Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems

• US 9,967,521 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kahn, Raynold M., Klauss, Peter M., Dulac, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDOZA, JUNIOR O
• Application Number:
  US15/339,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide content on demand in content broadcast systems are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a first portion of a program via broadcast signal and receiving a second portion of the program via an Internet protocol (IP) based signal. The example method may further comprise combining the first and the second portions and at least one of store the combined first and second portions in a file or playback the combined first and second portions.

Claims

1. A method for playing a media program having a plurality of data packets of a packet format at a user device, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting a command to view the media program in the user device;

receiving and recording the media program from a broadcast headend, the media program received from the broadcast headend having a first set of the plurality of data packets;

determining if the recording of the recording of the media program is interrupted;

if the recording of the media program is interrupted, automatically receiving and recording an interrupted portion of the media program from a content delivery server, the interrupted portion of the media program having a second set of the plurality of data packets, the first set of the plurality of data packets being encrypted with a same encryption key, a same code word, or a same secret as the second set of the plurality of packets;

splicing a received uninterrupted portion of the media program to the interrupted portion of the media program in the user device; and

after splicing the received interrupted portion, playing back the spliced received interrupted portion of the media program after playing back the received uninterrupted portion of the media program;

wherein the first set of the plurality of data packets is received from a broadcast headend via a broadcast signal and the second set of data packets includes an Internet Protocol (IP) header.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of data packets is received from a content delivery server operated by a vendor external to a broadcast headend via an IP-based communication signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an IP address of the IP-based communication signal from the broadcast headend; and

the IP based communication signal is received via the received IP address.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the IP address is a multicast address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of data packets comprises a respective sequence number, and

splicing the received interrupted portion of the media program to the received uninterrupted portion of the media program in the user device comprises assembling the plurality of data packets according to the respective sequence numbers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing the spliced interrupted portions of the media program and uninterrupted portions of the media program in a file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media program comprises a sporting event.

8. A non-transitory article of manufacture storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause a user device to play a media program having a plurality of data packets of a packet format at a user device, the computer readable instructions comprising instructions for:

accepting a command to view a media program in the user device;

receiving and recording the media program from a broadcast headend, the media program received from the broadcast headend having a first set of the plurality of data packets;

determining if the recording of the recording of the media program is interrupted;

if the recording of the media program is interrupted, automatically receiving and recording an interrupted portion of the media program from a content delivery server, the interrupted portion of the media program having a second set of the plurality of data packets, the first set of the plurality of data packets being encrypted with a same encryption key, a same code word, or a same secret as the second set of the plurality of packets;

splicing a received uninterrupted portion of the media program to the interrupted portion of the media program in the user device; and

after splicing the received interrupted portion, playing back the spliced received interrupted portion of the media program after playing back the received uninterrupted portion of the media program;

wherein the first set of the plurality of data packets is received from a broadcast headend via a broadcast signal and the second set of data packets includes an Internet Protocol (IP) header.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the second set of data packets is received from a content delivery server operated by a vendor external to a broadcast headend via an IP-based communication signal.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise:

receiving an IP address of the IP-based communication signal from the broadcast headend; and

the IP based communication signal is received via the received IP address.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the IP address is a multicast address.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein:

each of the plurality of data packets comprises a respective sequence number, and

the instructions for splicing the received interrupted portion of the media program to the received uninterrupted portion of the media program in the user device comprise instructions for assembling the plurality of data packets according to the respective sequence numbers.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

storing the spliced interrupted portions of the media program and uninterrupted portions of the media program in a file.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the media program comprises a sporting event.