Methods and systems for broadcast data services

• US 7,076,794 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fries, Robert M., Lieberman, Bruce L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALTARELLI, DOMINIC D
• Application Number:
  US11/053,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20050183134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 725/135, 725/139, 725/141, 719/311, 719/328, 709/236, 709/250, 709/227, 370/527, 370/529, 370/465, 370/466
• US Class Current: 725/140
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-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 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

The present invention provides for the collection and delivery of broadcast data. Broadcast data is captured by broadcast data sources from television broadcasts and the captured broadcast data is collected by a broadcast data source miniport. The miniport differentiates the broadcast data to separate the requested broadcast data and to separate the broadcast data that complies with a protocol from broadcast data that does not comply with a protocol. The nonrequested broadcast data is preferably discarded and the broadcast data that does not comply with a protocol is encapsulated with appropriate headers. The broadcast data is then transferred through the network or system to a common application interface such as Winsock through NDIS and a protocol such as UDP/IP. Alternatively, a RawData module is used that does not rely on sockets and is capable of communicating with the miniport. A presenter retrieves the broadcast data from either the RawData module or Winsock and prepares the broadcast data for use by an application. The application then accesses the presenter for the prepared broadcast data it requested. In another mode, an application may access unprocessed broadcast data from either Winsock or the RawData module.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, and which are executed by the computing system, for implementing a method for presenting broadcast data that is embedded in the one or more television broadcasts to an application, in a system capable of receiving television broadcasts, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a request from an application for broadcast data, the request specifying a type of the requested data, a video port from which the requested data should be received, and any filtering that should be performed on the data;

capturing the broadcast data from one or more television broadcasts that are received at one or more video ports by one or more respective broadcast data sources, each of the broadcast data sources comprising a driver having means for decoding the broadcast data;

delivering the captured broadcast data to a miniport, the miniport comprising means for differentiating and separating the requested broadcast data from the captured broadcast data, the miniport further comprising means for differentiating between compliant broadcast data and non-compliant broadcast data and means for encapsulating non-compliant broadcast data with appropriate headers so as to be compliant;

transferring the broadcast data from the miniport to a common application interface;

retrieving the broadcast data from the common application interface by a presenter, the presenter comprising means for obtaining the broadcast data from both a common application interface comprising Winsock and a RawData interface; and

preparing the broadcast data, by the presenter, for presentation to the application, as specified by the application.

2. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the miniport performs the steps of:

differentiating broadcast data that complies with a protocol from broadcast data that does not comply with the protocol; and

encapsulating the broadcast data that does not comply with the protocol with headers such that the broadcast data complies with the protocol.

3. A computing system as defined in claim 2, wherein the protocol is UDP/IP.

4. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the broadcast data further comprises the steps of:

transferring the broadcast data from the miniport to NDIS;

transferring the broadcast data from NDIS to a protocol; and

transferring the broadcast data from the protocol to the common application interface.

5. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the common application interface is Winsock.

6. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the common application interface is a RawData interface.

7. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of preparing the broadcast data further comprises at least one of the steps of:

demultiplexing the broadcast data;

aggregating the broadcast data;

instance filtering the broadcast data;

duplicate filtering the broadcast data; and

formatting the broadcast data for the application.

8. A computing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the broadcast data further comprises the step of enabling the broadcast data source.

9. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a set top box.