System and method for aiding in antenna selections

• US 6,832,070 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Titantv Inc.
• Original Assignee: Decisionmark Corp. (Broadcast Interactive Media, LLC)
• Inventors: Perry, Jack, Franken, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US09/489,057
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.06, 455/414.1, 455/423, 455/426.1, 455/452.2, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/513, 455/520, 455/562.1, 455/67.11, 455/154.1, 455/277.1, 455/277.2, 455/272, 455/131, 455/12.1, 455/427, 725/72, 725/39, 725/109, 725/44, 725/45, 725/46, 348/732, 348/734, 709/217-219, 709/231, 709/238, 342/357
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18547 for geolocalisation of a station position fixing by direction or distance determination G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A system for selecting antenna for a particular street address for terrestrially broadcast signals, where the system uses a web server to provide antenna performance characteristics for antennae recommended for use at the street address to receive the signals.

Claims

1. A system aiding in a selection of an antenna for a particular geographic location, the system comprising:

a web browser at a first location, for interaction with a user;

a web server at a second location for receiving information from said user via said web browser;

said web server receiving a latitude and a longitude coordinate;

said web server coupled to a signal strength server, which predicts a signal strength of a terrestrially broadcast signal at said latitude and longitude coordinate; and

,

said web server coupled to an antenna performance prediction module, which predicts performance characteristics of predetermined antennae when used at said geographic location.

2. A system of claim 1 further comprising a map server coupled to said web server for generating a map of a region around said geographic location, including a radial line extending from said geographic location toward a transmission point of said terrestrially broadcast signal.

3. A system of claim 1 wherein said signal strength server uses a Longley-Rice model to predict signal strengths.

4. A system of claim 2 wherein said map server uses a Puckett cartographic object library.

5. A system of claim 1 further including a geocode server, for converting a address to a Lat/Lon, internally coupled to said web server, which web server is a single multipurpose server.

6. A system of claim 5 wherein said geocode server, said signal strength server, said antenna performance prediction module and said map server are all internally coupled with said web server, which said web server is a single multi-purpose server.

7. A system of claim 1 wherein said signal strength server communicates with said web server with text formatted in a TCP/IP format.

8. A system of claim 1 further including a geocode server for converting a street address into a Lat/Lon, wherein said geocode server communicates with said web server via RPC.

9. A system of claim 8 which substitutes XML over HTTP connectors instead of RPC.

10. A systems of claim 1 wherein said web server receives said latitude and longitude coordinate from a user input.

11. A systems of claim 1 wherein said strength server uses a T/REM model.

12. A method of selecting an antenna comprising the steps of:

providing a geographic location to a web browser, at a first location;

communicating said geographic location to a server over an internet connection between said browser and said server, said server located at a point distant from said first location;

predicting a signal strength, at said geographic location, of a terrestrially broadcast signal;

predicting an antenna performance characteristic of an antenna when said antenna is used at said geographic location to receive said terrestrially broadcast signal, and generating an antenna performance report value in response to said predicting an antenna performance characteristic; and

,

providing said antenna performance report value to said web browser via said internet connection.

13. A method of claim 12 further comprising the step of generating a map showing a relationship between said geographic location and a transmission point of said terrestrially broadcast signal.

14. A method of claim 12 wherein a Longley-Rice model is used to predict signal strengths.

15. A method of claim 13 wherein a Puckett cartographic library is used in generating said map.

16. A method of claim of claim 15 comprising a step of calculating a latitude and longitude done with a geocode server communicating with a remote procedure call.

17. A method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

calculating a latitude and longitude coordinate which corresponds to a street address.

18. A method of claim 12 wherein said geographic location is a street address.

19. A method of claim 12 wherein said geographic location is a user input of a Lat/Lon.

20. A method of selecting an antenna comprising the steps of:

inputting a street address into a web browser;

providing an identification of a terrestrially broadcast signal to said web browser;

providing to said web browser an identification of a particular antenna having a predetermined characteristic with respect to a signal strength characteristic of said terrestrially broadcast signal at said street address; and

,

wherein said particular antenna is primarily configured for reception of terrestrially broadcast signals.

21. A method of selecting an antenna comprising the steps of:

inputting a geographic location into a web browser;

providing to said web browser a list of terrestrially broadcast signals having a predetermined relationship with said geographic location;

providing to said web browser a list of antennae characteristics, having a predetermined relationship with respect to said geographic location and said list of terrestrially broadcast signals; and

,

wherein said list of antenna characteristics are for antennae which are primarily related to reception of terrestrial broadcast signals.

24. A method of claim 21 wherein said geographic location is a street address.

22. A method of claim is 21 wherein said list of terrestrially broadcast signals includes information relating to channel numbers of a plurality of television signals included in said list.

23. A method of claim 22 wherein said list includes a signal strength characteristic for one of said plurality of television signals.

25. A method of selecting an antenna comprising the steps of:

inputting a geographic location into a web browser;

providing to said web browser a list of terrestrially broadcast signals having a predetermined relationship with said geographic location;

providing to said web browser a list of antennae characteristics, having a predetermined relationship with respect to said geographic location and said list of terrestrially broadcast signals;

wherein said list of terrestrially broadcast signals includes information relating to channel numbers of a plurality of television signals included in said list;

wherein said list includes a signal strength characteristic for one of said plurality of television signals; and

,

a map showing a relationship between said geographic location and transmission locations of said plurality of television signals.

26. A method of claim 25 wherein said map includes a plurality of lines extending radially from said geographic location toward said transmission locations.

27. A method of claim 26 wherein said plurality of lines has visually distinct characteristics as a function of a predetermined signal strength related characteristic.

28. A method of claim 27 wherein said predetermined signal strength related characteristic is a characteristic including antenna performance characteristics of a particular antenna.

29. A system for antenna selection comprising:

means for providing a geographic reference corresponding to a predetermined receiving location;

means for converting said geographic reference into a predicted signal strength for a plurality of terrestrial broadcast signals incident upon said predetermined receiving location;

means for reporting information relating to an antenna, as a function of said predicted signal strength and predetermined antenna characteristics; and

wherein said means for converting does not include a radio receiver configured to receive any of said plurality of terrestrial broadcast signals.

30. A system of claim 29 wherein said geographic reference is a street address.

31. A system of claim 29 wherein said geopraphic reference is a user input Lat/Lon a reference.

32. A system for antenna selection further comprising:

means for providing a geographic reference corresponding to a predetermined receiving location;

means for converting said geographic reference into a predicted signal strength for a plurality of terrestrial broadcast signals incident upon said predetermined receiving location;

means for reporting information relating to an antenna, as a function of said predicted signal strength and predetermined antenna characteristics; and

means for providing a map showing relationships between said geographic reference and said plurality of terrestrially broadcast signals.

33. A system of claim 32 wherein said map includes a color coded feature for communicating differences in signal strength characteristics of said plurality of terrestrially broadcast signals.

34. A system for providing information relating to antennae comprising;

a first computer, at a first location, operating a web browser, and communicating a street address over an internet connection;

a web server coupled to said first computer, via said internet connection, said web server in communication with a plurality of modules;

said plurality of modules including;

a geocode module for converting said street address into a latitude and longitude coordinate, said geocode module communicating with said web server via remote program call;

a signal strength prediction module using a Longley-Rice model, for predicting signals strengths at said latitude and longitude coordinate, said signal strength prediction module communicating with TCP/IP formatted text;

an antenna performance prediction module using a COM communication scheme and further using a database of antenna technical parameters, and using predicted signal strengths, to predict performance of an antenna used at said street address; and

,

a map module, using XML to communicate over DCOM, to provide a map of color coded radial lines extending from said street address to transmission points of a plurality of signal sources.