Device and method to improve integrated presentation of existing radio services and advanced multimedia services

• US 8,036,592 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Godwin, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez; Angelica
• Application Number:
  US10/797,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20040172647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,771 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301- 306, 455/7, 455/427, 455/428, 455/12.1, 725/36, 725/32, 725 86- 87, 725/73, 725/45, 725/66, 370/316
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/19 digital satellite radio [DSR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 : involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 : for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an integrated presentation of existing media program services and secondary media program services is described. The method comprises the steps of accepting a election of a secondary media program transmitted on a secondary media program channel; accessing a mapping to determine a primary media program channel associated with the selected secondary media program channel; commanding a first tuner module to receive conditional access information associated with the primary media program channel from the primary service provider; evaluating the conditional access information to determine if a second tuner is authorized to receive the secondary media program channel; and commanding a second tuner module to receive the secondary media program if the second tuner is authorized to receive the secondary media program channel.

Claims

1. A terrestrial repeater, comprising:

a repeater receiver, disposed in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region, the repeater receiver for receiving a signal transmitted by a satellite including national media programs intended for reception in the national broadcast region and regional media programs;

a processor for filtering the signal to pass only the regional media programs intended for reception in the one of the plurality of local broadcast regions;

a repeater transmitter, communicatively coupled to the repeater receiver, for transmitting the passed regional media programs intended for reception in the one of the plurality of local broadcast regions.

2. The terrestrial repeater of claim 1, wherein the repeater transmitter further transmits national media programs to receivers disposed in the local broadcast region.

3. The terrestrial repeater of claim 1, wherein the processor further stores and repeats regional media programs.

4. The terrestrial repeater of claim 1, wherein the processor further stores and retransmits regional program guide information at a repetition rate.

5. The terrestrial repeater of claim 4, wherein:

the signal comprises media programs intended for reception in a second local broadcast region; and

the repetition rate of the regional media programs is selected to a repeater transmission capacity that would otherwise have been used to transmit the regional media programs intended for reception in the second local broadcast region.

6. The terrestrial repeater of claim 1, wherein:

the processor filters the signal to pass only the regional media programs intended for reception in the one of the plurality of local broadcast regions by performing the steps of;

scanning metadata of the signal for local broadcast identifiers; and

comparing the local broadcast identifiers with the local broadcast identifier of the repeater.

7. A terrestrial repeater, comprising:

a repeater receiver, disposed in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region, the repeater receiver for receiving a signal including national media programs intended for reception in the national broadcast region and regional media programs;

a processor, communicatively coupled to the repeater receiver, for filtering the regional media programs to pass regional media programs intended for reception in the one of a plurality of local broadcast regions from the regional media programs by comparing identifiers included in the signal against a local broadcast identifier of the terrestrial repeater; and

a repeater transmitter, communicatively coupled to the repeater receiver and the processor, for transmitting the filtered regional media programs to receivers disposed in the local broadcast region.

8. The terrestrial repeater of claim 7, wherein the repeater transmitter further transmits the local broadcast identifier to receivers disposed in the local broadcast region.

9. A terrestrial repeater, comprising:

a repeater receiver, disposed in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region, the repeater receiver for receiving a signal including national media programs intended for reception in the national broadcast region, and regional media programs; and

a repeater transmitter, communicatively coupled to the repeater receiver, for transmitting only regional media programs intended for reception in the local broadcast region.

10. The terrestrial repeater of claim 9, wherein the repeater transmitter further transmits national media programs to receivers disposed in the local broadcast region.

11. The terrestrial repeater of claim 9, further comprising a processor for storing and repeating regional media programs.

12. The terrestrial repeater of claim 11, wherein the processor further stores and retransmits regional program guide information at a repetition rate.

13. The terrestrial repeater of claim 12, wherein:

the signal comprises media programs intended for reception in a second local broadcast region; and

the repetition rate of the regional media programs is selected to utilize a repeater transmission capacity that would otherwise have been used to transmit the regional media programs intended for reception in the second local broadcast region.

14. A system for integrating presentation of national media programs and regional media programs transmitted by regional media providers, comprising:

a satellite transmitter, for transmitting a first signal including a plurality of national media programs and regional media programs; and

a terrestrial repeater, disposed in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region, the terrestrial repeater for receiving the first signal and transmitting a second signal having the plurality of national media programs and only the regional media programs intended for reception in the local broadcast region.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first signal further comprises electronic program guide (EPG) information, and wherein the system further comprises a receiver having an EPG data module for generating an integrated EPG having the national media programs and only the regional media programs intended for reception in the determined broadcast region.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a receiver, disposed in the local broadcast region, the receiver comprising;

a tuner module for receiving the second signal from the terrestrial repeater,

a location module, for determining the local broadcast region.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the location module comprises:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, for providing receiver position information; and

a memory, for storing information relating receiver position information to the local broadcast region.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the location module comprises:

a radio broadcast data system (RDBS) compliant tuner for receiving information indicating the local broadcast information.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the terrestrial repeater stores and retransmits the regional media programs at a repetition rate.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the signal broadcast from a satellite comprises regional media programs intended for reception in a second local broadcast region; and

the repetition rate of the regional media programs is selected to utilize a terrestrial repeater transmission capacity that would otherwise have been used to transmit the regional media programs intended for reception in the second local broadcast region.