Method and apparatus for employing stored content at receivers to improve efficiency of broadcast system bandwidth use
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A transmitter in a digital broadcast system comprising:
- an input device for receiving content segments;
a memory device for storing index data for identifying predefined content segments stored at remote locations;
a multiplexer for multiplexing selected said content segments with at least said index data to generate a broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising content segment progress data and said content segments with said index data inserted at selected locations therein and being used by receiver units at said remote locations to playback respective said predefined content segments identified by said index data with said content segments, said content segment progress data providing a time index for playing back at least one of said predefined content segments associated therewith to allow the receiver units to determine when said predefined content segments are to be inserted among said content segments in the said broadcast signal as said content segments are being received and played back by the receiver units.
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Abstract
The invention relates generally to a receiver unit in a digital broadcast system for receiving a broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data, and generating an output signal using the content segments and previously stored content segments. The previously stored content segments are retrieved from a local memory device using the control data and inserted among the received content segments.
60 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A transmitter in a digital broadcast system comprising:
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an input device for receiving content segments; a memory device for storing index data for identifying predefined content segments stored at remote locations; a multiplexer for multiplexing selected said content segments with at least said index data to generate a broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising content segment progress data and said content segments with said index data inserted at selected locations therein and being used by receiver units at said remote locations to playback respective said predefined content segments identified by said index data with said content segments, said content segment progress data providing a time index for playing back at least one of said predefined content segments associated therewith to allow the receiver units to determine when said predefined content segments are to be inserted among said content segments in the said broadcast signal as said content segments are being received and played back by the receiver units.
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2. An apparatus for generating an output signal from a broadcast signal in a digital broadcast system comprising:
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a memory device for storing content segments; an output device for playing back said output signal; a receiver for receiving said broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising control data to indicate which said content segments to playback via said output device and when said content segments are to be played back, said receiver being operable to extract said control data from said broadcast signal; and a processing device configured to receive said control data from said receiver, to generate a control signal used by said memory device to retrieve selected ones of said control segments in accordance with said control data, and to playback the selected said control segments substantially in real-time with respect to said broadcast signal; wherein said control data in said broadcast signal comprises segment data corresponding to each of the selected ones of said content segments for playback said segment data for a content segment comprising progress information indicating how much of the content segment remains to be played back via said output device at any given point during the duration of the content segment for substantially real-time playback during reception of said broadcast signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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6. A user playback apparatus for generating an output signal from a broadcast signal in a digital broadcast system comprising:
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a memory device for storing predefined content segments; a receiver for receiving said broadcast signal following transmission via the digital broadcast system, said broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data provided among said content segments to indicate when said predefined content segments are to be inserted in said output signal by said apparatus, said receiver being operable to extract said content segments and said control data from said broadcast signal; an output device for playing back said output signal; a processing device configured to receive said control data from said receiver and to generate a control signal used by said memory device to retrieve selected ones of said predefined content segments in accordance with said control data; and a multiplexer configured to receive as inputs said control signal generated by said processing device, said content segments from said receiver and said selected predefined content segments and to generate said output signal using said content segments received by said receiver and inserting said predefined content segments among said content segments in accordance with said control data; wherein said memory device comprises index data with which to identify each of said predefined content segments stored therein, and said control data comprises said index data corresponding to the selected said predefined content segments, said processing device being operable to provide said index data in said control data in said control signal for retrieving said predefined content segments corresponding thereto from said memory device. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for generating an output signal from a broadcast signal in a digital broadcast system comprising:
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a memory device for storing predefined content segments; a receiver for receiving said broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data provided among said content segments to indicate when said predefined content segments are to be inserted in said output signal by said apparatus, said receiver being operable to extract said content segments and said control data from said broadcast signal; an output device for playing back said output signal; a processing device configured to receive said control data from said receiver and to generate a control signal used by said memory device to retrieve selected ones of said predefined content segments in accordance with said control data; and a multiplexer configured to receive as inputs said control signal generated by said processing device, said content segments from said receiver and said selected predefined content segments and to generate said output signal using said content segments received by said receiver and inserting said predefined content segments among said content segments in accordance with said control data; wherein said memory device comprises index data with which to identify each of said predefined content segments stored therein, and said control data in said broadcast signal comprises said index data corresponding to the selected said predefined content segments, and wherein said broadcast signal comprises content segment progress data for providing a time index for playing back one of said predefined content segments associated therewith, said multiplexer being controllable to play back live broadcast content corresponding to received said content segments in said broadcast signal in substantially real-time in said output signal, said receiver being operable to extract said index data and corresponding said content progress data in said broadcast signal as said broadcast signal is received, said processing device being operable to generate said control signal to instruct said multiplexer to insert selected said predefined content segments among said segments of program content using said index data and said content progress data to determine when the selected said predefined content segments are to be played back as said broadcast signal is received. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for generating an output signal at a receiver using a broadcast signal transmitted in a digital broadcast system comprising the steps of:
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storing predefined content segments in a memory device associated with said receiver; receiving said broadcast signal at said receiver following transmission via the digital broadcast system, the transmitted said broadcast signal comprising segments of program content and segments of control data, the control data comprising content segment progress data for providing a time index for playing back at least one of said predefined content segments associated therewith; accessing and retrieving selected said predefined content segments identified by said control data from said memory device; and playing back the selected said predefined content segments at selected points in said output signal in accordance with said control data by using the content segment progress data to determine when the selected said predefined content segments are to be inserted among the segments of program content in the said broadcast signal as the segments of program content are being received and played back as the output signal; wherein said memory device comprises index data with which to identify each of said predefined content segments stored therein, and said control data comprises said index data corresponding to the selected said predefined content segments, said accessing step comprises the step of providing said index data in said control data to a processing device for retrieving said predefined content segments corresponding thereto from said memory device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for generating an output signal at a receiver using a broadcast signal transmitted in a digital broadcast system comprising the steps of:
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storing predefined content segments in a memory device associated with said receiver; receiving said broadcast signal at said receiver, said broadcast signal comprising segments of program content and segments of control data; accessing and retrieving selected said predefined content segments identified by said control data from said memory device; and playing back the selected said predefined content segments at selected points in said output signal in accordance with said control data; wherein said broadcast signal comprises content segment progress data for providing a time index for playing back one of said predefined content segments associated therewith, said playing back step comprising the steps of; playing back live broadcast content in said broadcast signal in substantially real-time in said output signal; extracting said index data and corresponding said content progress data in said broadcast signal as said broadcast signal is received; and inserting the selected said predefined content segments among said segments of program content using said index data and said content progress data to determine when the selected said predefined content segments are to be played back as said broadcast signal is received. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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Specification