The present invention relates to delivery of information services, specifically using a cellular over-the-air broadcast television system.
Current over-the-air TV broadcast systems use a single frequency band for a given service operator or a TV program. Therefore, a program recipient selects a TV program or a particular service operator by selecting the particular frequency (referred to hereinafter as a television channel) for the program or operator. This remains true when it comes to digital TV broadcast.
The aforementioned scheme, however, limits the available data (such as digital TV programs) that may be transmitted since the available bandwidth for all the recipients is limited to the bandwidth at which the operator operates. In the NTSC Standard, for example, the bandwidth is 6 MHz. Some television operators, however, have a plurality of frequency bands in case interference is severe and an auxiliary band is needed to overcome the interference. Regardless of the number of frequency bands a certain broadcaster has, broadcasters try reduce the number of transmitters and maximize the coverage area for economical reasons (e.g., high-power transmitting equipment is typically very expensive to own and operate, and a large coverage area attracts large advertisers from which the broadcasters derive significant revenue). Because of the limited bandwidth and single, large coverage area of traditional over-the-air TV broadcasting, over-the-air TV broadcasting is not particularly well suited to high-bandwidth applications (e.g., video-on-demand), and is limited in its ability to deliver location based contents to specific areas.
Embodiments of the present invention provide information services via an over-the-air television broadcasting system that is segmented into a plurality of cells. Each cell typically includes one or more transmitting facilities. The transmitting facilities of adjacent cells may operate on the same television channel and/or on different television channels, typically chosen from a frequency set allocated to a given service provider. The coverage areas of different cells can have different effective sizes and shapes depending on, among other things, the placement and power of transmitters. Within each cell, mapping information including adjacent cell information is transmitted. The mapping information allows receiver units to identify, evaluate, and transition between cells without requiring upstream communications from the receiver units back to the service provider.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a cellular television broadcasting system including at least one content server for providing service information from a service provider and a plurality of cells. Each cell includes a transmitting facility in communication with at least one content server for transmitting service information and mapping information over at least one over-the-air broadcast television channel. The mapping information includes adjacent cell information enabling a mobile receiver unit to transition from a current cell to an adjacent cell in order to continue receipt of service information without requiring communication from the receiver unit to the service provider.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for providing an information service in an over-the-air broadcast television system involving transmitting service information from a service provider over at least one over-the-air broadcast television channel in each of a plurality of cells and transmitting mapping information over the at least one over-the-air broadcast television channel in each of the plurality of cells. The mapping information includes adjacent cell information, such as contents identifications of adjacent cells, enabling a mobile receiver unit to transition from a current cell to an adjacent cell in order to continue receipt of service information without requiring communication from the receiver unit to the service provider.
In various alternative embodiments, the mapping information may further include information regarding the current cell and/or information regarding the service information itself. The broadcast television channels may be UHF television channels. Adjacent cells may transmit on the same or on different television channels. The service information may include multimedia information or television content. Different content, such as local content, may be transmitted in different cells. Different content may be logically divided into different content classes, such as local content, regional content, and global content. Transmissions may be segmented such that different segments are used for different content classes, in which case transmissions may utilize a predetermined pattern of segments. Each segment may include a class-of-service indicator.
Additionally, or alternatively, the at least one content server and the transmitting facilities may be coupled over an IP network. Each transmitting facility may be assigned a unique address (such as an IP address for use over an IP network) within the system for communication with the at least one content server. Within a cell, transmissions may be addressed to a plurality of users (e.g., broadcast or multicast) and/or addressed to a single user (e.g., unicast).
Embodiments of the present invention may also enable users to request specific services (e.g., on-demand or interactive services) provided by the cellular television broadcasting system over a separate communication path from the users back to the service provider. Specific content may be provided to a user based on a request received from the user.
Embodiments of the present invention may also monitor qualities of the broadcast television channels and dynamically alter channel assignments based on the monitored qualities.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for use in a cellular television broadcast system having a plurality of cells, where each cell transmits service information over at least one over-the-air broadcast television channel. The apparatus includes a receiver for receiving service information and mapping information (including adjacent cell information) over at least one broadcast television channel within a cell and a controller operably coupled to the receiver for transitioning the receiver from at least one broadcast television channel in a current cell to at least one broadcast television channel in an adjacent cell in order to continue receipt of service information without requiring communication back to a service provider.
In various embodiments, the controller may analyze channels in a plurality of cells. The receiver may include at least one television tuner for receiving the service information and mapping information over the at least one broadcast television channel in the current cell and for analyzing the channels. In a single tuner embodiment, the receiver may include a first state in which the service information and mapping information is received over the at least one broadcast television channel in the current cell and a second state in which the channels are analyzed. In alternative embodiments, the receiver may include a first television tuner for receiving the service information and mapping information over the at least one broadcast television channel in the current cell and a second television tuner for analyzing the channels. The receiver channel analysis may include measuring receive signal strength of each channel. The controller may generate a vector for each cell based on the channel analysis. In addition to making roaming decisions, the controller may alternatively or additionally estimate location and/or direction of travel based on the channel analysis. The receiver may utilize positioning information, such as information from a global positioning system (GPS), to generate the vector for appropriate channel selection.
Embodiments of the invention may also include a transmitter operably coupled to the controller for transmitting information to the service provider. The transmitted information may include such things as protocol acknowledgments, requests for on-demand services, requests for interactive services, channel quality information, and positioning information. This information may be transmitted via separate communication path provided by different systems, such as a public telephone network.
The foregoing features of the invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Definitions. As used in this description and the accompanying claims, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless the context otherwise requires:
A “mobile receiver unit” is a receiver unit that is capable of moving or being moved among cells of a cellular television system. For example, a mobile receiver unit may be portable or may be installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, motorcycle, boat, etc.
“Mapping information” is information that is transmitted in each cell of a cellular television system in order to enable remote mobile receiver units to operate effectively in a cellular television system. The mapping information typically includes adjacent cell information enabling mobile receiver units to transition between cells without requiring a return communication path from the receiver units to the service provider and without requiring a complex hand-off, as is typically required in cellular telephone systems. The mapping information may also include information about the current cell (such as information regarding topology, power, coverage, CTR location, offset, shape, utilization) as well as information regarding the service information (such as contents identifiers and stream identifiers).
In embodiments of the present invention, information services are provided-via an over-the-air television broadcasting system that is segmented into a plurality of cells. Each cell typically includes one or more transmitting facilities. The transmitting facilities of adjacent cells may operate on the same television channel and/or on different television channels, typically chosen from a frequency set allocated to a given service provider. The coverage areas of different cells can have different effective sizes and shapes depending on, among other things, the placement and power of transmitters.
Within a cell, information may be broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast to one or more users. Embodiments of the present invention can operate over virtually any television channel(s), although specific embodiments may utilize vacant UHF television channels within a given service area. Although some UHF television channels are still used for traditional (NTSC) television broadcasts and others are now being used for HDTV broadcasts and even wireless microphones for local sporting events, there are generally many vacant UHF television channels in any given service area. Since the UHF television channels are already allocated by the FCC, it is anticipated that UHF-based cellular television systems could be established quickly and with little, if any, FCC approval processes.
Segmenting the coverage area into a plurality of cells effectively increases the traffic capacity of the system. For example, a system operating with a single NTSC television channel has an aggregate bandwidth of 6 MHz, whereas a cellular system having N cells (with a single television channel each) has an aggregate bandwidth of N×6 MHz. Furthermore, the system is readily expandable/scalable, for example, by adding more transmitters to meet additional bandwidth requirements. Additional advantages can be realized with such a cellular system, including the use of lower power transmitters, which are generally less expensive to own and operate and which generally cause less electromagnetic interference compared to high-power transmitters.
Television channels can be assigned to cells in a variety of ways, and the present invention is not limited to any particular channel assignment scheme.
Although additional bandwidth can be provided by adding transmitting facilities, additional bandwidth can also be provided using multiple television channels in one or more cells. For example, a second television channel may be assigned to a single cell or to multiple cells, or a separate television channel may overlay a region or the entire coverage area. Additional television channels may be allocated statically or dynamically to meet bandwidth/service requirements.
Thus, service information may be delivered to the receiver units via multiple television channels. In some cases, duplicate information may be carried over different television channels. A segment identifier or other mechanism may be used to facilitate detection of duplicate information. For example, if duplicate MPEG2-TS data is transmitted over multiple television channels, the packet identifiers of MPEG2 packets received over different television channels may be compared to detect duplicate information.
The following describes several methods by which the frequencies may be allocated and assumes that four television channels (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4) are available to the system.
It should be noted that adjacent cells can operate on the same television channel(s). In such embodiments, interference between adjacent cells can be reduced or eliminated by transmitting each channel differently so as to form geographically different cell boundaries among different channels. For example, assuming that three adjacent cells operate on the same television channels Ch1, Ch2, and Ch3, each channel can be transmitted differently in each cell (e.g., by placement/orientation of transmitter) in order to tailor the coverage area of each television channel so as to reduce or eliminate interference.
Specific embodiments of the present invention are designed to permit one-way broadcast operation (i.e., from the service provider to the users), although optional return is paths (i.e., from the users to the service provider) can be supported, for example, to provide enhanced services, such as interactive and on-demand services. In order to permit one-way broadcast operation, each cell typically broadcasts, among other things, mapping information including at least adjacent cell information enabling mobile receiver units to transition between cells without requiring a return communication path from the receiver units to the service provider and without requiring a complex hand-off, as is typically required in cellular telephone systems. The mapping information may also include information about the current cell (such as information regarding topology, power, coverage, CTR location, offset, shape, utilization) as well as information regarding the service information (such as contents identifiers and stream identifiers).
The cells generally operate independently of one another and therefore can optionally convey different content in different cells (e.g., including local and regional content), although operation of the cells is generally coordinated in order to provide a particular information service across multiple cells (i.e., a user can generally continue to receive the same service when moving from cell to cell). Thus, the system typically includes one or more content servers in communication with the transmitting facilities. A single content server can provide information for multiple cells (including local content for each of a number of cells), or separate content servers can be used to provide some or all of the content for individual cells. Some examples of local content include local traffic information, local weather information, local navigation information, local news, information about local businesses and attractions, and coupons/advertisements for local businesses and attractions, to name but a few. Regional content may include similar types of information relating to a region or a number of cells. Global content may include similar types of information relating to the entire coverage area, and may be used particularly to provide information that is relevant to all users in the coverage area (e.g., emergency notifications and information, world/national news, alerts such as so-called “Amber” alerts, and all-point bulletins, to name but a few). The characterization of any particular type of content as local, regional, or global is arbitrary and may be different for different service providers. Some exemplary information services are discussed below.
As discussed above, information may be unicast to individual users. In other words, the representation of the program contents (e.g., station channel or TV program) may appear the same to the user while the receiver roams from cell to cell. Therefore, each receiver unit may be associated with an address (such as an IP address) that is typically unique within the system. Addresses may be assigned statically or dynamically. The service provider may maintain a distribution table or other mechanism for mapping particular services or content to specific users or groups of users (including services or content to be broadcast to all users) and/or to specific cells. The distribution table may include additional information such as, for example, time of broadcast, end user location, broadcast frequency band, and the like.
In
The segmentation shown in
In
In some embodiments of the present invention, the transmitting facility associated with each cell-may be given a unique internet protocol (IP) address. For example, and as shown in
In addition to the various cellular television system components described above, a cellular television system, such as the system shown in
In the embodiment of
It should be understood that the contents server 306 may or may not be located in the control station 304 and may actually be controlled by another service operator. Typically, as long as there is a business agreement, and appropriate supervision, contents from any number of service operators can be broadcasted directly from one operator's server.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the system may also include monitoring receivers. These monitoring receivers may be located at a transmitting facility or at a possible cell edge (for example, the edge between cells 102 and 104 denoted as bold line 103). In addition, the monitoring receivers may be located at an end-users receiver (such as the end-users television or computer) or any other appropriate location. The monitoring receivers monitor the level of interference for a given channel.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the system may also include a frequency assignment controller. The frequency assignment controller monitors signal strength and the level of interference by interrogating the monitoring receivers described above. The frequency assignment controller may then alter the frequency assignment of certain cells according to the level of interference and broadcast traffic demand.
In some embodiments, one or more of the transmitting facilities may also include a cache that is capable of storing contents prior to broadcast. In such systems, the information is transferred to the cache before the time for transmission and this may help alleviate congestion on the IP network 302 or at the content server 306. This may be particularly useful in systems that utilize on demand programming because there are times when demand for on-demand programs is increased and if certain programs are already stored at in the cache at the server, the demands on the IP network 302 and the content server 306 may be reduced. Retransmission of any part of the contents, or the entire contents may be done locally between the transmitting facility and the end-users. Retransmission of the contents to another user may be done locally as well.
The above description has been directed to
As discussed above, separate content servers can be used to provide some or all of the content for individual cells. Thus, for example, a global content server can be used to provide global information to all cells, and separate local content servers can be used to provide local content to respective cells.
In order to support local/regional content delivery, the content of a given cell can be logically divided into content classes (e.g., local, regional, global). For example, communications can be segmented (e.g., into slots, packets, etc.), with different segments used for different content classes. Certain segments may be used to transmit mapping information. Transmissions within a cell may utilize a predetermined pattern of segments, for example, a first number of global segments followed by a second number of regional segments followed by a third number of local segments. For example, a sequence of segments may be repeated as a series of frames. Each segment may include a class-of-service indicator, which would enable receiver units to process each segment according to its particular class of service.
The system of
The system of
Furthermore, to facilitate sending contents directly to an individual end-user, some or all of the transmitting facilities may also have a router located therein. The router allows for the sending of over-the-air IP packets to a particular end-user. That is, the transmitting station broadcasts IP packets that include a particular address associated with them. These addresses, for example, could reside in the header of each IP packet that is broadcast.
Referring again to
Furthermore, the transmitting facilities shown in
In some embodiments, it may be necessary or desirable for the system to include some upstream connectivity from the end-user receivers to the service provider, for example, to provide acknowledgements in response to downstream messages transmitted by the service provider and/or to enable interactive or on-demand services. Various types of upstream communications can be supported. For example, the service provider may operate a separate network for upstream communications (e.g., a separate wireless network), or upstream connectivity may be provided through existing systems such as the Internet or a telephone network. Upstream communications may support IP connectivity. Upstream communications may be coordinated with downstream communications (e.g., a command/response type protocol) or may be completely independent of downstream communications (e.g., the end user may be permitted to phone in to the service provider to request a particular service). A system may support multiple types of upstream communications, and different end users may use different types of upstream communications to communicate with the service provider. Upstream communication channels are not required to correspond with cells, e.g., the service provide may utilize a single receiver facility to receive upstream communications from multiple cells.
In some embodiments, one or more auxiliary connections used for upstream communications can also be used to receive service information from the service provider. For example, the user may have an auxiliary connection in addition to the over-the-air television connection. In such cases, service information may be delivered to the receiver units via multiple connections. For example, duplicate information may be transmitted to a particular receiver unit over both an over-the-air television channel and an auxiliary connection. In some cases, duplicate information may be carried over different connections. A segment identifier or other mechanism may be used to facilitate detection of duplicate information. For example, if duplicate MPEG2-TS data is transmitted over multiple connections, the packet identifiers of MPEG2 packets received over different connections may be compared to detect duplicate information. In this way, over-the-air traffic may be diversified over the auxiliary connections. Such diversification tends to reduce the over-the-air traffic as well as increasing the security.
In order to receive information services in the cellular television system, receiver units generally need to locate one or more downstream television channels on which to receive service information. Thus, each receiver unit typically includes one or more tuners and a controller. The tuners are generally capable of tuning into any of the various television channels supported by the system, under control of the controller. When the receiver unit is powered on (or at other appropriate times, such as roaming), the controller may command a tuner to tune to a particular channel and/or scan the set of channels assigned to the system in order to locate an appropriate channel on which to receive service information. The controller may measure the signal strength, interference level, bit error rate, frame (block) error rate, or other qualities of various channels to determine the appropriate channel. If an upstream communication channel is available, then downstream channel selection (both initially and during roaming) may involve a more formal hand-off between the service provider and the receiver unit via the upstream communication channel.
As discussed above, a cellular television system may include a number of transmitting facilities that are fed content by one or more content servers. The content servers may be in communication with the transmitting facilities through a network, such as the Internet. It should be noted that the service provider that operates the transmitting facilities may operate one or more of the content servers, but may alternatively or additionally obtain content from various third party servers that may be accessible over the Internet or otherwise.
As discussed above, the cellular television system may be implemented as a broadcast-only system (i.e., only from service provider to users) or may be implemented as a two-way system. Thus, receiver units may be implemented as receive-only devices or may be implemented with both receiver and transmitter components. Furthermore, receiver units may be implemented with a single television tuner or with multiple television tuners. In a single tuner implementation, the single tuner would be used for both receiving content and roaming. For example, the single tuner may alternate between an “online” state in which content is received over a current television channel and an “offline” state in which the tuner is used to sample television channels in adjacent cells (e.g., measure signal strength) to determine whether to remain on the current television channel or switch to an alternate television channel. In a multiple tuner implementation, one tuner may be used solely to receive content over a current channel, while a second, separate tuner may be used for roaming. With multiple tuners, roaming can be performed without interrupting receipt of content.
It should be noted that different embodiments of the present invention can use different cellular broadcasting protocols while remaining within the scope of the present invention, and thus the present invention is not limited to any particular protocol.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention can be used to provide any of a wide variety of information services, and the present invention is in no way limited to any particular information service(s). Embodiments of the present invention are also particularly useful for delivering localized information content, although the present invention is not limited to delivery of localized content. In fact, as discussed above, the same content may be transmitted across multiple cells, in which case the cellular television system can provide for continuity of service across part or all of the system, perhaps extending beyond the coverage area of a traditional broadcast television service or covering specific geographic areas that would be impossible with a traditional broadcast television service (e.g., covering suburbs around a city but not covering the city itself).
One example of an information service that can be provided using a cellular television system is real-time delivery of local navigation information, e.g., for navigation systems outfitted with cellular television support. Specifically, each cell may transmit local navigation information regarding such things as roadways, store locations, and public transportation, to name but a few. In particular, each cell may transmit detailed, up-to-date information regarding dynamic events that affect navigation within the coverage area of the cell, including such things as road closings, detours, accidents, construction, and traffic conditions, to name but a few Such dynamic events may be transitory, may change frequently, and are generally of interest only to users in or around the particular area affected.
Another example of an information service that can be provided using a cellular television system is targeted advertising. Specifically, each cell may transmit localized advertising information, e.g., to cell phones, PDAs, portable computers, or other devices outfitted with cellular television support. The localized advertising may include such things as incentives, offers, coupons, and discounts for local businesses. Because users may be transitorily within a particular cell, advertisements could be time limited (e.g., anyone who visits business X within the next 15 minutes and presents an advertised offer number gets a free gift). An exemplary business model for such a cellular television system might include the sale of advertising slots in individual cells. In this way, local businesses could advertise in a limited area within which they operate (and within which any users receiving the advertisements will necessarily be located, making it more likely that those users would visit those businesses), and therefore might be more inclined to spend money on advertising compared to advertising in a traditional television broadcast system (which might be more expensive due to the larger coverage area but with less success because the advertisements reach many users who are not in the immediate area of the business). In such a business model, the set of advertisements received by a particular user would typically change as the user moves from one cell to another.
Yet another example of an information service that can be provided using a cellular television system is uninterrupted television service across cells. Currently, many television broadcasting companies operate transmitting facilities in different cities that transmit essentially the same programs on different channels. For example, the American Broadcasting Company operates Channel 5 in the Boston, Mass. area and operates Channel 6 in the Providence, R.I. area, and the coverage areas of these channels are not only adjacent to one another, but partially overlap such that users in certain areas can receive both channels. Such television services are not “cellular” within the present context, however, because, among other things, the transmitting facilities do not transmit mapping information that would enable mobile receiver units to transition between cells in order to maintain service. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, mapping information would be transmitted along with the television program in each cell so that receiver units (e.g., television sets with cellular television support) could automatically switch from one channel in one cell to a related channel in another cell in order to provide essentially uninterrupted viewing of a television program across cells.
The mapping information 2716 may also include coordinates and/or contents identifiers associated with adjacent cells. A mobile receiver unit 2714 in Cell A can use the mapping information 2716 to identify attributes of the various cells, such as the channels associated with adjacent cells. The mobile receiver unit 2714 may periodically test some or all of the adjacent cell channels, as indicated in the mapping information 2716, and evaluate the quality of each adjacent cell channel relative to the quality of the channel in the current cell and/or relative to the qualities of other adjacent cell channels. For example, the mobile receiver unit 2714 may generate a vector for each cell, as shown in
For example, the mobile receiver unit 2714 might determine, based on the channel analysis, that it is closest to one particular adjacent cell (say, adjacent Cell F 2712), for example, based on receive signal strength measurements of the adjacent cell channels. The mobile receiver unit 2714 might therefore conclude that it is located in the portion of the current cell nearest that adjacent cell (in this case, the southeast portion of Cell A 2702, which is nearest Cell F 2712).
The mobile receiver unit 2714 may also determine, based on the channel analysis, that it is moving away from a first adjacent cell (e.g., the receive signal strength associated with the first adjacent cell channel, say, Ch. 69 associated with adjacent Cell F 2712, is becoming weaker over some period of time) and is moving toward a second adjacent cell (e.g., the receive signal strength associated with the second adjacent cell channel, say, Ch. 37 associated with adjacent Cell C 2706, is becoming stronger over some period of time), as shown in
At some point, the mobile receiver unit 2714 might determine, based on the channel analysis, that it has “roamed” from the current cell to an adjacent cell (e.g., the receive signal strength of the adjacent cell channel, say, Ch. 37 associated with Cell C 2706, is greater than the receive signal strength of the channel in the current cell, which in this example is Ch. 56 associated with Cell A 2702), as shown in
The mapping information may include coordinates and/or contents identifiers for one or more of the various cells. Thus, channel analysis can be used as a form of positioning system by which the mobile receiver unit can roam from cell to cell, estimate its position within the cellular television system, and estimate its direction of travel within the cellular television system. Furthermore, the mobile receiver unit can transmit positioning information back to the service provider. The service provider can use the received positioning information for such things as real-time tracking of the mobile receiver unit, locating the mobile receiver unit (e.g., in an emergency situation), and providing location-specific content to the mobile receiver unit, to name but a few. The service provider can route the contents to the destination cell before the roaming receiver starts downloading the contents from the destination cell.
The mobile receiver may correlate channel measurements (e.g., receive signal strength) with direction or positioning information (e.g., GPS information). Such correlations can provide additional information from which the mobile receiver can make roaming decisions.
It should be noted that the coordinates included in the mapping information can include absolute coordinates (e.g., longitude/latitude or GPS coordinates) or relative coordinates (e.g., Cell B 2704 is southwest of Cell A 2702).
It should also be noted that, while exemplary embodiments are described above with reference to content servers and transmitting facilities that are coupled over layer 3 networks (e.g., IP networks), the present invention is in no way limited to layer 3 networks. For example, the at least one content server and the transmitting facilities may be coupled over a layer 2 network.
It should also be noted that terms such as “router” and “server” are used herein to describe various communication devices that may be used in a communication system, and should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular communication device type. Thus, a communication device may include, without limitation, a bridge, router, bridge-router (brouter), switch, node, server, computer, or other communication device.
It should also be noted that the term “packet” is used herein to describe a communication message that may be used by a communication device (e.g., created, transmitted, received, stored, or processed by the communication device) or conveyed by a communication medium, and should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular communication message type, communication message format, or communication protocol. Thus, a communication message may include, without limitation, a frame, packet, datagram, user datagram, cell, or other type of communication message.
The present invention may be embodied in many different forms, including, but in no way limited to, computer program logic for use with a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, or general purpose computer), programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device (e.g., a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other PLD), discrete components, integrated circuitry (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), or any other means including any combination thereof. In a typical embodiment of the present invention, predominantly all of the feature server logic is implemented as a set of computer program instructions that is converted into a computer executable form, stored as such in a computer readable medium, and executed by a microprocessor within the feature server module under the control of an operating system.
Computer program logic implementing all or part of the functionality previously described herein may be embodied in various forms, including, but in no way limited to, a source code form, a computer executable form, and various intermediate forms (e.g., forms generated by an assembler, compiler, linker, or locator). Source code may include a series of computer program instructions implemented in any of various programming languages (e.g., an object code, an assembly language, or a high-level language such as Fortran, C, C++, JAVA, or HTML) for use with various operating systems or operating environments. The source code may define and use various data structures and communication messages. The source code may be in a computer executable form (e.g., via an interpreter), or the source code may be converted (e.g., via a translator, assembler, or compiler) into a computer executable form.
The computer program may be fixed in any form (e.g., source code form, computer executable form, or an intermediate form) either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM), a PC card (e.g., PCMCIA card), or other memory device. The computer program may be fixed in any form in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), networking technologies, and internetworking technologies. The computer program may be distributed in any form as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).
Hardware logic (including programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device) implementing all or part of the functionality previously described herein may be designed using traditional manual methods, or may be designed, captured, simulated, or documented electronically using various tools, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), a hardware description language (e.g., VHDL or AHDL), or a PLD programming language (e.g., PALASM, ABEL, or CUPL).
Programmable logic may be fixed either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM), or other memory device. The programmable logic may be fixed in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), networking technologies, and intemetworking technologies. The programmable logic may be distributed as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the true scope of the invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive.
This patent application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/685,242 entitled Cellularized Over-the-Air Multimedia Broadcast System filed on May 27, 2005 in the names of Shigeaki Hakusui and Takeo Kanai and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/786,130 entitled CELLULAR TELEVISION BROADCAST SYSTEM filed on Mar. 27, 2006 in the names of Shigeaki Hakusui and Takeo Kanai, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60685242 | May 2005 | US | |
60786130 | Mar 2006 | US |