Correcting for data losses with feedback and response

• US 7,269,775 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pendakur, Ramesh, Hallford, Jason C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAKER, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/975,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 714/748, 714/749
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A digital content transmission and reception system that uses feedback and re-transmission of missing content is described. A content transmission system broadcasts a complete set of digital content to a plurality of content reception systems via a communication link. A content reception system receives a corresponding incomplete set of digital content, determines particular content portions that are missing, and provided feedback indicating the missing content portions to the content distribution system. The content distribution system then re-transmits content based on the feedback.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting digital television data;

receiving feedback indicative of missing data from each of a plurality of reception systems that each include a television set;

determining a subset of the missing data indicated in the feedback based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein said determining the subset further comprises determining the subset based in part on a type of the digital television data; and

broadcasting the subset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the subset comprises determining the subset based at least in part on a user preference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scheduling a timeslot for broadcasting the subset; and

transmitting the timeslot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said broadcasting the subset is performed at a regularly scheduled timeslot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said broadcasting the digital television data comprises broadcasting video for delayed viewing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said broadcasting the digital television data comprises broadcasting at least a portion of a movie.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said broadcasting the digital television data comprises broadcasting over a digital TV channel.

8. A method comprising:

broadcasting digital television data;

receiving feedback indicative of missing data from each of a plurality of reception systems that each include a television set;

determining a subset of the missing data indicated in the feedback based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein said determining the subset further comprises determining the subset based in part on a run length of missing data indicated in the feedback; and

broadcasting the subset.

9. A transmission system comprising:

a transmitter to broadcast digital television data over a first communication link;

a re-transmission system coupled with a second communication link to receive feedback indicative of missing data from each of a plurality of receivers, wherein each of the receivers is selected from a television set, a set ton box, and a personal video recorder;

logic of the re-transmission system to determine a subset of the missing data indicated to be missing in the feedback received from each of the plurality of receivers based in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein the logic to determine the subset comprises logic to determine the subset based in part on achieving compliance with a guaranteed level of quality.

10. The transmission system of claim 9, further comprising:

logic of the re-transmission system to schedule a timeslot for broadcasting the subset; and

logic to broadcast the subset at the scheduled timeslot.

11. The transmission system of claim 9, wherein the digital television data comprises video for delayed viewing.

12. The transmission system of claim 9, wherein the digital television data comprises at least a portion of a movie.

13. The transmission system of claim 9, wherein the transmitter is to broadcast the digital television data over a digital TV channel.

14. A system comprising:

a content reception system;

a receiver of the content reception system to receive television data via a communication link; and

a reception verification system of the content reception system to determine if the television data has missing data by using a manifest and if so provide feedback indicating the missing data; and

a television set including a user interface and coupled with the content reception system to receive the television data and at least some subsequently received missing data and to allow a user to affect the feedback.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a set top box comprising the reception verification system.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a coupling of the set top box with a back channel link to allow the reception verification system to provide the feedback over the backchannel link.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a personal video recorder comprising the reception verification system.

18. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine a subset of broadcast digital television data that is indicated to be missing in feedback received from each of a plurality of receivers deployed in houses based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause the machine to determine the subset based at least in part on a type of the digital television data.

19. A machine-readable medium having a stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine a subset of broadcast television data that is indicated to be missing in feedback received from each of a plurality of receivers deployed in houses based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause the machine to determine the subset based at least in part on achieving compliance with a guaranteed level of quality.

20. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that when executed cause a machine to:

determine a subset of broadcast television data tat is indicated to be missing in feedback received from each of a plurality of receivers deployed in houses based at least in part on weighting how frequently data is indicated to be missing, wherein the instructions to determine the subset further comprise instructions that when executed cause the machine to determine the subset based at least in part on a run length of missing data indicated in the feedback.