Communicating ancillary information associated with a plurality of audio/video programs

• US 7,600,250 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Carr, Wayne J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce; Jason P
• Application Number:
  US11/439,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 725/20, 725 32- 33, 725/36, 725/71, 725/98, 725/108, 725/110, 725117-118, 725/120, 725/136, 725/140
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

A system includes a receiver and a communication interface. The receiver is adapted to tune to an audio/video portion over a transport medium. The communication interface is adapted to receive announcement data associated with the tuned audio/video content directed to a first addressable location and to receive a special announcement directed to the first addressable location. The special announcement indicates availability of the announcement data associated with the tuned audio/video program, and the announcement data is associated with the tuned audio/video content and indicates enhancement data is being transmitted. The controller is adapted to redirect the announcement data to a second addressable location other than the first addressable location in response to the special announcement.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a receiver, receiving television content associated with multiple television channels over a transport medium;

receiving enhancement data associated with the multiple television channels that have been multiplexed onto a separate delivery mechanism, announcements in the enhancement data being expected at a first addressable location in the receiver;

receiving one or more indications at the first addressable location indicating that enhancement data is available on the separate delivery mechanism, the one or more indications identifying locations of the announcements associated with the particular television channels;

determining a second addressable location other than the first addressable location of an announcement based on an indication associated with a currently tuned television channel; and

processing the announcement of the currently tuned television channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes processing announcements according to an Advanaced Television Enhancement Forum Specification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more indications are received on the separate delivery mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the enhancement data over the separate delivery mechanism includes receiving the enhancement data on a data-only transport stream program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the enhancement data over the separate delivery mechanism includes receiving the enhancement over a separate communications link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first addressable location comprises-an Internet Protocol address and a port.

7. A system comprising:

a receiver adapted to tune to an audio/video portion over a transport medium;

a communication interface adapted to receive announcement data associated with the tuned audio/video content directed to a first addressable location and to receive a special announcement directed to the first addressable location, the special announcement indicating availability of the announcement data associated with the tuned audio/video program and the announcement data associated with the tuned audio/video content indicating enhancement data is being transmitted; and

a controller adapted to redirect the announcement data to a second addressable location other than the first addressable location in response to the special announcement.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second addressable location comprises an address and a port.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first addressable location comprises an address and a port.

10. A method comprising:

transmitting the audio/video content over a transport medium;

multiplexing enhancement data including announcements associated with multiple audio/video programs for transmission over a separate delivery mechanism, the announcements indicating at least some of the enhancement data is being transmitted; and

transmitting a predetermined indication over the separate delivery mechanism to a first addressable location at which the announcements in the enhancement data are expected, the predetermined indication being associated with one of the audio/video programs and identifying a second addressable location of one or more announcements associated with the one audio/video program.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising multicasting the enhancement data and predetermined indications to a plurality of receivers.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the enhancement data is according to an Advanced Television Enhancement Forum Specification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first network address and port comprises an IP address and port at which announcements are expected to arrive.

14. An article comprising a machine readable tangible storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause to processor-based system to:

transmit audio/video content over a transport medium;

multiplex enhancement data including announcements associated with multiple audio/video programs for transmission over a separate delivery mechanism, the announcements indicating at least some of the enhancement data is being transmitted; and

transmit a predetermined indication over the separate delivery mechanism to a first addressable location at which the announcements in the enhancement data are expected, the predetermined indication being associated with one of the audio/video programs and identifying a second addressable location of one or more announcements associated with the one audio/video program.

15. The article of claim 14, the storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause the processor-based system to multicast the enhancement data and predetermined indications to a plurality of receivers.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein the enhancement data is according to an Advanced Television Enhancement Forum Specification.

17. The article of claim 14, wherein the first addressable location comprises an address and a port.