Broadcast distribution using low-level objects and locator tables

• US 7,441,014 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Bulkowski, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaugh, Jr.; William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shingles; Kristie D
• Application Number:
  US09/500,698
• Time in Patent Office: 3,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709/212, 709/213, 709/218, 709/219, 709/231, 709/235, 709/201, 709/240
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6433 Digital Storage Media - Command and Control Protocol [DSM-CC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

The invention includes a method and system for serving data on broadcast media that uses low-level data objects to reduce repetition of common data, that uses indirect naming and machine-readable names to provide easy access to a large part of the broadcast spectrum, and that obtains a data object in a single cycle with no loss, or in two cycles with moderate loss. A user can request a desired data object, such as a web page, which comprises one or more low-level objects. The bandwidth used for each low-level object can be separately set. Two desired data objects can include the same low-level object. The method allows the content creator flexibility in assigning bandwidth used and response time for specific request objects and is easy to implement. Objects can be broadcast across alternate protocols. A dynamic list of desired data objects (the “First-level Name Table”) is maintained that references the low-level objects that compose them.

Claims

1. A method implemented on an apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor for receiving data via multiple channel broadcast media, comprising:

providing a data structure storing second-level names in association with each of a plurality of first-level names, each of said plurality of first-level names being associated with a respective data object, said data structure being distinct from said data objects;

receiving a request for a desired data object, said desired data object being associated with one of said plurality of first-level names;

obtaining from said data structure a plurality of second-level names associated with said first-level name, each of said plurality of second-level names being associated with a respective low-level data object, a retrieval priority for said low-level data object being set by a content provider by ordering said second-level names in said data structure;

obtaining location information associated with said second-level names via a first broadcast channel, said location information identifying at least two of multiple broadcast channels for carrying data associated with said low-level data objects; and

retrieving an associated low level data object for each second-level name, said low level data objects being retrieved in an order corresponding to the order in which said second level names are arranged in said data structure;

wherein said desired data object is a web page comprising at least a portion of said low-level data objects for retrieval and display in order defined by said retrieval priority.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein data associated with respective low-level data objects is received via at least two channels of said multiple channel broadcast medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein data associated with respective low-level data objects is broadcast according to a protocol indicated in said location information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said location information indicates for each low-level data object a location parameter, a size parameter and a bandwidth parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said broadcast media comprises at least one of a cable transmission medium, an optical transmission medium, a satellite transmission medium and a radio frequency (RF) transmission medium.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said broadcast medium is a portion of a computer network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said first-level name is a uniform resource locator (URL).

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said first-level name is a web page title.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said first-level name is a text string.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said text string is associated with an icon.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said second-level name takes a minimal amount of storage space.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said second-level name is an integer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said second-level name is an index into a table.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information is accessed through a memory containing a data structure.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information is sufficient to locate said data in a data stream.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said location information comprises an MPEG table.

17. The method of claim 1, including the further step of combining said plurality of low-level data objects.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of combining results in a portion of said desired data object.

19. The method of claim 18, including the further step of presenting said desired data object.

20. A method implemented on an apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor for receiving data via multiple channel broadcast media, comprising:

receiving a request for a desired data object, said desired data object being associated with a first-level name in a table distinct from said desired data object;

obtaining from said table a plurality of second-level names associated with said first-level name, each of said plurality of second-level names being associated with a respective low-level data object, said second level names being stored in said table in an order set by a content provider;

obtaining location information associated with each second-level name, said location information identifying a broadcast channels for carrying a low-level data object associated with each second-level name; and

retrieving an associated low level data object for each second-level name, said low level data objects being retrieved in an order corresponding to the order in which said second-level names are arranged in said data table.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said desired data object is a web page.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said broadcast medium includes a cable.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein said first-level name is a web page title.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said location information is accessed through a memory containing a data structure.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein said location information is sufficient to locate said data in a data stream.

26. The method of claim 20, including the further step of combining said plurality of low-level data objects.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of combining results in a portion of said desired data object.

28. The method of claim 20, including the further step of presenting said desired data object.

29. A method implemented on an apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor for organizing data for transmission via broadcast media, comprising:

associating a first-level name with data;

organizing said data into a plurality of low-level data objects ordered by retrieval priority, wherein said retrieval priority is set by a content provider; and

associating each low-level data object with a second-level name, the second level names being associated in a data structure, the second-level names being arranged in the data structure in an order corresponding to an order of respective retrieval priorities set by a content provider;

associating a location with each second-level name, the associated locations of said second-level names collectively identifying at least two distinct broadcast channels for carrying data associated with said low level data objects.

30. The method of claim 29, including the further step of broadcasting said each one of said plurality of data objects forming said data.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said each one of said plurality of data objects is broadcast as an MPEG section.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said each one of said plurality of data objects is formatted for transmission as an MPEG section.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said data object is formatted for transmission as an UDP packet.

34. An apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor for receiving data over a multiple channel broadcast medium, said apparatus comprising:

a first mechanism configured to receive a request for a desired data object associated with a first-level name;

a second mechanism configured to obtain a plurality of second level names associated with said first-level name in a data structure distinct from said desired data object, each second-level name being associated with one of a plurality of low-level data objects, said low-level data objects being arranged in said data structure in order by retrieval priority, wherein said retrieval priority is set by a content provider; and

a third mechanism configured to obtain, via a first broadcast channel, location information associated with said second-level names, said location information identifying at least two distinct broadcast channels for carrying data associated with said plurality of low-level data objects

wherein said desired data object is a web page comprising at least a portion of said low-level data objects for retrieval and display in order by said retrieval priority.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein data associated with respective low-level data objects is received via at least two channels of said multiple channel broadcast medium.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein data associated with respective low-level data objects is broadcast a number of times as indicated in said location information.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein data associated with respective low-level data objects is broadcast according to a protocol indicated in said location information.

38. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein said location information is sufficient to locate said data in a data stream.

39. The apparatus of claim 34, further including a combine mechanism configured to combine said plurality of low-level data objects.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein said combine mechanism is configured so that the result is a portion of said desired data object.

41. The apparatus of claim 34, further including a presentation mechanism configured to present said desired data object.

42. An apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor for receiving data over a multiple channel broadcast media, said apparatus comprising:

a reception mechanism configured to receive a request for a desired data object, said desired data object being associated with a first-level name;

a lookup mechanism configured to look up said first-level name in a data structure distinct from said desired data object;

a first obtain mechanism configured to obtain from said data structure a plurality of second-level names associated with said first-level name, each second-level name being associated with one of a plurality of low-level data objects, said data structure identifying a retrieval priority for each of said low-level data objects, wherein said retrieval priority is set by a content provider; and

a second obtain mechanism configured to obtain, via a first broadcast channel, location information associated with said second-level names, said location information identifying at least two of multiple broadcast channels for carrying data associated with said low-level data objects.

43. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to receive data over a multiple channel broadcast medium,

said computer readable code being configured to cause said computer to effect a reception mechanism configured to receive a request for a desired data object, said desired data object being associated with a first-level name,

said computer readable program code being configured to cause said computer to effect a first obtain mechanism configured to obtain a plurality of second-level names associated with said first-level name in a data structure distinct from said desired data object, each second-level name being associated with one of a plurality of low-level data objects, said data structure providing an order of retrieval priority for said low-level data objects, said order and said retrieval priority having been set by a content provider,

said computer readable program code being configured to cause said computer to effect a second obtain mechanism configured to obtain location information associated with said second-level names via a first broadcast channel, said location information identifying at least two of multiple broadcast channels for carrying data associated with said low-level data objects.