Announcing information service through broadcasting or multicasting

• US 8,032,127 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paila, Toni, Vainio, Miia, Hakulinen, Harri
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US12/648,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20100105314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-314, 370328-329, 370/338, 370/341, 370349-350, 370/395.3, 370/395.52, 370/395.64, 370/395.5, 4554141-4143, 455418-420, 455/466, 455/509, 455/517, 455/561, 455/566, 455 301- 306, 455/450, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 709/203, 709227-229, 709/219, 375 E7011- E7013, 725 44- 46, 725/51, 713/163, 707769-770, 707/778, 707/786
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A receiver (FIG. 2) receives IP session announcement signals from a terrestrial digital video broadcasting system. Each IP session announcement (RM) includes information concerning announcements on an immediately lower level as well as information identifying the quantity of announcement data, such as the number of announcement messages, and a timeout value. The quantity data tells the receiver how many messages X1 to X3 it needs to receive (C) before it has received all the relevant announcement messages. The timeout value informs the receiver how long it can wait before again receiving the messages X1 to X3 (which may have changed in content by then). After initially receiving the messages X1 to X3, the receiver may sleep (E), or it may receive announcement messages from another channel Y (D).

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting or multicasting comprising:

determining, at a processor, to broadcast or multicast one or more announcements on a lower level of a hierarchical structure of announcements, the one or more announcements relating to a category of an information service;

determining, at the processor, to broadcast or multicast, on a higher level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating the category of the information service, and data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements; and

broadcasting or multicasting the one or more announcements and the data based on the determinations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the processor, to broadcast or multicast on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcements.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the processor, to broadcast or multicast on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the announcements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value.

6. A method of broadcasting or multicasting comprising facilitating access to at least one interface configured to allow access to at least one service, the at least one service configured to perform at least the following:

determining, at a processor, to broadcast or multicast one or more announcements on a lower level of a hierarchical structure of announcements, the one or more announcements relating to a category of an information service;

determining, at the processor, to broadcast or multicast, on a higher level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating the category of information service, and data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements; and

broadcasting or multicasting the one or more announcements and data based on the determinations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service is caused to further perform:

determining to broadcast or multicast, on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcements.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the service is caused to further perform:

determining, at the processor, to broadcast or multicast, on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the one or more announcements.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value.

11. An apparatus for broadcasting or multicasting comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

determine to broadcast or multicast, one or more announcements on a lower level of a hierarchical structure of announcements, the one or more announcements relating to a category of an information service;

determine to broadcast or multicast, on a higher level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating the category, and data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements; and

broadcasting or multicasting the one or more announcements and data based on the determinations.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to broadcast or multicast, on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcements, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcements.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to broadcast or multicast, on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the one or more announcements.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value.

16. A method of receiving announcements comprising:

receiving, at a processor, announcement data at a higher level in a hierarchical structure of announcement data indicating a category of an information service to which one or more announcements on a lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data belong;

receiving, at the processor, data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements;

determining to receive the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent at least in part on the quantity data indicator; and

receiving the one or more announcements for the period of time based on the determination.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements; and

determining to receive the one or more announcements from the location.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the announcements.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value and wherein the processor is caused to cease receiving the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent on the timeout value.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for receiving announcements which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

receiving announcement data at a higher level in a hierarchical structure of announcement data indicating a category of an information service to which one or more announcements on a lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data belong;

receiving data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements;

determining to receive the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent at least in part on the quantity data indicator; and

receiving the one or more announcements for the period of time based on the determination.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

receiving on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

receiving, on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements; and

determining to receive the one or more announcements from the location.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the announcements.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value, and wherein the apparatus is caused to cease receiving the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent on the timeout value.

26. An apparatus for receiving announcements comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive announcement data at a higher level in a hierarchical structure of announcement data indicating a category of an information service to which one or more announcements on a lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data belong;

receive data indicating a quantity of the one or more announcements;

determine to receive the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent at least in part on the quantity data indicator; and

receive the one or more announcements for the period of time based on the determination.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive, on the lower level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data, data indicating a transport format of a root level of the hierarchical structure of announcement data.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive, on the higher level, information identifying a location of access of the one or more announcements; and

determine to receive the one or more announcements from the location.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the identifying information includes an internet protocol address and a port of the announcements.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more announcements are associated with a timeout value and wherein the apparatus is further caused to cease receiving the one or more announcements for a period of time dependent on the timeout value.