Method and apparatus for employing stored content at receivers to improve efficiency of broadcast system bandwidth use

• US 7,555,020 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: XM Satellite Radio Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Wadin, Craig P., Marko, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A
• Application Number:
  US11/553,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/535
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

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.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating an output signal from a broadcast signal in a digital broadcast system comprising:

a memory device for storing predefined content segments;

a receiver for receiving said broadcast signal, said broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data to indicate which of a plurality of said predefined content segments are to be played back via 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 said predefined 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.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 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.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a loudspeaker with which to generate an audio output signal using said live broadcast data and said selected predefined content segments inserted at selected intervals therein in accordance with said index data and said content progress data.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing device is programmable to allow said predefined content segments in said memory device to be updated.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said receiver is operable to receive broadcast content in said broadcast signal for updating said predefined content segments, and said processing device is operable to control said memory device to perform at least one of a plurality of updating operations comprising deleting selected ones of said predefined content segments, adding more predefined content segments, and substituting received said predefined content segments for previously stored ones of said predefined content segments.

6. An apparatus for generating an output signal from a broadcast signal in a digital broadcast system comprising:

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 of a plurality of said predefined content segments are to be played back by said apparatus, said receiver being operable to extract said control data from said broadcast 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 control segments in accordance with said control data;

a multiplexer configured to receive as inputs said control signal generated by said processing device and said selected predefined content segments and to generate said output signal using said predefined 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.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, 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 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 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.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a loudspeaker with which to generate an audio output signal using said live broadcast data and said selected predefined content segments inserted at selected intervals therein in accordance with said index data and said content progress data.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said processing device is programmable to allow said predefined content segments in said memory device to be updated.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said receiver is operable to receive broadcast content in said broadcast signal for updating said predefined content segments, and said processing device is operable to control said memory device to perform at least one of a plurality of updating operations comprising deleting selected ones of said predefined content segments, adding more predefined content segments, and substituting received said predefined content segments for previously stored ones of said predefined content segments.