System and method for controlling broadcast multimedia using plural wireless network connections

• US 7,925,203 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gardner, William Robert, Lane, Richard Doil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu X
• Application Number:
  US10/748,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20040142661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,661 Days
• Field of Search: 173/163, 173/166, 173/171, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/425, 455/427, 455/45, 455/503, 455/161.2, 455/3, 455/3.01, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/411, 370/486
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/21 Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Digital multimedia is broadcast to wireless receivers on a unidirectional wireless broadcast channel, while control data necessary for presentation of the multimedia is provided on a bidirectional, point-to-point wireless link.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

at least a broadcast center configured to wirelessly broadcast at least one multimedia stream

over a wireless broadcast link to a first wireless receiver, wherein the broadcast link is characterized by a first wireless principle and configured to provide

control data associated with the multimedia stream over a bidirectional wireless link to a second receiver, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is characterized by a second wireless principle, wherein the wireless broadcast link and the bidirectional wireless link are separate physical channels, wherein the first and second wireless principles are different from each other, wherein the first wireless receiver and the second receiver are both part of the same receiving device, and wherein the control data includes data useful for de-interleaving, decompressing, and decoding the multimedia stream.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast link is unidirectional and wherein the first wireless principle is selected from the group consisting of:

CDMA principles, GSM principles, OFDM principles, WCDMA principles, TDMA principles, and TD-SCDMA principles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second wireless principle is selected from the group consisting of:

a CDMA link, a GSM link, a 802.11 link, a satellite link, and a Bluetooth link.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is a point-to-point wireless communication link.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless receiver and the second receiver are associated with a mobile communication device having at least one display for displaying the multimedia data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless receiver and the second receiver are associated with a mobile communication device having at least one speaker for presentation of multimedia audio data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein services are ordered over the bidirectional link.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein products are ordered over the bidirectional link.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one digital broadcast multimedia (DBM) controller useful at least for encrypting, encoding and/or aggregating the multimedia stream.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control data includes data useful for indexing into the multimedia stream for channel selection and tracking.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one network control center communicating with the DBM controller at least for receiving keys therefrom, the network control center communicating with the second receiver over the bidirectional wireless link.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one NCC controller associated with the network control center at least for providing to receivers applications related to playing multimedia streams.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one network operations controller (NOC) associated with the broadcast network operations center at least for providing to receivers applications related to playing multimedia streams through a bidirectional wireless link.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the control data is selected from the group consisting of:

at least one key useful in decrypting the multimedia stream, data associated with a subscription to a multimedia broadcast service, data associated with a registration on a multimedia broadcast network, at least one application useful in decoding the multimedia data, billing information, data related to user preferences, and data related to levels of service related to providing the multimedia stream.

15. A method for providing a multimedia stream to a wireless communication device, comprising:

broadcasting the multimedia stream over a wireless broadcast link to a first receiver, wherein the broadcast link is characterized by a first wireless principle; and

transmitting, over a bidirectional wireless link to a second receiver, control data necessary for displaying the multimedia stream on the device, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is characterized by a second wireless principle, and wherein the wireless broadcast link and the bidirectional wireless link are separate physical channels, and the first and second wireless principles are different from each other, and the first wireless receiver and the second receiver are both part of the same receiving device, and wherein the control data includes data useful for de-interleaving, decompressing, and decoding the multimedia stream.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least some control data is transmitted to the wireless device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least some control data is transmitted from the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the broadcast link is unidirectional.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first wireless principle is selected from the group consisting of:

CDMA principles, GSM principles, OFDM principles, WCDMA principles, TDMA, principles, and TD-SCDMA principles.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the second wireless principle-is selected from the group consisting of a 802.11 link, a Bluetooth link, a satellite link, a CDMA link, a GSM link, and a OFDM link, and is a point-to-point wireless communication link.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the first wireless receiver and the second receiver are associated with a mobile communication device having at least one display for displaying the multimedia stream and at least one speaker for presentation of multimedia audio data.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the control data includes at least one key useful in decrypting the multimedia stream.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the control data includes data associated with a subscription to a multimedia broadcast service.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the control data includes data related to levels of service related to providing the multimedia stream.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the multimedia stream is digital and is encrypted.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the control data includes data useful for indexing into the multimedia stream for channel selection and tracking.

27. The method of claim 15, comprising ordering at least one of:

services, and products, over the bidirectional link.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the control data is selected from the group consisting of:

data associated with a registration on a multimedia broadcast network, at least one application useful in playing the multimedia data, billing information, and data related to user preferences.

29. A wireless client station capable of communicating using at least two communication links, comprising:

at least one processor receiving on a first receiver a digital multimedia stream received on a wireless broadcast link, wherein the broadcast link is characterized by a first wireless principle and on a second receiver control data received on a bidirectional wireless link, wherein the control data includes data useful for de-interleaving, decrypting, decompressing, and decoding the multimedia stream, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is characterized by a second wireless principle, wherein the wireless broadcast link and the bidirectional wireless link are separate physical channels and the first and second wireless principles are different from each other, and wherein the wireless client station comprises both the first receiver and the second receiver;

wherein

the processor uses the control data to enable presentation of the multimedia stream on a display.

30. The client station of claim 29, wherein the broadcast link is unidirectional and the first wireless principle is selected from the group consisting of:

CDMA principles, GSM principles, OFDM principles, WCDMA principles, TDMA, principles, and TD-SCDMA principles.

31. The client station of claim 29, wherein the second wireless principle is selected from the group consisting of:

a CDMA link, a 802.11 link, a GSM link, a satellite link, and a Bluetooth link.

32. The client station of claim 29, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is a point-to-point wireless communication link.

33. The client station of claim 29, wherein the control data includes at least one key useful in decrypting the multimedia stream.

34. The client station of claim 29, wherein the control data includes data associated with a subscription to a multimedia broadcast service and/or data associated with a registration on a multimedia broadcast network.

35. The client station of claim 29, wherein the control data includes at least one application useful in playing the multimedia data.

36. The client station of claim 29, wherein the multimedia stream is digital and is encrypted.

37. The client station of claim 29, wherein the control data includes data useful for indexing into the multimedia stream for channel selection and tracking.

38. The client station of claim 29, wherein at least one of:

services, and products, can be ordered over the bidirectional link.

39. The client station of claim 29, wherein the control data includes billing information data related to user preferences and/or data related to levels of service related to providing the multimedia stream.

40. A system for providing a multimedia stream to a wireless communication device, comprising:

means for broadcasting the multimedia stream over a wireless broadcast link to a first receiver, wherein the broadcast link is unidirectional and is characterized by selecting one from the group consisting of;

CDMA principles, GSM principles, OFDM principles, WCDMA principles, TDMA, principles, and TD-SCDMA principles; and

means for transmitting, over a bidirectional wireless link to a second receiver, wherein the bidirectional wireless link is characterized by selecting one from the group consisting of;

a CDMA link, a 802.11 link, a GSM link, a satellite link, and a Bluetooth link, control data necessary for displaying the multimedia stream on the device, wherein the control data includes data useful for de-interleaving, decrypting, decompressing, and decoding the multimedia stream, wherein the wireless broadcast link and the bidirectional wireless link are separate physical channels, and wherein the first and second receivers are both part of the same receiving device, and the first and second wireless principles are different from each other.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising means for encrypting the multimedia stream.

42. The system of claim 41, means for communicating with the encrypting means at least for receiving keys therefrom, the means for communicating with the second receiver over the bidirectional wireless link.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising means, communicating with the means for communicating, for providing, to receivers, applications related to playing multimedia streams.