Method and apparatus for programming blackout and retune

• US 8,499,318 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Gordon Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/472,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 725/36, 725/140, 725/25, 725/95, 725/28, 725/146
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method for blackout and retune distribution including receiving a first wide area multiplexed feed, the first wide area multiplexed feed comprising a blacked out feed; and generating a requantized local service feed from a local replacement plus retune service feed, the local replacement plus retune service feed having a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed, wherein the requantized local service feed is to be combined with the first wide area multiplexed feed for transmission as a part of an aggregate local outbound traffic. A computer-readable medium, a apparatus and a means for blackout and retune distribution is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a plurality of programs, wherein at least one of said plurality of programs is a blacked out program, and wherein the blacked out program is received using fixed bandwidth allocation;

receiving a local replacement program;

receiving a retune service, wherein receiving the retune service comprises of using dynamic bandwidth allocation;

generating an aggregate stream comprising the received plurality of programs, the received local replacement program, and the received retune service.

2. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a non-blacked out feed and a blacked out feed, wherein the non-blacked out feed is transmitted using dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation;

receiving a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed;

combining the received non-blacked out feed, the received blacked out feed and the received retune feed to provide an aggregate wide area outbound traffic.

3. The method for blackout and retune distribution of claim 2, wherein receiving the retune feed comprises of using dynamic bandwidth allocation.

4. The method for blackout and retune distribution of claim 2, wherein receiving the retune feed comprises of using fixed bandwidth allocation.

5. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

separating an aggregate wide area outbound traffic into a retune feed, a blacked out feed and a non-blacked out feed, wherein the nonblacked out feed is transmitted using dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation;

receiving the retune feed and the blacked out feed;

replacing the blacked out feed with the retune feed; and

providing an aggregate local outbound traffic including the non-blacked out feed and the retune feed.

6. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a plurality of non blacked out feeds, wherein the receiving the nonblacked out feed comprises using dynamic bandwidth allocation;

receiving a blacked out feed, wherein the receiving blacked out feed comprises of using fixed bandwidth allocation;

receiving a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed;

applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the plurality of non blacked out feeds; and

combining the plurality of non blacked out feeds, the blacked out feed, and the retune feed for transmission as an aggregate wide area outbound feed.

7. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving an aggregate wide area outbound feed comprising a plurality of non blacked out feeds and at least one blacked out feed, wherein at least one of the nonblacked out feeds is transmitted using dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the at least one blacked out feed feeds is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation;

receiving a plurality of local programming feeds;

receiving a plurality of retune feeds; and

combining the received aggregate wide area outbound feed, the received plurality of local programming feeds, and the received plurality of retune feeds for transmission an aggregate local area outbound feed.

8. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a plurality of non blacked out feeds; and

applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the plurality of non blacked out feeds;

receiving a plurality of blacked out feeds;

applying fixed bandwidth allocation to the plurality of non blacked out feeds;

combining the plurality of non blacked out feeds and the plurality of blacked out feeds;

transmitting the combined non blacked out and blacked out feeds as an aggregate wide area outbound feed.

9. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a remultiplexed feed comprising an aggregate wide area outbound feed and a plurality of retune feeds;

receiving a multiplexed feed comprising a plurality of local program feeds;

applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the plurality of local program feeds;

combining the remultiplexed feed and the multiplexed feed; and

transmitting the combined remultiplexed feed and the multiplexed feed as an aggregate wide area outbound feed.

10. A method for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

receiving a plurality of non blacked out feeds;

applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the plurality of non blacked out feeds;

receiving a plurality of blacked out feeds;

applying fixed bandwidth allocation to the plurality of blacked out feeds;

receiving a fixed bandwidth retune program feed; and

combining the plurality of non blacked out feeds, the plurality of blacked out feeds, and the fixed bandwidth retune program feed.

11. A blackout and retune distribution apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first wide area multiplexed feed, the first wide area multiplexed feed comprising a blacked out feed, wherein receiving the blacked out feed comprises using fixed bandwidth allocation;

means for generating a requantized local service feed from a local replacement plus retune service feed, the local replacement plus retune service feed comprising a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed, wherein the requantized local service feed is to be combined with the first wide area multiplexed feed for transmission as a part of an aggregate local outbound traffic; and

means for applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the requantized local service feed.

12. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 11, wherein the local replacement plus retune service feed comprises a plurality of retune feeds and further comprising means for dropping unneeded services from the plurality of retune service feeds.

13. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first wide area multiplexed feed further comprising a non-blacked out feed.

14. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the requantized local service feed comprises:

means for receiving an aggregate wide area operation infrastructure (WOI) traffic feed comprising the local replacement plus retune service feed and the first wide area multiplexed feed; and

means for extracting the retune feed.

15. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 14, wherein the aggregate WOI traffic feed comprises a second wide area multiplexed feed and the means for generating the requantized local service feed further comprises means for extracting the first wide area multiplexed feed from the aggregate WOI traffic feed.

16. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving at least one optional local service feed; and

means for multiplexing the optional local service feed and the requantized local service

feed for combination with the first wide area multiplexed feed for transmission as part of an aggregate local outbound traffic.

17. The blackout and retune distribution apparatus of claim 16, further comprising applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the at least one optional local service feed.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for blackout and retune distribution, the method comprising:

receiving a first wide area multiplexed feed, the first wide area multiplexed feed comprising a blacked out feed, wherein the blacked out feed has a fixed bandwidth; and

generating a requantized local service feed from a local replacement plus retune service feed, the local replacement plus retune service feed comprising a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed, wherein the requantized local service feed is to be combined with the first wide area multiplexed feed for transmission as a part of an aggregate local outbound traffic; and

applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the requantized local service feed.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the local replacement plus retune service feed comprises a plurality of retune feeds and the method further comprising dropping unneeded services from the plurality of retune service feeds.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first wide area multiplexed feed further comprising a non-blacked out feed.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein generating the requantized local service feed comprises:

receiving an aggregate wide area operation infrastructure (WOI) traffic feed comprising

the local replacement plus retune service feed and the first wide area multiplexed feed; and

extracting the retune feed.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the aggregate WOI traffic feed comprises a second wide area multiplexed feed and generating the requantized local service feed further comprises extracting the first wide area multiplexed feed from the aggregate WOI traffic feed.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving at least one optional local service feed; and

multiplexing the optional local service feed and the requantized local service feed for combination with the first wide area multiplexed feed for transmission as part of an aggregate local outbound traffic.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising applying dynamic bandwidth allocation to the at least one optional local service feed.

25. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a requantizer coupled to a wide area combiner to receive a retune feed from the wide area combiner, the requantizer generating a requantized local service feed from the retune feed, wherein dynamic bandwidth allocation is applied to the requantized local service; and

a local combiner coupled to the requantizer and the wide area combiner, the local combiner receiving the requantized local service feed and a blacked out feed from the wide area combiner, wherein the blacked out feed is at a fixed bandwidth, and wherein the local combiner provides an aggregate local outbound traffic comprising the blacked out feed and the requantized local service feed.

26. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 25, further comprising first wide area multiplex coupled to the wide area combiner, the first wide area multiplex receiving the blacked out feed and providing the blacked out feed to the wide area combiner.

27. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 25, further comprising a local replacement plus retune service multiplex coupled to the wide area combiner, the local replacement plus retune service multiplex receiving the retune feed, the retune feed comprising a retune programming for the blacked out feed.

28. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 27, wherein the wide area combiner is coupled to the first wide area multiplex and the local replacement plus retune service multiplex.

29. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 25, further comprising a local multiplex coupled to the requantizer and the local combiner, wherein the local combiner is coupled to the requantizer through the local multiplex.

30. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 25, wherein local combiner is coupled to at least one optional local service feed.

31. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 30, further comprising a local multiplex coupled to the local combiner, wherein the local combiner is coupled to the at least one optional local service feed through the local multiplex.

32. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of 30, wherein dynamic bandwidth allocation is applied to the at least one optional local service feed.

33. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a multiplex receiving a blacked out feed and a non-blacked out feed, wherein the non-blacked out feed is transmitted using dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation;

a retune multiplex receiving the non-blacked out feed and a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed; and

a combiner coupled to the multiplex and the retune multiplex, the combiner providing an aggregate outbound traffic comprising the non-blacked out feed, the blacked out feed and the retune feed.

34. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of claim 33, wherein the multiplex receives a second blacked out feed and wherein the apparatus for blackout and retune distribution further comprising a second retune multiplex receiving a second retune feed corresponding to a second retune programming for the second blacked out feed, wherein the combiner is coupled to the second retune multiplex and the aggregate outbound traffic comprises the second retune feed.

35. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a wide area multiplex receiving at least one non-blacked out feed, the wide area multiplex providing an aggregate wide area outbound traffic comprising the non-blacked out feed and blacked out feed, wherein the non-blacked out feed has a dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed has a fixed bandwidth allocation; and

a local multiplex coupled to the wide area multiplex and receiving the aggregate wide area outbound traffic, at least one local feed, and a retune feed, wherein the local multiplex providing an aggregate local outbound traffic.

36. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of claim 35, wherein all retune feeds are carried in the local multiplex.

37. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a wide area multiplex receiving a non-blacked out feed and a blacked out feed, the wide area multiplex providing an aggregate wide area outbound traffic, wherein the non-blacked out feed has a dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed has a fixed bandwidth allocation;

a wide area re-multiplex coupled to the wide area multiplex, the wide area re-multiplex receiving a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed, the wide area re-multiplex configured to replace the blacked out feed from the aggregate wide area outbound traffic with the retune feed; and

a local multiplex coupled to the wide area re-multiplex and receiving the non-blacked out feed, the retune feed and a local feed, wherein the local multiplex providing an aggregate local outbound traffic.

38. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of claim 37, wherein the retune feed is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation.

39. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a wide area multiplex receiving a non-blacked out feed and a blacked out feed, wherein the non-blacked out feed has a dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed has a fixed bandwidth allocation;

a combiner coupled to the wide area multiplex and receiving the non-blacked out feed and the blacked out feed, the combiner further receiving a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed, the combiner providing an aggregate wide area outbound traffic;

a splitter coupled to the combiner, the splitter configured to separate the aggregate wide area outbound traffic into the retune feed, the blacked out feed and the non-blacked out feed;

a wide area re-multiplex coupled to the splitter, the wide area re-multiplex receiving the retune feed and the blacked out feed, the wide area re-multiplex configured to replace the blacked out feed with the retune feed; and

a local multiplex coupled to the wide area re-multiplex and receiving the non-blacked out feed, the retune feed and a local feed, wherein the local multiplex providing an aggregate local outbound traffic.

40. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of claim 39, where the retune feed is transmitted using fixed bandwidth allocation.

41. An apparatus for blackout and retune distribution comprising:

a wide area multiplex receiving a non-blacked out feed and a blacked out feed, wherein the non-blacked out feed has a dynamic bandwidth allocation, and wherein the blacked out feed has a fixed bandwidth allocation, the wide area multiplex providing an aggregate wide area outbound traffic;

a local multiplex receiving a local feed and a retune feed corresponding to a retune programming for the blacked out feed; and

a combiner coupled to the wide area multiplex and the local multiplex, the combiner receiving the non-blacked out feed, the retune feed and a local feed, wherein the combiner providing an aggregate local outbound traffic.

42. The apparatus for blackout and retune distribution of claim 41, where the retune feed is transmitted using dynamic bandwidth allocation.