Television signal data delivery system

• US 8,763,066 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US10/339,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,185 Days
• Field of Search: 348/463
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

An analog television signal data delivery system provides a television program, called a data show, that is transmitted across standard television broadcast methods to data needy client systems, such as settop boxes, at certain times of the day. When the data show is recorded and specially demodulated it provides the client system with raw digital data to perform required or enhanced functions. Binary digital data is modulated into each frame of the data show. Each of the 480 scan lines in a frame have data modulated into it. Each scan line in the frame contains two bytes which yields 28800 bytes/sec. This high transfer rate results in an efficient data transfer method that is cost effective and easily broadcast. Another preferred embodiment of the invention designates some regions of the active video picture to contain visible images and other regions of the active picture to contain data. The non-data portions can be placed anywhere on the viewable frame. The client system receiver knows the channel, time, and duration that the data show is being broadcast. At the data show time, the client system records the data show on its local storage device and demodulates and decodes the data show at a later time or demodulates and/or decodes the data show on the fly. Once demodulated and/or decoded, the data are used as intended.

Claims

1. A method for receiving television broadcast signals carrying data for client systems, comprising:

receiving, by a client system among a plurality of client systems, electronic program guide data, the client system of the plurality of client systems searching the electronic program guide data for a title of a data show and obtaining a channel and time that the data show is being broadcast from the electronic program guide data, the data show having binary data intended for client systems modulated in each frame of the data show and each entire frame is used to modulate the binary data;

receiving the data show on the client system via a television signal, the client system automatically selecting the channel at the broadcast time, the client system automatically switches from a video mode to a data mode while receiving the data show;

decoding, by the client system, the binary data in the received data show into a software update for the client system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame contains two bytes of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame is modulated using closed captioning standard EIA-608.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each client system is notified of a specified duration that the data show is being broadcast.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a client system tunes to the channel that the data show is being broadcast for the specified duration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a client system records the data show on a local storage device, wherein the client system demodulates and decodes the recorded data show after the recording is completed, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a client system demodulates and decodes the data show on the fly, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in the manner that the data are intended to be used.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein parameters indicating which video scan lines in a frame contain modulated data and which video scan lines contain true video are either previously agreed upon or embedded in a well known location of the data show.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a header is placed at a beginning of the binary data in the data show so a client system can identify the beginning of the binary data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the client system decodes the data show until a time the data show is scheduled to end.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an end tag is placed at an end of the binary data in the data show, and wherein the client system stops decoding the binary data when the end tag is encountered.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein data in the data show are segmented using headers and end tags in each data segment to partition the data into smaller segments.

13. A method for creating and transmitting television broadcast signals carrying data for client systems, comprising:

creating a data show, the creating step modulates binary data intended for client systems in each frame of the data show;

modulating the binary data into visible and non-visible areas of each frame in the data show;

designating at least one sub-region of a frame'"'"'s visible area to contain visible images instead of modulated binary data;

wherein a plurality of client systems search electronic program guide data for a title of the data show and obtain a channel and time that the data show is being broadcast from the electronic program guide data;

receiving the data show on the plurality of client systems via a television signal, each client system in the plurality of client systems automatically selecting the channel at the broadcast time, each client system automatically switches from a video mode to a data mode while receiving the data show;

decoding, by a client system in the plurality of client systems, the binary data in the received data show into a software update for the client system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame contains two bytes of data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame is modulated using closed captioning standard EIA-608.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein each client system is notified of a specified duration that the data show is being broadcast.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a client system tunes to the channel that the data show is being broadcast for the specified duration.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a client system records the data show on a local storage device, wherein the client system demodulates and decodes the recorded data show after the recording is completed, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a client system demodulates and decodes the data show on the fly, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein parameters indicating which video scan lines in a frame contain modulated data and which video scan lines contain true video are either previously agreed upon or embedded in a well known location of the data show.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein a header is placed at a beginning of the binary data in the data show so a client system can identify the beginning of the binary data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the client system decodes the data show until the time the data show is scheduled to end.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein an end tag is placed at an end of the binary data in the data show, and wherein the client system stops decoding the binary data when the end tag is encountered.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein data in the data show are segmented using headers and end tags in each data segment to partition the data into smaller segments.

25. An apparatus for receiving television broadcast signals carrying data for client systems, comprising:

a data show schedule receiving subsystem, on a client system among a plurality of client systems, that receives electronic program guide data, the client system searches the electronic program guide data for a title of a data show and obtains a channel and time that the data show is being broadcast from the electronic program guide data, the data show having binary data intended for client systems modulated in each frame of the data show and each entire frame is used to modulate the binary data;

a data show receiving subsystem, on the client system, that receives the data show via a television signal, the client system automatically selecting the channel at the broadcast time, the client system automatically switches from a video mode to a data mode while receiving the data show;

a decoding subsystem, on the client system, that decodes the binary data in the received data show into a software update for the client system.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame contains two bytes of data.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame is modulated using closed captioning standard EIA-608.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each client system is notified of a specified duration that the data show is being broadcast.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein a client system tunes to the channel that the data show is being broadcast for the specified duration.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a client system records the data show on a local storage device, wherein the client system demodulates and decodes the recorded data show after the recording is completed, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a client system demodulates and decodes the data show on the fly, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein parameters indicating which video scan lines in a frame contain modulated binary data and which video scan lines contain true video are either previously agreed upon or embedded in a well known location of the data show.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a header is placed at a beginning of the binary data in the data show so a client system can identify the beginning of the binary data.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the client system decodes the data show until the time the data show is scheduled to end.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein an end tag is placed at an end of the binary data in the data show, and wherein the client system stops decoding the binary data when the end tag is encountered.

36. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein data in the data show are segmented using headers and end tags in each data segment to partition the data into smaller segments.

37. An apparatus for creating and transmitting television broadcast signals carrying data for client systems, comprising:

a data show creation subsystem that creates a data show, the data show creation subsystem modulates binary data intended for client systems in each frame of the data show, the data show creation subsystem modulates the binary data into visible and non-visible areas of each frame in the data show, the data show creation subsystem designates at least one sub-region of a frame'"'"'s visible area to contain visible images instead of modulated binary data;

wherein a plurality of client systems search electronic program guide data for a title of the data show and obtain a channel and time that the data show is being broadcast from the electronic program guide data;

a data show receiving subsystem, on each client system in the plurality of client systems, that receives the data show via a television signal, each client system automatically selecting the channel at the broadcast time, each client system automatically switches from a video mode to a data mode while receiving the data show;

a decoding subsystem, on a client system in the plurality of client systems, that decodes the binary data in the received data show into a software update for the client system.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame contains two bytes of data.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein each video scan line used to modulate binary data in a frame is modulated using closed captioning standard EIA-608.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein each client system is notified of a specified duration that the data show is being broadcast.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein a client system tunes to the channel that the data show is being broadcast for the specified duration.

42. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein a client system records the data show on a local storage device, wherein the client system demodulates and decodes the recorded data show after the recording is completed, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

43. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein a client system demodulates and decodes the data show on the fly, and wherein the demodulated and decoded data are consumed by the client system in a manner that the data are intended to be used.

44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein parameters indicating which video scan lines in a frame contain modulated binary data and which video scan lines contain true video are either previously agreed upon or embedded in a well known location of the data show.

45. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein a header is placed at a beginning of the binary data in the data show so a client system can identify the beginning of the binary data.

46. The apparatus Of claim 45, wherein the client system decodes the data show until the time the data show is scheduled to end.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein an end tag is placed at an end of the binary data in the data show, and wherein the client system stops decoding the binary data when the end tag is encountered.

48. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein data in the data show are segmented using headers and end tags in each data segment to partition the data into smaller segments.