In-band on-channel broadcasting via mesh network

• US 9,769,770 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Littlejohn, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US14/965,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20170171827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/322 Power control of broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Digital content can be broadcast in a sideband of an analog broadcast channel using multiple digital in-band on-channel (IBOC) transceivers connected in a mesh configuration to form an IBOC mesh network. The digital IBOC transceivers are positioned at various geographic locations, so that unlike traditional “HD” radio broadcasts, the IBOC broadcast transmission is spread out over a wide area, using multiple low power digital IBOC transceivers rather than being broadcast from the same location as the analog signal. IBOC transmission power can be limited to a desired portion of the power used to broadcast the analog signal, based on measurements taken at the geographically distributed digital IBOC transceivers. The IBOC mesh network provides bi-directional communication between a mesh transceiver and a user device, and delivers user feedback received at one mesh transceiver to a feedback server by moving the user feedback through the IBOC mesh network.

Claims

1. An in-band on-channel (IBOC) broadcasting system comprising:

a plurality of mesh transceivers positioned over a geographic area and communicatively coupled to each other in a mesh configuration to form a mesh network, individual mesh transceivers configured to transmit digital media content, via digital IBOC broadcast, to end users across different portions of a broadcast area associated with an analog media broadcast station;

an analog broadcast transmitter configured to transmit an analog broadcast signal on a broadcast channel at a first power level, wherein the analog broadcast signal is associated with the analog media broadcast station;

a content distributor configured to transmit media content to the mesh network for digital IBOC broadcast by individual mesh transceivers; and

wherein the individual mesh transceivers are further configured to digitally broadcast the media content in IBOC sidebands at second power levels, wherein the second power levels are related to the first power level of the analog broadcast transmitter.

2. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein a second power level of a particular mesh transceiver is set, based at least in part, on a power of the analog broadcast signal determined local to the particular mesh transceiver.

3. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein a second power level of at least one mesh transceiver is set, based at least in part, on a second power level of a geographically adjacent mesh transceiver.

4. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 1, further comprising:

an edge transceiver coupled to the content distributor and at least one mesh transceiver of the mesh network, the edge transceiver configured to control digital IBOC power levels of the individual mesh transceivers included in the mesh network.

5. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mesh transceivers is configured to:

obtain user input via a user transceiver coupled to receive the digital IBOC broadcast; and

transmit the user input to another of the plurality of mesh transceivers included in the mesh network.

6. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the plurality of mesh transceivers is configured to obtain the user input via a shared digital sideband of the broadcast channel.

7. An in-band on-channel (IBOC) broadcasting system comprising:

a plurality of digital IBOC transmitters positioned at a plurality of geographic locations over a geographic area and communicatively coupled to each other in a mesh configuration to form a mesh network;

the plurality of digital IBOC transmitters configured to digitally broadcast, to end users across different portions of a broadcast area associated with an analog media broadcast station, media content in a sideband of an analog broadcast channel; and

individual digital IBOC transmitters of the plurality of digital IBOC transmitters further configured to digitally broadcast the media content at IBOC power levels set based, at least in part, on a target ratio of an IBOC power level of an individual IBOC transmitter to a power level of an analog signal broadcast on the analog broadcast channel.

8. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 7, further comprising:

an analog broadcast transmitter positioned at a geographic location different from at least some of the plurality of digital IBOC transmitters, the analog broadcast transmitter configured to transmit the analog signal.

9. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 8, wherein the IBOC power level of a first digital IBOC transmitter included in the mesh network is set based on the power level of the analog signal determined, based at least in part, by a power measurement at the first digital IBOC transmitter.

10. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 9, wherein the IBOC power level of a second digital IBOC transmitter is set, based at least in part, on the IBOC power level of the first digital IBOC transmitter.

11. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 7, further comprising:

an edge transceiver coupled to the mesh network, the edge transceiver configured to separately control the IBOC power levels of the individual digital IBOC transmitters.

12. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of digital IBOC transmitters is configured to:

forward user input obtained from a user transceiver receiving the digital IBOC broadcast to a feedback server associated with a broadcast originator via the mesh network.

13. An in-band on-channel (IBOC) broadcasting system comprising:

a plurality of IBOC transmitters positioned at a plurality of geographic locations over a geographic area related to a broadcast area associated with an analog media broadcast station and communicatively coupled to each other in a mesh configuration to form a mesh network;

individual IBOC transmitters of the plurality of IBOC transmitters configured to digitally broadcast, to end users across different portions of the broadcast area associated with the analog media broadcast station, media content in a sideband of an analog broadcast channel;

at least one of the plurality of IBOC transmitters further configured to receive, from a user device receiving the media content, the feedback related to the digitally broadcast media content; and

the at least one of the plurality of IBOC transmitters further configured to forward the feedback, via the mesh network, to an edge transceiver.

14. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 13, further comprising:

an analog broadcast transmitter positioned at a geographic location different from at least some of the plurality of IBOC transmitters, the analog broadcast transmitter configured to transmit an analog broadcast signal on the analog broadcast channel at a first power level.

15. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 14, the at least one of the plurality of IBOC transmitters further configured to:

digitally broadcast the media content at an IBOC power level set based, at least in part, on a target ratio of the IBOC power level to a power level to the first power level.

16. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 15, wherein the IBOC power level is set, based at least in part, on a measurement of the first power level at the at least one of the plurality of IBOC transmitters.

17. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 13, further comprising:

the edge transceiver, the edge transceiver further configured to control IBOC power levels of the plurality of IBOC transmitters.

18. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 13, further comprising:

a digital content distributor coupled to the mesh network and configured to transmit the media content to the mesh network via the edge transceiver.

19. The IBOC broadcasting system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the plurality of IBOC transmitters is configured to receive user input via a shared digital sideband of the analog broadcast channel.