Digital audio store and forward satellite communication receiver employing extensible, multi-threaded command interpreter

• US 6,978,116 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Communications Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Communications Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Waters, George W., Burr, Charles Raymond Jr., Nowell, Charles M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/995,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20030100296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301- 306, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/427, 455/428, 342/55, 342/57, 725/63, 725/67, 725/68, 725/91, 375/216
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations

Abstract

A store and forward receiver for a satellite communication system employs a multi-threaded command interpreter, and an associated reduced complexity audio control language (ACL) to define commands for controlling actions at different receiver sites, each of which is programmable for its own local programming purposes. Upon receipt of a relatively simple command from the headend, the interpreter accesses and executes an associated sequence of potentially locally unique, previously stored commands, causing performance of a sequence of actions, e.g., play back of potentially locally unique, previously stored information files, interleaved with portions of a headend-source commercial audio program being rebroadcast at the receiver site. This allows different affiliate stations to produce separate potentially locally unique complex sequences of actions from a single headend-sourced command for all receivers in a network grouping.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the operation of a plurality of transceiver stations from a master site comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting, from said master site to said transceiver stations, a general application information signal that is retransmitted by each of said transceiver stations;

(b) storing, in a respective transceiver station, a sequence of commands which, when invoked, cause said respective transceiver station to perform a respective sequence of actions, including the transmission of one or more additional specific application information signals, other than said general application information signal as received from said master site and retransmitted by said respective transceiver station, and wherein the respective sequence of actions of one transceiver station is not necessarily the same as, and can be expected to be different from the respective sequence of actions of another transceiver station of said plurality of transceiver stations;

c) transmitting, from said master site to each of said transceiver stations, a prescribed command signal; and

(d) at said each of said transceiver stations, receiving said prescribed command signal transmitted from said master site in step c) and, in response thereto, invoking the respective sequence of commands stored in step (b), and thereby causing each respective transceiver station to perform a respective sequence of actions associated with the respective sequence of commands stored thereby,

wherein step (b) comprises transmitting respectively different sequences of commands from said master site to respectively different ones of said transceiver stations, and conditionally storing said respectively different sequences of commands at said respectively different ones of said transceiver stations under the same command names, and wherein step (d) comprises, in response to receipt of said prescribed command signal at said respectively different ones of said transceiver stations, invoking respective sequences of commands stored in step (b), and thereby causing said respectively different ones of said transceiver stations to perform respectively different sequences of actions associated with the invoked same sequences of commands.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises broadcasting, from said master site to said transceiver stations, common commercial audio programming that is rebroadcast by each of said plurality of transceiver stations as it is received.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a respective sequence of commands stored at a respective transceiver station includes commands that are effective to play back respectively different information files stored at said respective transceiver station interleaved with portions of said common commercial audio programming being rebroadcast by said respective transceiver station.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein a respective sequence of commands stored at a respective transceiver station includes commands that are effective to cause said respective transceiver station to perform a sequence of respectively different operations at given instances in time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a respective sequence of commands comprises a script file whose contents are defined so as to control the operation of a respective transceiver station, including rebroadcast thereby of said common commercial audio programming, as well as additional functions, including play back of respectively different information files stored at said respective transceiver station, interleaved with portions of said common commercial audio programming being rebroadcast by said respective transceiver station.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) further includes, at a respective transceiver station, processing one or more additional sequences of commands from one or more sources other than said master site, and causing said respective transceiver station to perform one or more additional conditional sequences of actions associated with said one or more additional sequences of commands.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein step (d) includes sequentially polling or waiting for multiple sequences of commands coupled thereto, and causing said respective transceiver station to perform action defined by the oldest yet to be executed current command of a respectively polled or received sequence of commands, and then transition to another sequence of commands and perform action defined by the oldest yet to be executed command of said another sequence of commands, prior to causing said respective transceiver station to perform action defined by the next to the oldest yet to be executed command of said respectively polled sequence of commands.

8. A store and forward communication system comprising:

a mater site transmitter which is operative to transmit a general application information signal to a plurality of transceiver stations, said plurality of transceiver stations being operative to receive and retransmit said general application information signal, and wherein said master site is further operative to controllably transmit a prescribed command signal to each of said transceiver stations; and

a respective transceiver station containing a storage unit storing a sequence of commands which, when executed, cause said respective transceiver station to perform a respective sequence of actions, including the transmission of one or more additional specific application information signals, other than said general application information signal as received from said master site transmitter and retransmitted by said respective transceiver station, and wherein a respective sequence of actions of one transceiver station is not necessarily the same as, and can be expected to be different than, the respective sequence of actions of another transceiter station of said plurality of transceiver stations;

wherein each of said transceiver stations includes a command signal processor, which is operative to access and execute a sequence of commands stored in said storage unit, in response to receipt of said prescribed command signal, and thereby cause said each respective transceiver station to perform a respective potentially locally unique sequence of actions associated with the accessed sequence of command;

wherein said master site transmitter is operative to transmit respectively different sequences of commands to respectively different ones of said transceiver stations, and wherein storage units thereof are operative to store said respectively different sequences of commands, and wherein command signal processors of respectively different transceiver stations are operative to access and execute respective sequences of commands stored in associated storage units, and thereby cause said respectively different ones of said transceiver stations to perform respectively different sequences of actions associated with the executed sequences of commands.

9. The store and forward communication system according to claim 8, wherein said master site transmitter is operative to broadcast to said transceiver stations, common commercial audio programming that is rebroadcast by each of said plurality of transceiver stations as it is received.

10. The store and forward communication system according to claim 9, wherein a respective sequence of commands stored at a respective transceiver station includes commands that are effective to play back respectively different information files stored in the storage unit of said respective transceiver station, interleaved with or overlaid on portions of said common commercial audio programming being rebroadcast by said respective transceiver station.

11. The store and forward communication system according to claim 9, wherein a respective sequence of commands stored in a storage unit at a respective transceiver station includes commands that are effective to cause said respective transceiver station to perform a sequence of operations at different instances in time.

12. The store and forward communication system according to claim 8, wherein a respective sequence of commands comprises a script file whose contents are defined so as to control the operation of a respective transceiver station, including rebroadcast thereby of said common commercial audio programming, as well as additional functions, including play back of respectively different information files stored at said respective transceiver station, interleaved with or overlaid on portions of said common commercial audio programing being rebroadcast by said respective transceiver station.

13. The store and forward communication system according to claim 8, wherein the command signal processor of a respective transceiver station is operative to process one or more additional sequences of commands from one or more sources other than said master site, and to cause said respective transceiver station to perform one or more additional sequences of actions associated with said one or more additional sequences of commands.

14. The store and forward communication system according to claim 13, wherein the command signal processor of a respective transceiver is operative to poll or await reception of multiple sequences of commands coupled thereto, and to cause said respective transceiver station to perform action defined by the oldest yet to be executed current command of a respectively polled or received sequence of commands, and then transition to another sequence of commands and perform action defined by the oldest yet to be executed command of said another sequence of commands, prior to causing said respective transceiver station to perform action defined by the next to the oldest yet to be executed command of said respectively polled sequence of commands.

15. A store and forward receiver for use with a respective rebroadcasting station of a multistation network having a master site transmitter which transmits a general application information signal to a plurality of rebroadcasting stations, said respective rebroadcasting station being operative to receive and retransmit said general application information signal, said store and forward receiver comprising:

a demodulator which is operative to demodulate a signal transmitted to said plurality of rebroadcast stations from said master site transmitter containing said general application information signal and a control channel;

a rebroadcast signal transport path coupled to said demodulator and being operative to coupled said general application information signal to rebroadcasting equipment of said respective rebroadcasting station for rebroadcast thereby; and

a command signal processor coupled to said demodulator and said rebroadcast signal transport path, and which is operative, in response to receipt of a prescribed command in said control channel of said signal transmitted from said master site transmitter to said plurality of rebroadcasting stations, to access a sequence of commands stored in a storage unit therefor, and to cause the execution of respective actions associated with said sequence of commands, including play back through said rebroadcast signal transport path of one or more auxiliary information files stored in said storage unit interleaved with portions of said general application information signal being rebroadcast by said respective transceiver;

wherein a respective sequence of commands stored in said storage unit includes commands that are effective to cause said respective rebroadcasting station to perform a sequence of operations at different instances in time.

16. The store and forward receiver according to claim 15, wherein said command signal processor is operative to access a sequence of commands stored in said storage unit, in response to receipt of a command signal from a source other than said master site transmitter.

17. The store and forward receiver according to claim 15, wherein a respective sequence of commands stored in said storage unit includes commands that are effective to cause said respective rebroadcasting station to perform a locally unique sequence of operations meeting network timing requirements at the same instance in time for receivers in that network grouping.

18. The store and forward receiver according to claim 15, wherein said general application information signal comprises a commercial programming digital audio stream, and wherein said respective actions associated with said sequence of commands include the playback of respective auxiliary information files stored in said storage unit associated with a prescribed length station break containing one or more commercial messages and at the locally specific station identification message.