System and method for wireless distribution of television channels in a venue

• US 10,154,290 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IP Investment Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Mobilitie, LLC (Bai Communications Pty Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jabara, Gary B., Linder, Lloyd Frederick, Simon, David Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US15/050,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• 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 21/43615 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 21/43637 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 : for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 : Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A multimedia distribution system receives multiple television channels and transcodes them into a single stream of data packets with each of the plurality of video data packets for respective ones of the television channels being assigned a port number corresponding to the respective television channel. The data packets are routed to a plurality of Access Points (APs) for transmission. A User Equipment (UE) communicates with the APs and selects one of the television channels for viewing on the UE by selecting the port number corresponding to the desired television channel. The UE can “change channels” to view other television channels by changing the port number to the port number of the desired television channel.

Claims

1. A method for the broadcast of television channels to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

receiving a plurality of television channels as individual respective multimedia data streams;

converting the individual multimedia data streams to a single stream of multimedia data packets with each of a plurality of multimedia data packets for a respective one of the television channels being assigned a port number corresponding to the respective multimedia data stream; and

broadcasting the single stream of multimedia data packets from each of a plurality of wireless access points (APs) distributed around a venue to permit each of the plurality of mobile communication devices communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of APs to receive the single stream of multimedia data packets and to capture ones of the single stream of multimedia data packets having a port number selected by a user of each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to thereby permit reception of a user-selected television channel by each of the plurality of mobile communication devices via the plurality of APs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the stream of multimedia data packets are generated using a User Datagram Protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a video stream within the venue wherein receiving further comprises receiving the video stream generated within the venue as an additional one of the individual respective multimedia data streams.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving further comprises receiving a video stream generated at a location remote from the venue as an additional one of the individual respective multimedia data streams.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initially selecting the port number corresponding to each of the respective multimedia data stream to permit each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to receive one of the streams of multimedia data packets having the initially selected port number.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising altering the initially selected port number corresponding to one of the multimedia data streams wherein the one multimedia data stream has a port number different from the initially selected port number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting guide data from at least one of the plurality of APs, the guide data providing information about the content of each of the plurality of multimedia data streams and data corresponding to the port number for each of the plurality of multimedia data streams.

8. A system for the broadcast of television channels to a plurality of mobile communication devices, comprising:

a server configured to receive a plurality of television channels as individual respective multimedia data streams;

the server being further configured to convert the individual multimedia data streams to a single stream of data packets and to assign each of a plurality of data packets in the single stream of data packets a port number corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of multimedia data streams; and

a plurality of wireless access points (APs) distributed around a venue to receive the stream of data packets from the server and to transmit the single stream of data packets and thereby permit each of the plurality of mobile communication devices communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of APs to receive the single stream of data packets and to capture ones of the stream of data packets having a port number selected by a user of each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to thereby permit reception of a user-selected television channel by each of the plurality of mobile communication devices via the plurality of APs.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is configured to convert the individual multimedia data streams to a single stream of data packets using a User Datagram Protocol.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is further configured to receive a video stream generated within the venue as an additional one of the individual respective multimedia data streams.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is further configured to receive a video stream generated at a location remote from the venue as an additional one of the individual respective multimedia data streams.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is configured to initially select the port number corresponding to each of the respective multimedia data stream to permit each of the plurality of mobile communication devices to receive one of the streams of multimedia data packets having the initially selected port number.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the server is further configured to alter the initially selected port number corresponding to one of the multimedia data streams wherein the one multimedia data stream has a port number different from the initially selected port number.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is further configured to transmit guide data from at least one of the plurality of APs, the guide data providing information about the content of each of the plurality of multimedia data streams and data corresponding to the port number for each of the plurality of multimedia data streams.