Digital residential entertainment system

• US 8,601,519 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hicks, John Alson III, Zimler, Randy Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US09/749,825
• Time in Patent Office: 4,723 Days
• Field of Search: 725/74, 725 78- 83
• US Class Current: 725/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/27 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53 - H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 : the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 : Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention is a comprehensive digital residential entertainment system. A system includes a data switch, a mass storage device, a tuner and a demodulator. The data switch has a plurality of switch ports, and the mass storage device is coupled to a switch port of the plurality of switch ports of the data switch. The tuner selects an information channel of a plurality of information channels. The demodulator is coupled to a switch port of the plurality of switch ports of the data switch and to the tuner. A Web-based graphical user interface can be provided for accessing and controlling the features and functions of the digital residential entertainment system.

Claims

1. A system for providing digital entertainment data, the system comprising:

a shared system bus interconnecting internal components of a gateway, the gateway comprising;

a processor having a processor input connected to the shared system bus and a processor output connected to the shared system bus;

memory having a memory input connected to the shared system bus and a memory output connected to the shared system bus;

multiple pairs of a tuner and a demodulator connected to the shared system bus to receive control signals, with each pair of the tuner and the demodulator tuning to a frequency to receive a plurality of information signals broadcast from a source;

a data switch having multiple input ports and multiple output ports;

a dedicated link between one of the multiple input ports and a respective one of the multiple pairs of the tuner and the demodulator, such that each pair of the multiple pairs of the tuner and the demodulator is dedicated to a different input port of the data switch;

a video overlay processor coupled to the data switch that superimposes a first audio-visual signal over a second audio-visual signal to produce a superimposed signal; and

a mass storage device connected to the shared system bus, the mass storage device storing a plurality of content items and a corresponding single data record describing one content item in the plurality of content items the single data record being a row in a data table, the row having a plurality of data fields, the plurality of data fields comprising;

an item identifier field describing a title of the one content item;

a type field indicating a type of the one content item;

a cost of playback field indicating a fee for playing the one content item;

a usage field indicating the one content item has been played;

a cost of purchase field indicating the fee for purchasing the one content item;

a purchase field indicating the one content item has been licensed for purchase; and

a storage position identifier specifying a position for the one content item in a lineup of different content items, the storage position identifier received from a source remote from the system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising decryption logic decrypting the plurality of information signals to produce decrypted digital information.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card reader that receives authorization to decrypt encrypted digital information received from the multiple pairs.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising decoder logic connected to the shared system bus.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information signals include a plurality of television program signals.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information signals include an audio signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information signals include a data signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information signals are received from a transmission facility selected from the group consisting of a direct broadcast satellite, a cable headend, and a terrestrial transmitter.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information signals are multiplexed transmission signals selected from the group of frequency divided multiplexed transmission signals, time divided multiplexed transmission signals, code divided multiplexed transmission signals, wavelength divided multiplexed transmission signals, and dense wavelength divided multiplexed transmission signals.