Method and apparatus for transmission, receipt, caching and display of one-way broadcast programming and data

• US 6,971,119 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arsenault, Robert G., Leminh, Tam T., Brown, Jeffrey A., Finseth, Craig A., Hsiao, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoye, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US09/534,898
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86- 97, 725/100, 725/134, 725 39- 40, 725/142, 725/140, 725/55, 725/50, 725/35, 725131-133, 725/139, 725/141, 725151-153
• US Class Current: 725/89
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for transmitting, receiving, storing and displaying television program data. The method includes transmitting data including scheduled program data, program guide data, and cache program data. The method further includes receiving the transmitted data and storing the cache program data. Once a cache television program is selected, the cache program data corresponding to the selected cache television program is retrieved, and a display of the television program is generated for viewing.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting, receiving, storing and displaying television program data, the method comprising:

transmitting program data including scheduled program data, program guide data, cache program data comprising broadcast programming of one or more television programs, and a boot object having location information associated with the cache program data and requiring storage of the cache program data;

receiving the program data;

storing the cache program data based on location information stored in the boot object;

selecting a cache television program;

retrieving a portion of the cache program data that corresponds to the selected cache television program; and

generating a display of the selected cache television program for viewing based upon the retrieved portion of cache program data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing of the cache program is based upon identifying an identifier associated with the cache program data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a transmission rate of the cache program data is different than a retrieval rate of the cache program data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a transmission rate of the cache program data is higher than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a transmission rate of the cache program data is approximately twice the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a transmission rate of the cache program data is lower than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting identification data that instructs a receiver about the identifier associated with the cache program data.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

maintaining a record of selection representing selected cache television programs and assessing a fee based upon the record of selection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the record of selection is maintained at the receiver.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the record of selection is maintained in a memory of an access card at the receiver.

14. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate lower than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

21. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cache program data comprises at least one of video data and audio data of broadcast programming.

11. A method to transmit television content and program data, the method comprising:

organizing program data including scheduled program data, program guide data, and cache program data comprising broadcast programming of one or more television programs into objects; and

transmitting the program data and a boot object having a cache program object to identity location information associated with the cache program data and to require storage of the cache program data.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate different than a retrieval rate of the cache program data.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate higher than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the boot object comprises a service channel identification (SCID) number identifying the location of the cache program data.

22. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the cache program data comprises at least one of video data and audio data of broadcast programming.

16. A method to process television content and program data, the method comprising:

receiving program data including scheduled program data, program guide data, and cache program data comprising broadcast programming of one or more television programs, and a boot object having location information associated with the cache program data and requiring storage of the cache program data;

storing the cache program data based on location information stored in the boot object;

selecting a cache television program;

retrieving a portion of the cache program data that corresponds to the selected cache television program; and

generating a display of the selected cache television program for viewing based upon the retrieved portion of cache program data.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate different than a retrieval rate of the cache program data.

18. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate higher than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

19. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the cache program data comprises a transmission rate lower than the retrieval rate of the cache program data.

20. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the boot object comprises a service channel identification (SCID) number identifying the location of the cache program data.

23. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the cache program data comprises at least one of video data and audio data of broadcast programming.