Satellite receiving system with transmodulating outdoor unit

• US 7,010,265 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coffin, Louis F. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/154,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.02, 455/6.2, 455/12.1, 455/427, 455/15, 455/13.1, 455/428, 375/316
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A home satellite receiving system employs a transmodulating outdoor unit (ODU) that tunes to multiple signals, demodulates those signals into streams of data packets, and filters the streams of data packets to select data packets pertaining to viewer-specified programs. The ODU then constructs an integrated bitstream from the selected data packets and modulates that bitstream for transmission to an indoor IRD. This allows transfer of multiple programs from different satellite sources to the indoor IRD over a single coaxial cable. The indoor IRD reconstructs the packet stream timing for the viewer-specified programs from the integrated bitstream.

Claims

1. A home satellite receiving system comprising:

a satellite receiver to receive multiple data signals from one or more satellites;

a transmodulating unit positioned proximate to the satellite receiver and coupled to receive the multiple data signals therefrom, wherein the transmodulating unit includes;

a switch adapted to receive the multiple data signals,

a plurality of tuners coupled to the switch and operative to select ones of the multiple data signals as outputs of the tuners,

a plurality of demodulators adapted to demodulate the multiple data signals as selected by the tuners and to recover data packets from the selected data signals,

a plurality of demultiplexers adapted to receive the data packets and to select ones of the data packets based on a program identifier associated with the data packets,

means for timestamping the selected data packets,

a plurality of respective queues adapted to queue the selected data packets,

a multiplexer configured to aggregate the queued data packets into a single data bitstream,

a remodulator adapted to remodulate the single data bitstream for local transmission over a single cable,

a processor adapted to direct command signals at least to the tuners, the demodulators, the demultiplexers, the multiplexer, and the remodulator; and

a decoding unit connected by the single cable to receive the remodulated single data bitstream, wherein the decoding unit includes a demodulator adapted to demodulate the single data bitstream as received from the transmodulating unit, and wherein the decoding unit is further adapted to decode the remodulated single data bitstream.

2. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the decoding unit comprises an indoor decoding unit, and wherein the transmodulating unit comprises an outdoor transmodulating unit.

3. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit demodulates the multiple data signals according to a first modulation technique and remodulates the single bitstream according to a second modulation technique that is different than the first modulation technique.

4. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit timestamps the selected data packets with a local time that can be used by the decoding unit to reconstruct timing of streams of the data packets.

5. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit is adapted to handle different ones of the data packets at variable rates relative to one another.

6. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit is adapted to handle different ones of the data packets at variable delays relative to one another.

7. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit further comprises a filter to remove unwanted data packets prior to construction of the single bitstream.

8. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmodulating unit further comprises a filter to filter the data packets based on program identifiers that associate the data packets with programs.

9. A home satellite receiving system as recited in claim 1, wherein the decoding unit is adapted to reconstruct the packets based upon time stamps associated with the packets, and wherein the decoding unit uses the time stamps to compensate for variable rates of transmission or delay associated with different ones of the packets.