Connection identifier for wireless broadcast system

• US 7,944,919 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Bank of Intellectual Property, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Inventors: Madan, Seema, Govind, Keerthi S., Petry, Brian D., Marsh, Gene W., Burchill, William S., Gummadi, Srikanth, Connors, Dennis P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye; Saba
• Application Number:
  US11/623,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20080170529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.2, 370312-313, 370328-330, 370336-337, 370343-344, 370/350, 455/3.01, 725/62
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/67 Common-wave systems, i.e. using separate transmitters operating on substantially the same frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64315 DVB-H

Abstract

A wireless broadcast system that collects content for distribution over a wireless communication network. Multiple content streams are received and interleaved into an aggregate content stream. The aggregate content stream is encapsulated into a stream of transport packets that are ruggedized for broadcast over the wireless communication link. One connection identification is associated with the entire aggregate content stream. The aggregate content stream is packetized into multiple service data units. An identical signal that includes the service data units and one connection identifier is broadcast by multiple synchronized transmitters in a single frequency network. The content can include multimedia data, such as audio/video data, movies, game, audio broadcasts, television network programs, or other types of multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting content over a wireless access network, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of individual content streams from one or more content providers;

interleaving the individual content streams into an aggregate content stream;

associating one connection identifier with data packets of the aggregate content stream;

encapsulating the data packets of the aggregate content stream into transport stream packets; and

distributing the transport stream packets to a plurality of synchronized transmitters within a single frequency network for synchronous broadcast of a same signal over the wireless access network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate content stream further comprises an electronic program guide.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic program guide comprises information identifying the occurrence of instances of each individual content stream within the aggregate content stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the individual content streams comprises Internet protocol (IP) encoded content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the individual content streams comprises multimedia data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the individual content streams comprises a television network program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein interleaving the plurality of individual content streams further comprises coarse interleaving of the plurality of individual content streams into the single aggregate content stream.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique connection identifier associated with the single aggregate content stream is disposed in a downlink map of a broadcast frame in the same signal.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of transmitters comprises a single frequency network.

10. A broadcast manager comprising:

a network interface device configured to receive an aggregate content stream that comprises data packets from a plurality of individual content streams received from one or more content sources;

an encapsulator device configured to associate one connection identifier to the data packets of the entire aggregate content stream and packetize the data packets into transport stream packets; and

a distributing device configured to distribute the transport stream packets and the associated connection identifier to a plurality of transmitters configured to synchronously transmit a same signal that includes content carried on the plurality of individual content streams and the one connection identifier.

11. The broadcast manager of claim 10, wherein at least one of the individual content streams comprises Internet protocol (IP) encoded content.

12. The broadcast manager of claim 10, wherein the same signal transmitted from each of the plurality of transmitters is an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) signal.

13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of broadcasting content over a wireless network comprising:

receiving a plurality of individual content streams of data packets from one or more content providers;

interleaving the plurality of individual content streams into an aggregate content stream;

associating one connection identifier with the data packets of the aggregate content stream;

encapsulating the data packets of the aggregate content stream into transport stream packets; and

distributing the transport stream packets and the one connection identifier to a plurality of synchronized transmitters within a single frequency network for synchronous broadcast of a same signal over the wireless access network.

14. An access service network system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a plurality of finely interleaved content streams;

an encapsulator configured to;

receive the plurality of finely interleaved content streams and coarsely interleave the plurality of finely interleaved content streams into a coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream, including successive bursts of data from the plurality of coarsely interleaved content streams,

provide time slicing information indicative of a start and a duration of each of the successive bursts, and

associate a connection identifier to the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream; and

a plurality of base stations, each of the plurality of base stations being configured to;

generate broadcast frames from the data carried by the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream, a frame including an OFDM preamble, and a single connection identifier, and

broadcast in synchronization with other base stations of the plurality of base stations a same signal that includes the broadcast frames.

15. The access service network system of claim 14, wherein the encapsulator is further configured to add forward error correction (FEC) information into the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream.

16. An access service network system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a plurality of finely interleaved content streams;

an encapsulator configured to;

receive the plurality of finely interleaved content streams and coarsely interleave the plurality of finely interleaved content streams into a coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream, including successive bursts of data from the plurality of coarsely interleaved content streams,

provide time slicing information indicative of a start and a duration of each of the successive bursts, and

associate a connection identifier to the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream; and

a base station configured to build broadcast frames from the data carried by the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream and synchronously broadcast a same signal including the broadcast frames.

17. The access service network system of claim 16, wherein the encapsulator is further configured to add forward error correction (FEC) information to the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream.

18. An access service network system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a plurality of finely interleaved content streams;

an encapsulator configured to;

receive the plurality of finely interleaved content streams and coarsely interleave the plurality of finely interleaved content streams into a coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream, including successive bursts of data from the plurality of coarsely interleaved content streams,

provide time slicing information indicative of a start and a duration of each of the successive bursts, and

associate a connection identifier to the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream;

a single frequency network adapter configured to receive the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream and to synchronously distribute the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream to a plurality of base stations; and

a plurality of base stations, each of the plurality of base stations configured to;

receive the distributed coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream from the single frequency network adapter,

build broadcast frames from the data carried by the coarsely interleaved aggregate content stream, a frame including an OFDM preamble, and a single connection identifier, and

broadcast a same signals in synchronization with the plurality of base stations.