;

information management means for acquiring the program information from said storage means and then furnishing the acquired program information at predetermined transport times to transport said program information, said predetermined transport times being preset based on the transport cycle time stored in said storage means; and

transport means for transporting said program information from said information management means to outside said program information transport apparatus,

wherein a segment of the non updated program information before the update if not updated, is multiplexed with media data of a digital broadcast during a period between the first point of time and the second point of time and prior to the next update time; and

wherein if the segment of the updated program information is updated after the next update time, the updated program information is multiplexed with the media information, which is after the second point of time.

2. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transport means multiplexes said program information from said information management means and media data into a single output stream, and then transports the single output stream.

3. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores, as the transmission control information, predetermined update times to update the program information, a transport start time to start transport of the program information, a transport end time to finish transport of the program information, and a transport priority assigned to the program information, and wherein said update means can accept a request for a change in either one of the predetermined update times, the transport start time, the transport end time, and the transport priority, which are stored in said storage means.

4. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said storage means stores, as the transmission control information, predetermined update times to update the program information, a transport start time to start transport of the program information, a transport end time to finish transport of the program information, and a transport priority assigned to the program information, and wherein said update means can accept a request for a change in either one of the predetermined update times, the transport start time, the transport end time, and the transport priority, which are stored in said storage means.

5. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said information management means starts to transfer the program information to said transport means after the transport start time for the program information.

6. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said information management means finishes transferring the program information to said transport means after the transport end time for the program information.

7. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said information management means erases the program information from said storage means after the transport end time for the program information.

8. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when said storage means stores a plurality of pieces of program information, said information management means sequentially transfers the plurality of pieces of program information to said transport means in order of transport priority if some of the plurality of pieces of program information have to be transported at the same transport times.

9. The program information transport apparatus according to claim 1, further including extracting means for extracting program information from multiplexed data, into which media data and the program information are multiplexed, transported thereto from outside said apparatus, said storage means further storing program information which is the same as program information previously-extracted by said extracting means until said extracting means extracts the current program information, said storage means also storing a transport cycle time for the program information, and second update means for determining whether or not there is a change in the extracted program information by comparing the extracted program information with the previous program information, and for updating the contents of said storage means according to the program information extracted by said extracting means only if there is a change in the extracted program information, wherein said information management means acquires the program information from said storage means and then furnishes the acquired program information to said transport means at predetermined transport times to transport said program information, said predetermined transport times being preset based on the transport cycle time stored in said storage means.

10. A method of transporting program information, comprising the steps of:

presorting program information about digital broadcast programs and transmission control information including a transport cycle time for the program information in a memory;

accepting, at a first point of time, a request for a change in either one of the program information and the transmission control information stored in said memory;

updating, at a second point of time subsequent to the first point of time, the contents of said memory according to the requested change including all program information requested to be changed only at the next update time in a series of predetermined update times;

acquiring the program information from said memory and then multiplexing the acquired program information and media data into an output stream at predetermined transport times to transport said program information, said predetermined transport times being preset based on said transport cycle time; and

transporting said output stream to outside,

wherein a segment of the non updated program information if not updated, is multiplexed with the media data during a period between the first point of time and the second point of time and prior to the next update time; and

wherein if the segment of the updated program information is updated after the next update time, the updated program information is multiplexed with the media information, which is after the second point of time.