Skip feature for a broadcast or multicast media station

• US 8,806,047 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemi Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Evans, Gregory M., Farrelly, Eugene Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALI, SYED
• Application Number:
  US12/882,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/94, 709/189, 709/228, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637

Abstract

A skip function for broadcast or multicast media content is disclosed. In general, a receiving device simultaneously receives two or more content streams transmitted for one or more radio stations and provides a skip function by buffering and switching between the two or more content streams. Initially, the receiving device provides playback of a first content stream of the two or more content streams. During playback of the first content stream, the receiving device buffers one or more most recently received content items from the other content streams. When a skip request is received, the receiving device performs a skip function by switching playback from the first content stream to a second content stream of the two or more content streams beginning at the start of the one or more most recently received content items from the second content stream that have been buffered at the receiving device.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a receiving device comprising:

receiving multiple content streams;

providing playback of a first content stream of the multiple content streams;

during playback of the first content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, discarding all media items previously received in the each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream and buffering the each most recent media item received in the each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream;

receiving a skip request during playback of the first content stream;

in response to the skip request, switching playback from the first content stream to a second content stream of the multiple content streams to provide playback of the second content stream beginning at a start of the one or more most recent media items received in the second content stream that are buffered by the receiving device; and

during playback of the second content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream, discarding all media items previously received in the each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream and buffering each most recent media item received in the each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for a single media station.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for different media stations.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the second content stream from the multiple content streams other than the first content stream based on copyright restrictions.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the second content stream from the multiple content streams other than the first content stream based on user preferences of a user of the receiving device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second content stream is a next content stream immediately following the first content stream in a predefined sequential ordering of the multiple content streams.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream, buffering one or more most recent media items received in the content stream during playback of the second content stream;

receiving the subsequent skip request during playback of the second content stream;

in response to the subsequent skip request, switching playback from the second content stream to a third content stream of the multiple content streams to provide playback of the third content stream beginning at a start of the one or more most recent media items received in the third content stream that are buffered by the receiving device; and

continuing playback of the third content stream at least until a subsequent skip request is received during playback of the third content stream.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream, buffering one or more most recent media items received in the content stream during playback of the second content stream;

receiving the subsequent skip request during playback of the second content stream;

in response to the subsequent skip request, switching playback from the second content stream to one of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream to provide playback of the one of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream beginning at a start of the one or more most recent media items received in the one of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream that are buffered by the receiving device; and

continuing playback of the one of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream at least until a subsequent skip request is received during playback of the one of the multiple content streams other than the second content stream.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising continuing playback of the second content stream for a duration in which multiple content items are played in the second content stream before receiving the subsequent skip request during playback of the second content stream.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, buffering the one or more most recent media items received in the content stream comprises updating the one or more most recent media items buffered by the receiving device for the content stream as new media items are received in the content stream.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, the one or more most recent media items are a single most recent media item received in the content stream.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, buffering the most recent media item received in the content stream during playback of the first content stream comprises buffering the content stream in a buffer such that an output of the buffer is set to a start of the single most recent media item received in the content stream.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, the one or more most recent media items received in the content stream during playback of the first content stream are at most a number N most recent media items received in the content stream, wherein the number N is greater than 1.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, buffering the one or more most recent media items received in the content stream comprises buffering the content stream in a buffer such that an output of the buffer is set to a start of the one or more most recent media items received in the content stream.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving a subsequent skip request during playback of one of at least two most recent media items received in the second content stream and buffered at the receiving device; and

in response to receiving the subsequent skip request, skipping ahead in playback of the second content stream from the one of the at least two most recent media items to a next one of the at least two most recent media items received in the second content stream and buffered at the receiving device.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for a single media station, and the media station is a broadcast media station delivered to a plurality of receiving devices including the receiving device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first and second content streams for the broadcast media station are transmitted over a single HD radio carrier frequency.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for a single media station, and the media station is a multicast media station delivered to a plurality of receiving devices including the receiving device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the multicast media station is transmitted using a single Internet Protocol (IP) multicast address.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising enforcing one or more rights management rules at the receiving device to prevent a skip if the skip would violate the one or more rights management rules.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for a single media station, and content is scheduled on the multiple content streams such that one or more rights management rules are not violated at the receiving device taking into consideration potential skip requests.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are for a single media station, and further comprising, upon initially selecting the single media station for playback, identifying one of the multiple content streams as the first content stream for which to provide playback such that an amount of time until a skip feature is available is minimized.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are two or more content streams.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple content streams are more than two content streams.

25. A receiving device comprising:

receiver circuitry adapted to receive multiple content streams;

a plurality of buffers adapted to buffer the multiple content streams from the receiver circuitry, each buffer of the plurality of buffers adapted to buffer a corresponding one of the multiple content streams from the receiver circuitry;

switching circuitry adapted to be controlled to output a buffered content stream from any one of the plurality of buffers;

playback circuitry adapted to provide playback of the buffered content stream output by the switching circuitry; and

buffer management circuitry adapted to;

control the plurality of buffers and the switching circuitry to output a first content stream of the multiple content streams to the playback circuitry for playback;

control the plurality of buffers during playback of the first content stream such that, for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, the content stream is buffered by a corresponding buffer of the plurality of buffers and an output of the corresponding buffer is set to a start of one or more most recent media items received in the content stream buffered in the corresponding buffer, wherein during playback of the first content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, all media items previously received in the multiple content streams other than the first content stream are discarded and each most recent media item received in the each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream is buffered; and

in response to a skip request, control the plurality of buffers and the switching circuitry to output a second content stream of the multiple content streams from a corresponding buffer of the plurality of buffers to provide playback of the second content stream beginning at the start of the one or more most recent media items received in the second content stream buffered in the corresponding buffer, wherein during playback of the second content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in the first content stream, all media items previously received in the first content stream are discarded and each most recent media item received in the first content stream is buffered.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software for instructing a computing device to:

provide playback of a first content stream of multiple content streams;

for each content stream of the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, during playback of the first content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in the multiple content streams other than the first content stream, discard all media items previously received in the multiple content streams other than the first content stream and buffer the each most recent media item received in the multiple content streams other than the first content stream;

receive a skip request during playback of the first content stream;

in response to the skip request, switch playback from the first content stream to a second content stream of the multiple content streams to provide playback of the second content stream beginning at a start of the one or more most recent media items received in the second content stream that are buffered at the computing device; and

during playback of the second content stream, in response to receiving each most recent media item in the first content stream, discard all media items previously received in the first content stream and buffer each most recent media item received in the first content stream.