Provision of digital data via multiple broadcasts

• US 6,987,734 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Newport Television LLC
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Wireless, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hundemer, Hank
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US09/838,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/235, 370/237, 370/238, 370/351, 370/352, 370/389, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/401, 370/428, 370/465, 370/486, 709/238, 709/232, 709/239, 455/427, 725/109
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts

Abstract

Internet access is provided through bandwidth available in broadcasted digital television signals, such as the digital television signals produced by terrestrial broadcast towers. Bandwidth is dynamically allocated or provisioned among clients, and is managed in part by the clients, thus providing dynamic, distributed management of spectrum allocation. Automatic provisioning may be applied among different terrestrial transmission towers, or different satellites, among transponders or channels on a given tower, or a given satellite, or among other forms of multiple broadcast origination points. The provisioning dynamically and automatically equalizes load among those multiple broadcast points. Principles of the present invention may also be applied to automatic provisioning of digital content among non-television broadcast sources, such as cellular telephone towers having available bandwidth, analog or digital radio broadcasts having available bandwidth, or satellite broadcast facilities, and/or dedicated broadcast towers or satellites operating in an allocated spectrum and limited to broadcasting requested digital content. In a satellite embodiment, provisioning may occur among multiple satellites as well as between transponders or time- or frequency-multiplexed channels provided by a single satellite.

Claims

1. A method for balancing a transmission load among a plurality of broadcast origination points in a digital broadcast transmission system for wireless delivery of digital content to a plurality of client computer systems, comprising:

providing a host computer system that is in communication with the digital broadcast transmission system;

establishing a communication connection between the host computer system and one of the client computer systems;

receiving a request for content from said one of the plurality of client computer systems;

obtaining the requested content;

selecting one of the plurality of broadcast origination points;

transferring the requested content from the host computer system to the selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points;

causing a digital broadcast to be transmitted by the selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to said one of the plurality of client computer systems, said digital broadcast including at least the requested content;

including a vacate instruction in said digital broadcast that instructs one or more of the client computer systems to stop listening to one of the plurality of broadcast origination points and to identify a different one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to start listening to; and

receiving a routing information update from one of the client computer systems, said routing information update requesting future digital broadcasts from the identified different one of the plurality of broadcast origination points.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating a routing information record to ensure future digital broadcasts to said one of the client computer systems are made via the identified different one of the plurality of broadcast origination points.

3. A method for balancing a transmission load among a plurality of broadcast origination points in a digital broadcast transmission system for wireless delivery of digital content to a plurality of client computer systems, comprising:

providing a host computer system that is in communication with the digital broadcast transmission system;

establishing a communication connection between the host computer system and one of the client computer systems;

receiving a request for content from said one of the plurality of client computer systems;

obtaining the requested content;

selecting one of the plurality of broadcast origination points;

transferring the requested content from the host computer system to the selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points;

causing a digital broadcast to be transmitted by the selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to said one of the plurality of client computer systems, said digital broadcast including at least the requested content;

wherein said digital broadcast further comprises a beacon signal that provides transmission characteristics for one or more of the broadcast origination points; and

wherein said characteristics comprise bandwidth availability data for one or more of the digital broadcast origination points.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

including a reported null packet count for one or more of said broadcast origination points in said bandwidth availability data; and

receiving a routing information update from one of the client computer systems, said routing information update requesting future digital broadcasts from one of the plurality of broadcast origination points having a higher reported null packet count than the selected one of the broadcast origination points.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

updating a routing information record to ensure future digital broadcasts to said one of the client computer systems are made via the broadcast origination point having a higher reported null packet count than the selected one of the broadcast origination points.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein:

said beacon signal is encoded such that the beacon signal is intended to be read by only a subset of the client computer systems.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the beacon signal is addressed for a subset of the plurality of client computer systems, at least one of which in the subset is positioned to receive transmissions from two or more broadcast origination points.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said beacon signal includes a suggested broadcast origination point for at least one of the client computer systems.

9. A method for selecting a broadcast origination point in a digital broadcast transmission system for wireless delivery of digital content to a client computer system, said digital broadcast system comprising a host computer system and a plurality of broadcast origination points, the method comprising:

establishing a communication connection between said client computer system and said host computer system;

transmitting a request for content to said host computer system;

providing the client computer system with a digital broadcast receiver;

receiving a digital broadcast transmitted by a selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points at the digital broadcast receiver, said digital broadcast including at least the requested content; and

receiving a beacon signal from one of the plurality of broadcast originating points at the digital broadcast receiver, said beacon signal providing transmission characteristics of said plurality of broadcast origination, wherein said characteristics comprise bandwidth availability data for one or more of the digital broadcast origination points.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

said requested content is received from the Internet by the host computer system and forwarded to the selected one of said plurality of broadcast origination points.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving at least one special action instruction in said digital broadcast;

said at least one special action instruction comprising a vacate instruction that instructs one or more of the client computer systems to stop listening to one of the plurality of broadcast origination points and to identify a different one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to start listening to;

updating a routing information record to ensure future digital broadcasts to said one of the client computer systems are made via the identified broadcast origination point.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

said host computer system comprises a server and a router; and

said step of updating a routing information record comprises transmitting a routing information update to a selected one of the server and the router.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving bandwidth availability data for one or more of said digital broadcast origination points in said characteristics;

generating a routing information update, said routing information update requesting future digital broadcasts from an identified one of the plurality of broadcast origination points, the identity of which is selected based on the bandwidth availability data; and

transmitting the routing information update to the host computer system to update a routing information record to ensure future digital broadcasts to said one of the client computer systems are made via the identified broadcast origination point.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

said bandwidth availability data includes a reported null packet count for one or more of said broadcast origination points.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein:

said beacon signal is addressed to a subset of a client computer systems to limit the number of client computer systems that may change broadcast origination points at a given time.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving at least one of error information and signal strength information for one or more of the digital broadcast origination points in said characteristics,

adjusting the digital broadcast receiver to receive a digital transmission from one or more of the plurality of digital broadcast origination points;

determining whether digital broadcast signals are being received at said digital broadcast receiver from a digital broadcast origination point for which at least one of (1) the received error information is below a first predetermined threshold and (2) the received signal strength information is above a second predetermined threshold; and

prompting a user of said client computer system to adjust a digital receiver antenna if digital broadcast signals are not being received from one or more digital broadcast origination points for which at least one of (1) the received error information is below a first predetermined threshold and (2) the received signal strength information is above a second predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

said at least one of received error information and received signal strength information is collected by one or more client computer systems and transmitted to said host computer system for transmission to others of the plurality of client computer systems.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein:

said beacon signal includes a suggested broadcast origination point for at least one of said client computer systems to enable said at least one client computer system to select a new broadcast origination point without receiving a beacon signal from said selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points.

19. A method for provisioning bandwidth to dynamically and automatically equalize transmission loads among a plurality of broadcast origination points in a digital broadcast transmission system for wireless delivery of digital content from a host computer system to a plurality of client computer systems, comprising:

receiving content requested by at least one of the client computer systems;

transmitting a first digital broadcast transmission from a selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to at least one of the client computer systems, the digital broadcast including at least the requested content;

receiving transmission information about one or more of the plurality of broadcast origination points; and

transmitting a second digital broadcast transmission from the selected broadcast origination point to one or more of the client computer systems, the second digital broadcast transmission including a beacon signal that provides transmission information about one or more of the plurality of broadcast origination points to permit a client computer system to select a broadcast origination point, whereby transmission loads are dynamically and automatically equalized among said plurality of broadcast origination points.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

said requested content is received from the Internet; and

said transmission information comprises a reported null packet count for one or more of said broadcast origination points, said reported null packet count reflecting information about a broadcast capacity of a broadcast origination point.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

transmitting a third digital broadcast transmission comprising at least one special action instruction, said at least one special action instruction comprising a vacate instruction that instructs one or more of the client computer systems to stop listening to one of the plurality of broadcast origination points and to identify a different one of the plurality of broadcast origination points to start listening to.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

addressing said beacon signal such that the beacon signal is intended to be read by only a subset of the client computers.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving from said host computer system a suggested broadcast origination point for one or more of the client computer systems; and

transmitting said suggested broadcast origination point to said one or more of the client computer systems, whereby the host computer can direct the provisioning of the plurality of broadcast origination points, and whereby one or more client computer systems can select a new broadcast origination point without receiving a beacon signal from said selected one of the plurality of broadcast origination points.

24. A method for providing Internet access to a client computer system, comprising:

providing a digital broadcast transmission system for wireless delivery of digital content to said client computer system, said digital broadcast transmission system including at least first and second broadcast origination points;

providing a host computer system connected to said digital broadcast transmission system;

establishing a communication connection between said host computer system and said client computer system;

delivering a request for content from said client computer system to said host computer system;

obtaining delivery of requested content via the Internet to said host computer system;

transferring said requested content to a selected one of said first and second broadcast origination points; and

receiving a digital broadcast transmission at said client computer system from said first or second broadcast origination point, said digital broadcast including said requested content;

wherein said digital broadcast transmission includes a beacon signal that provides transmission characteristics of said digital broadcast origination, wherein said characteristics comprise bandwidth availability data for one or more of the digital broadcast origination points.