Carousel exhibiting multiple occurrences of a module

• US 7,406,705 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Crinon, Regis J., Stanley, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LONSBERRY, HUNTER B
• Application Number:
  US09/895,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,587 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/44, 725/54
• US Class Current: 725/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A carousel having multiple instances of at least one data or object module. The carousel may be encapsulated into a transmission, such as an MPEG-2 transport stream, for periodic transmission to a receiver.

Claims

1. A carousel capable of use with a machine enabling a digital transmission of information, the carousel comprising:

a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel; and

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel.

2. The carousel of claim 1, wherein at least one module of the plurality of modules includes module content, the module content representing information selected from a group consisting of television program guide information, advertising information, product information, emergency information, weather information, and news information.

3. A machine enabling a digital transmission of information, the transmission comprising:

a transport stream; and

a carousel encapsulated in the transport stream, the carousel having a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel; and

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel.

4. The transmission of claim 3, the transport stream comprising an MPEG-2 transport stream.

5. The transmission of claim 3, the transport stream comprising at least a portion of a digital television broadcast signal.

6. The transmission of claim 3, wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel.

7. A method comprising:

using a digital transmission machine to encapsulate into a transport stream a carousel having a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel; and

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting the transport stream and the encapsulated carousel to a receiver.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising periodically encapsulating the carousel into the transport stream.

10. The method of claim 7, the transport stream comprising an MPEG-2 transport stream.

11. The method of claim 7, the transport stream comprising at least a portion of a digital television broadcast signal.

12. A method comprising:

using a digital transmission machine to receive a transport stream having an encapsulated carousel, the carousel having a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel;

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel; and

extracting an instance of at least one module from the transport stream.

13. The method of claim 12, the transport stream comprising an MPEG-2 transport stream.

14. The method of claim 12, the transport stream comprising at least a portion of a digital television broadcast signal.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions capable of being executed by a machine that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to;

encapsulate into a transport stream a carousel having a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel; and

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, farther cause the machine to transmit the transport stream and the encapsulated carousel to a receiver.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to periodically encapsulate the carousel into the transport stream.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, the transport stream comprising an MPEG-2 transport stream.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, the transport stream comprising at least a portion of a digital television broadcast signal.

20. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions capable of being executed by a machine that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to;

receive a transport stream having an encapsulated carousel, the carousel having a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules comprising one of a data module and an object module;

wherein each of the modules is represented in the carousel by a number of instances that is proportional to the module'"'"'s priority relative to all other modules in the carousel and no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another in the carousel, and wherein the instances of each module are distributed approximately uniformly across the carousel and across two or more periods of the carousel;

wherein no module of the plurality of modules has successive instances positioned directly adjacent to one another across two periods of the carousel; and

extracting an instance of at least one module from the transport stream.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, the transport stream comprising an MPEG-2 transport stream.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 20, the transport stream comprising at least a portion of a digital television broadcast signal.