Device and method for efficient delivery of redundant national television signals

• US 7,292,604 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arsenault, Robert G., Godwin, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam; Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US10/800,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/316, 370/432, 370/477, 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 370/477
• 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 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method and apparatus of broadcasting is provided that has a geographic identifier memory, an overlay memory storing an overlay, a receiver circuit for receiving a broadcast signal and a control circuit. The control circuit displays the overlay on the broadcast signal in response to the geographic identifier.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting comprising the steps of:

storing a user geographic identifier in a receiver;

generating a broadcast signal from a substitution of a second input data stream from a second source for a first input data stream from a first source if the second input data stream has substantially common content as the first input data steam;

applying an overlay identifying the first source onto said broadcast signal in response to said geographic identifier; and

displaying said overlay and said broadcast signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of applying an overlay comprises the step of overlaying text onto said broadcast signal.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of applying an overlay comprises the step of overlaying graphics onto said broadcast signal.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said graphics comprises a station logo.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of generating a broadcast signal including a broadcast geographic identifier.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of broadcasting said overlay having an overlay geographic identifier;

comparing the user geographic identifier with the overlay geographic identifier, and storing the overlay into an overlay memory in the receiver when the user geographic identifier corresponds to the overlay geographic identifier.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the geographic identifier comprises a zip code.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the geographic identifier comprises a telephone number.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of generating comprises generating said broadcast signal through a high altitude platform.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein said high altitude platform comprises a satellite.

11. A broadcasting system comprising:

an uplink facility generating a broadcast signal, the broadcast signal having a second input data stream from a second source substituted for a first input data stream from a first source if the second input data stream has substantially common content as the first data stream;

a receiving device for receiving the broadcast signal, said receiving device including an overlay memory storing an overlay identifying the first source;

a receive circuit for receiving said broadcast signal;

a geographic identifier memory storing a receiver geographic identifier; and

a controller for overlaying said overlay onto said broadcast signal in response to said receiver geographic identifier.

12. A broadcasting system as recited in claim 11 wherein said broadcast signal comprises a broadcast geographic identifier, said controller comparing the broadcast geographic identifier with said receiver geographic identifier, and overlaying said overlay in response to comparing.

13. A receiving device for a broadcasting system comprising:

a receive circuit for receiving a broadcast signal, the broadcast signal having a second input data stream from a second source substituted for a first input data stream from a first source if the second input data stream has substantially common content as the first data stream;

an overlay memory storing an overlay identifying the first source;

a geographic identifier memory storing a geographic identifier;

a controller and signal processing circuit for overlaying said overlay onto said broadcast signal in response to said geographic identifier.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said broadcast signal comprises output data streams, and the device further comprises a local map selectively associating broadcast resources to the output data streams.