Communication system for rebroadcasting electronic content within local area network

• US 7,302,224 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sibley, Erin H., Sales, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/844,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,406 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.04, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/414.1, 455/463, 455/41.2, 455/561, 725 63- 68, 725/74, 725/78, 725 81- 83, 725/110, 725/114, 725/117, 725/139, 348/14.02, 348/14.04, 348/197, 348/474
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• 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 system of distributing electronic content has a network operations center generating a broadcast signal having digital electronic content. A communication backbone is coupled to the network operations center. A base station receives the broadcast signal from the backbone. The base station receives the broadcast signal and forms a wireless local area network. The base station rebroadcasts at least a portion of the broadcast signal as a rebroadcast signal using the wireless local network. A user appliance is positioned with said local area network and receives the rebroadcast signal.

Claims

1. A system of distributing electronic content comprising:

a network operations center generating a broadcast signal having digital electronic content;

a communication backbone coupled to said network operations center;

a base station receiving said broadcast signal from said backbone and forming a wireless local area network, said base station over-the-air rebroadcasting at least a portion of said broadcast signal as a rebroadcast signal using said wireless local area network; and

a user appliance positioned with said wireless local area network and receiving said rebroadcast signal said user appliance having conditional access software therein, said conditional access software allowing the user appliance to access the rebroadcast signal.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a television coupled to said base station, said television receiving at least a portion of said rebroadcast television signal.

3. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said base station forms said rebroadcast signal from said digital electronic content.

4. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said electronic content comprises digital audio signals.

5. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said electronic content comprises video.

6. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said backbone comprises a high altitude device, cable or fiber optic cable.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said high altitude device comprises a satellite.

8. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said high altitude device comprises a stratospheric platform.

9. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said base station comprises an integrated receiver decoder.

10. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said rebroadcast signal is compressed at the base station into a compressed signal.

11. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said backbone comprises a cable network.

12. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said backbone comprises a fiber optic network.

13. A method of distributing electronic content comprising the steps of:

coupling electronic content to a redistribution device;

receiving the electronic content from the redistribution device;

over-the-air broadcasting at least a portion of the electronic content from the redistribution device; and

receiving the over-the-air electronic content trough a user appliance having conditional access software therein, said conditional access software allowing the user appliance to access the rebroadcast signal.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of over-the-air broadcasting comprises over-the-air broadcasting from a base station.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of over-the-air broadcasting comprises forming a local area network with the user appliance.

16. A method of distributing electronic content comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a television signal as electronic content;

receiving the electronic content at a base station;

digitally compressing the electronic content into a compressed signal at the base station;

over-the-air rebroadcasting the compressed signal using a wireless local area network;

allowing conditional access at a user device through conditional access software in the user device.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of receiving the compressed signal at a user appliance.

18. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein the step of receiving comprises the steps of digitally decompressing the digital video stream, and displaying the video stream.

19. A base station comprising:

a receiving antenna for receiving electronic content;

compression software for compressing the electronic content into a compressed signal within the base station;

conditional access software accessing the electronic content;

a transmitting local area network antenna; and

a wireless local area network interface coupled to the transmitting local area network antenna and wirelessly broadcasting the compressed signal through the local area network antenna as a compressed wireless rebroadcast signal.