Method and apparatus for masking signal loss

• US 8,433,988 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Schultz, Mark Alan, Johnson, Ronald Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Rizk, Sam
• Application Number:
  US12/736,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20110004815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 714/776, 714/799, 704/278
• US Class Current: 714/799
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A method and apparatus are capable of masking a signal loss condition. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method includes steps of receiving a signal, detecting a period of loss of the signal, and enabling a received portion of the signal to be reproduced continuously and causing a portion of the signal lost during the period to be skipped.

Claims

1. A method, comprising steps of:

receiving a signal;

detecting a period of loss of said signal;

enabling a received portion of said signal to be reproduced continuously and causing a portion of said signal lost during said period to be skipped during said reproduction; and

notifying a user during said reproduction that some portion of said signal was lost, wherein said notifying step includes informing said user of a duration of said period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal comprises a plurality of segments, and said method further comprises a step of:

storing each received segment in a buffer, wherein each stored segment includes a time mark.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of adding said time mark to said each received segment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising steps of:

determining a number of said received segments stored in said buffer; and

adjusting a reproducing speed during said enabling step according to said number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said adjusting step comprises steps of:

if said number is smaller than a threshold, reducing said reproducing speed to be lower than a normal speed; and

if said number is equal to or greater than said threshold, maintaining said reproducing speed at said normal speed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

enabling said user to select whether to skip said portion of said signal lost during said period; and

if said user selects not to skip said portion of said signal lost during said period, said enabling step includes replacing said portion of said signal lost during said period with a default signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said signal includes at least one of audio and video content.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

an input operative to receive a signal including at least one of audio and video content;

a detector operative to detect a period of loss of said signal; and

a controller operative to enable a received portion of said signal to be reproduced continuously and to cause a portion of said signal lost during said period to be skipped during said reproduction, wherein a user is notified during said reproduction that some portion of said signal was lost and said notification informs said user of a duration of said period.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said signal comprises a plurality of segments, and said apparatus further comprises:

a memory operative to store each received segment, wherein each stored segment includes a time mark.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a reproducing speed is adjusted during said reproduction according to a number of said received segments stored in said memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

if said number is smaller than a threshold, said reproducing speed is reduced to be lower than a normal speed; and

if said number is equal to or greater than said threshold, said reproducing speed is maintained at said normal speed.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

said user selects whether to skip said portion of said signal lost during said period; and

if said user selects not to skip said portion of said signal lost during said period, said portion of said signal lost during said period is replaced with a default signal.