Communication system for combining mutually realted objects into a transport entity

• US 6,898,789 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Pereboom, Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US09/780,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 707/4, 707/2, 707/104.1, 345/716, 348/467, 348/468, 348/473, 348/425.1, 348/508, 348/912, 348/14.01, 348/14.12, 709/229, 725/134, 725/137, 370/235, 370/395.3, 370/389, 370/473, 370/474, 370/498
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• 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 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8402 involving a version number, e.g. version number of EPG data arrangements for version control in computers G06F8/71

Abstract

The present invention is related to a communication system in which a transmitter transmits cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects to a terminal. If said objects are used in the terminal there is no mechanism to establish whether said objects are consistent, e.g. that they are originated at the same time. To ensure that the objects are consistent, they are combined in a common transport entity. The receiver is arranged to extract only the complete set of mutually related objects from the common transport entity. Consequently, the consistency is always ensured.

Claims

1. Communication system comprising a transmitter for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects via a communication network including assembling means for combining the mutually related objects that relate to an application at a given time into a combined transport entity to allow transmission consistency of the objects, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects;

and

a terminal connected to the network for receiving the objects and including processing means for processing the plurality of mutually related objects for extracting the plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity and the indication of size for each of the mutually related objects, using the indication of size to determine the position of each object in the transport entity.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, in which transmitter is for introducing into the combined transport entity an update indicator to indicate that the combined transport entity is updated, and the processing means is for extracting the updated objects from the common transport entity if an update is indicated.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, in which the transport entity comprises a header indicating the size of the header and the size of the objects combined into the transport entity, and the update indicator includes a version number.

12. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the given time is the same time for each of the mutually related objects.

4. A transmitter for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects, comprising assembling means for combining said mutually related objects at a given time into a combined transport entity to allow transmission consistency of the objects, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects.

5. A terminal comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of cyclically transmitted mutually related objects, and

processing means for processing the plurality of mutually related objects that relate to an application at a given time and for combining into a combined transport entity for transmission consistency, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects, and for extracting the plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity using the indication of size to determine the position of each object in the transport entity.

6. A communication method comprising:

transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects that relate to an application via a communication network to a destination,

processing the plurality of mutually related objects at a given time that are received at the destination,

combining the mutually related objects into a combined transport entity for transmission consistency, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects;

extracting the plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity using the indication of size to determined the position of each object in the transport entity; and

processing the plurality of mutually related objects.

7. A signal produced by a system, the signal comprising a cyclic sequence of a plurality of mutually related objects that relate to an application at a given time, combined into a combined transport entity for transmission consistency, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects.

8. The signal according to claim 7, in which the combined transport entity comprises an update indicator.

9. The signal according to claim 8, in which the combined transport entity comprises a header indicating the size of the header and the size of the objects combined into the transport entity, and the update indicator comprises a version number.

10. A tangible for use by a transmitter, the tangible medium comprising:

code for transmitting cyclically a plurality of mutually related objects that relate to an application at a given time from a system and including code for combining the mutually related objects into a combined transport entity for transmission consistency, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects.

11. A tangible medium for use by a receiver, the tangible medium comprising:

code for receiving a plurality of cyclically transmitted mutually related objects that relate to an application at a given time;

code for processing said plurality of mutually related objects combined into a combined transport entity for transmission consistency, wherein the transport entity includes an indication of size for each of the mutually related objects;

code for extracting said plurality of mutually related objects from the common transport entity using the indication of size to determine the position of each object in the transport entity.