Patent Grant
8594558
Electronic devices such as mobile telephone handsets and other mobile devices may be configured to receive broadcasts of sports, entertainment, or informational multimedia programs. For example, audio, or video data may be communicated using a broadband broadcast communications link to the electronic devices. Thus, a need exists for methods and apparatuses for providing and viewing broadcast media on such electronic devices.
Methods and apparatuses of the disclosure each have several embodiments, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention, for example, as expressed by the claims which follow, its more prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the features of this invention provide advantages that include allowing an electronic device to request a program to be stored onto a proxy device used for reliable retrieval of requested program by using device synchronization.
One embodiment includes a method of accessing broadcast programs. The method includes receiving, on a mobile device over a first wireless network, data identifying a plurality of data items. The method further includes transmitting, from the mobile device over a second wireless network, a request for communication of at least one of the plurality of data items from a content delivery service to a repository device. The method further includes detecting a connection of the mobile device with the repository device. In response to said detecting, the mobile device receives at least a portion of the at least one data item from the repository device using the connection.
One embodiment includes a method of accessing broadcast programs. The method includes receiving, over a wireless network from a mobile device, a request for at least one of a plurality of broadcasts of data items, an identifier of the data item having been transmitted to the mobile device over a broadcast network, identifying a repository device associated with the mobile device, and communicating at least a portion of the at least one of the plurality of data items to the repository device for transmission to the mobile device.
One embodiment includes a method of accessing broadcast programs. The method includes receiving in a repository device and from a content delivery service at least one data item, the receiving being in response to a mobile device identifying the data item. The method further includes storing said at least one data item, detecting connectivity to the mobile device with the repository device, and, in response to said detecting, transmitting the at least one data item from the repository device to the mobile device.
One embodiment includes an apparatus for accessing broadcast programs. The apparatus includes a first network interface configured to receive at least one data item from a content delivery service in response to a mobile device identifying the at least one data item, a storage configured to store the at least one data item, a second network interface configured to detect a connection to the mobile device and, in response to said detecting, transmitting the at least one data item from the storage to the mobile device. One such embodiment includes a power supply configured to provide a charging current to the mobile device in response to said detecting. In one embodiment, the apparatus is unable to decode the at least one program
Other embodiments include methods and apparatuses for accessing and requesting broadcast programming in ways that allow an interrupted electronic device to access requested programs at a later time by communicating with a repository device used to reliability acquire content from a content provider and reliably transmit content and power to the interrupted electronic device.
The following detailed description is directed to certain embodiments of the disclosure. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways, for example, as defined and covered by the claims. It should be apparent that the embodiments herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an embodiment disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other embodiments and that two or more of these embodiments may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the embodiments set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the embodiments set forth herein.
In one embodiment, devices configured to display broadcast media may be configured to perform other functions. Sometimes, functions cannot be performed simultaneously due to, for example, lack of processing capability, a need for conserving battery power, or the inability of the user to perform two tasks at the same time. For example, if the device is rendering a broadcast program when a telephone call is received, the mobile device would usually interrupt the multimedia program in order to answer the telephone call. In addition, mobile devices may at times be unable to receive the broadcast signal due to signal degradation. Thus, an interrupted user viewing a broadcast program using a mobile device may lose a portion of the program; this can be inconvenient and cumbersome for the user, especially in regard to streaming media content. Thus, according to one embodiment, in response to a request from a mobile device, all or a portion of the program is transmitted to a repository device via a network less subject to interruption (e.g., a wired network connect) for later transmission to the mobile device. For example, the repository device may comprise a charger or charging station for the mobile device that is configured to communicate the data (e.g., items that take a long time to download) to the mobile device when the device is connected for charging.
According to one embodiment, a portion, e.g., the missed or interrupted portion, of a program may be automatically identified by a mobile device or a user as being interrupted. A request may then be communicated to a content delivery service that is configured to provided the program to the mobile device by the use of an intermediary repository device located in a that is connected via an a wired or other connection that is less subject to interruption than a wireless connection to the mobile device. In another embodiment, a server may apply predefined criteria to identify program content that is automatically communicated to the repository device for retrieval. In another embodiment, the mobile device requests the identified program, either the full program or a portion of the program, from a server such as a distribution system or other head-end systems, which are configured to identify and transmit the program to a repository device in response to the program being identified by the mobile device. Alternatively, the user of the mobile device requests data from a catalog of data such as programs, ringtones, applications, etc.
In the exemplary system 100 of
In the exemplary system 100, the mobile device 102 may also be configured to communicate on a third communication link 106 which may comprise any of the networks described above with reference to the link 108. In one embodiment, the communication link 106 may be a two way communication link as is illustrated in the exemplary system 100. The communication link 106 may be used in communication between the mobile device 102 and the broadcast center or distribution system 110 and/or the content provider 112. In one embodiment, the distribution system 110 may be a broadcast center. The third communication link 106 may also be facilitated over a wireless network configured to communicate voice traffic and/or data traffic. The communication link 106 may communicate program guide and other data between the distribution system 110 and the mobile device 102.
The mobile device 102 includes a rendering module 122 configured to render the multimedia programming received over the program communication link 108. The rendering module 122 may include analog and/or digital technologies. The rendering module 122 may include one or more multimedia signal processing systems, such as video encoders/decoders, using encoding/decoding methods based on international standards such as MPEG-x and H.26x standards. Such encoding/decoding methods generally are directed towards compressing the multimedia data for transmission and/or storage.
In addition to communicating programming content to the mobile device 102, the distribution system 110 may also include a program guide service 126. The program guide service 126 receives program schedule and content related data from the content provider 112 and/or other sources and communicates data representing an electronic programming guide (EPG) 124 to the mobile device 102. The EPG 124 may include data related to the broadcast schedule of multiple programs available to be received over the program communication link 108. The EPG data may include titles of programs, start and end times, category classification of programs (e.g., sports, movies, comedy, etc.), quality ratings, adult content ratings, etc. The EPG 124 may also be communicated to the mobile device 102 over the program communication link 108 and stored in the mobile device 102. In another embodiment, the mobile device further provides a catalogue of data available from the distribution system. Such data includes audio, graphics, applications, and text which may be of interest to the user. In one embodiment, the catalogue is filtered by the device for each user.
The mobile device 102, the distribution system 110, and the content providers 112 may also be in communication with the repository device 140. For example, the system 100 may include a communication link 132 between the mobile device 102 and the repository device 140. The link 132 may comprise one or more of a wired or wireless network. In one embodiment, the link 132 comprises both a data network and a power connection, e.g., using an interface such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or IEEE-1394. In one embodiment, the link 132 comprises a power connection and a separate network such as a wireless Ethernet or Bluetooth connection.
The repository device 140 may include a charging module 134, a broadcast storage 136, and a broadband data interface 144. In one embodiment, the repository device 140 is not configured to decode received program content, but is rather configured to receive and store the content to the broadcast storage 136 and provide it to the mobile device 102 without decoding or altering the content. In one embodiment, the repository device 140 may be configured to at least partially encrypt the data as part of a digital rights management scheme.
In one embodiment, the charging module 134 is configured to provide a charge to the mobile device 102 over the communication link 132. In another embodiment, a separate charging connection or bus may be used. In one embodiment, the repository device 140 comprises multiple interfaces for communicating with and/or charging the mobile device 102. In one such embodiment, the repository device 140 may be configured to search or poll for a connected one of the interfaces.
As noted above, the communication link 132 may be a wired or wireless communication link configured to provide data and power to the mobile device 102, including for example, a wired USB 2.0 connection, a Bluetooth connection, a Fire-wire connection, or an alternative wired data and power connection. In another embodiment, the connection from the repository device 140 to the mobile device 102 may be used to charge the mobile device as well as transfer data between the mobile device and the repository device.
The broadband interface 142 may be configured to provide a communication interface for the repository device 140 and external entities, such as the distribution system 110, the content provider 112, or the mobile device 102 via network link 138 to a shared network, such as the Internet, with the mobile device 102 and the distribution system 110. The repository device 140 may also, or alternatively, be configured to communicate directly with the content provider 112 via the broadband interface 142 over another communication link 144. In one embodiment, the link 138 may comprise a two-way interface. In one embodiment, the communication link 144 comprises a one way or broadcast network. In one embodiment, the communication links 138 and/or 144 may be a wired or wireless communication link, such as, for example, a broadband internet connection or a Wi-Fi connection to a local network.
The mobile device 102 may include an optional second network interface 206 for communicating using the bi-directional communication link 106. The network interface 206 may include any suitable antenna (not shown), a receiver 220, and a transmitter 222 so that the mobile device 102 can communicate with one or more devices over the bi-directional communication link 106.
The mobile device 102 may include an optional third network interface 238 for communicating using the wired or wireless communication link 132. The network interface 238 may include a receiver 236, a transmitter 234 so that the mobile device 102 can communicate with one or more devices over the communication link 132. In one embodiment, the mobile device 102 uses the wired or wireless communication link 132 to communicate with the repository device 140 of
The mobile device 102 may also include one or more of a display 210, a user input device 212 such as a key, touch screen, or other suitable tactile input device, a loudspeaker 214 comprising a transducer adapted to provide audible output based on a signal received over the communication link 106 and/or a microphone 216 comprising a transducer adapted to provide audible input of a signal that may be transmitted over the communication links 106, 108, or 132.
The mobile device 102 may optionally include a battery 240 to provide power to one or more components of the device 102 and a charging circuit 242 configured to provide a power supply to the battery 240. The mobile device 102 may comprise at least one of a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a headset, a vehicle hands free device, or any other electronic device. For example, one or more embodiments taught herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone), a personal data assistant (“PDA”), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device), a headset (e.g., headphones, an earpiece, etc.), a microphone, or any other suitable device.
The components described herein may be implemented in a variety of ways. Referring to
The mobile device 102 may be configured to accept or deny concurrent input from communication links 106, 108, or 132. For example, the processor 202 may be incapable of performing the receiving and/or transmitting functions of the bidirectional network interface 206 at the same time that the broadband unidirectional interface 208 is receiving data or a signal over the program communication link 108. Thus, for example, in one embodiment, reception or display of a broadcast of a program may be discontinued over the program communication link 108 when a signal, e.g., a telephone call, is received over the communication link 106. In one embodiment, the transmission or display of a requested program from the repository device 140 may be discontinued over the program communication link 132 when the device is performing another task such as when the user is receiving a telephone call.
In some embodiments, the device or apparatus 102 may comprise an integrated circuit (“IC”). Thus, the integrated circuit may comprise one or more processors that provide the functionality of the processor components illustrated in
Any illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit, an access terminal, or an access point. The IC may comprise a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, electrical components, optical components, mechanical components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein, and may execute codes or instructions that reside within the IC, outside of the IC, or both. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.
The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
In one embodiment, the repository device 140 is associated with one or more specified mobile device 102. Moreover, in one embodiment, the repository device 140 may include a storage module, a USB interface, and a Wi-Fi network interface. Also, the repository device 140 may periodically poll the distribution system 110 by employing a wide area network connection to determine if there are any programs scheduled for delivery to the particular repository device 140. In one embodiment, the repository device 140 comprises a device with persistent data connectivity. The mobile device 102 may automatically synchronize with the repository device 140 when in range to a wireless local area connection or when it is connected to such network by hardwire, such as by physical docking During the device synchronization session, the repository device 140 may be used to capture viewing usage data and thereby acquire data used to develop a profile of the user of the mobile device 102 for use in suggesting content, targeted advertising, or catalogue filtering.
The distribution system 110 may receive data representing multimedia program and other content from the content provider 112 (not shown in
The repository device 140 may be in communication with the mobile device 102 using the communication link 132. In one embodiment, the data connection 132 between the repository device 140 and the mobile device 102 may comprise signal and power components (e.g., a USB connection delivering power and data). In another embodiment, the data connection 132 may comprise a wireless network between repository device 140 and mobile device 102. The repository device 140 may communicate with the distribution system 110 using any suitable network connection includes a wired or wireless internet connection or a dedicated connection to a head-end such as via a cable head-end. The mobile device 102 may provide a suitable user interface for configuring the network connection of the repository device.
In one embodiment, the system 300 provides a data delivery service to the mobile device 102 by integration with the repository device 140. In one embodiment, the data service offerings are provisioned by a broadcast network, with the selected content being delivered to the repository device 140. Such content may comprise news, weather, sports, graphics, ringtones, wallpaper, application data, executables, or any other type of news, entertainment, or educational content.
In one embodiment, the broadcast program storage 136 within the repository device 140 is configured to delete content once transfer of the content to the mobile device 102 has been complete. In another embodiment, the broadcast program storage 136 within the repository device 140 maintains content until space is needed to store newly requested content by the user, wherein the oldest content is deleted first from memory.
The apparatuses and methods of the disclosure may be used to provide a television “on-demand” service by allowing the mobile device to provide a user with the ability to identify broadcast programs that may include such on-demand content, while delivery may be facilitated using the repository device 140. The purchases could be one time purchases, or alternatively a purchase of some or all episodes of a recurring series. For sports programming, the delivered content may include full games, compressed games, highlights or all or a portion of the games in a season for a team or teams. A mobile device 102 may also be configured to provide a request to provide all content related to a particular entity or subject matter. For example, a “NY Yankees” criterion may deliver games, interviews, and film documentaries about the NY Yankees baseball team.
In one embodiment, the “on-demand” delivery may include options to buy, rent, or subscribe which are then implemented with the aid of security keys and rights management algorithms executing on the mobile device 102, the repository device 140, and/or the distribution system 110. For example, a subscription service may be configured to allow users to manage a list of programs whereby upon expiry or completed viewing the programs or movies are deleted from the device and new programs or movies are delivered via the repository device 140.
The apparatuses and methods of the disclosure may be used to provide a personal video recording (PVR) service in which programming selected from the broadcast network 108 via a schedule may be recorded for viewing at a later time by the repository device 140. Such a PVR service may be configured to allow a user to select shows or programs from data received via the program guide server 126 to the program guide 124 of the mobile device. The items are selected by tagging items based on the program guide 124 and flagged for delivery via the repository device 140 according to the methods described above.
In an exemplary embodiment of a service provided by the system 100, an enhanced program may be developed by content provider 112 for transmitting to the mobile device 102 which may include addition content, e.g., content that introduces or expands on the broadcast content for, for example, episodes of a services. Desirably, content providers may use such added content to enhance shows provided by the system 100 to take advantage of increased bandwidth available to the repository device 140. Furthermore, in another embodiment, the program may also be updated with ancillary clips, videos, audio, and other information for that show (behind the scenes, etc.).
In some embodiments, the repository device 140 includes an air-interface (e.g., a digital television receiver such as an ATSC receiver) to receive a broadcast transmission so as to record desired programs from the broadcast network and thereby conserve bandwidth of the wide area network used to bi-directional communicate with the distribution center 110 while still providing the program to the mobile device 102.
The apparatuses and methods of the disclosure may be used to provide a personalized channel service, whereby the mobile device 102 is provided with content based on preference selections made by the associated user. Per-channel meta tag data may be distributed to subscribed users by way of the repository device 140, which allows each user to describe, or in other words filter, the content that they would like to see by reference to the selected tags. These filters can be set or managed from the mobile device 102, or from a website provided by the broadcasting entity. These filters are preferably specific to a channel (i.e., MLB, CNN, MTV, etc.) or could be a mixture of programming from different channels. For example, a “My MLB Channel” would allow a user to select a team (or teams) that the user may be interested in and select a player (or players) that user may be interested in. One of the repository device 140, the distribution system 110, or the mobile device 102 may be configured to store these filters and deliver (or request delivery) of the programs matching the filters (team highlights, player highlights, etc) to the mobile device 102. For example, a “My CNN Channel” may be configured using such filters to allow a user to select a topic area of interest (technology, politics, world news, health, sports) and receive matching programs on their mobile device 102 via the repository device 140.
The apparatuses and methods of the disclosure may be used to provide a user to build a personalized radio station, preferably in a subscription based transaction. Meta data may also be provided to the mobile device for the user to filter the type of music they like (Rock, Blues, Country or other criteria, with potential granularity to year or artists). Filters are then set or managed from the mobile device 102, or from a website of the subscription service provider. Over time, these “heuristics” may be based on actual usage data of what the user listens to the most which results in maintenance of the filters becoming automatic/intelligent, and less burdensome to the user. The repository device 140 and/or the distribution system 110 may store these filters and match them to data such as from the program guide service 126, and receive songs (audio files) matching the filter criteria to the mobile device (i.e., 50-100 songs per station, continuously updated using the repository device). Additionally, user can “rate”music (1 star, 5 stars) to provide additional criteria for the filtering. As mentioned above, over time, more intelligent/automatic heuristic profile can be built to automatically determine what the user likes, and doesn't like. In some embodiments, user can skip songs on station, or exercise a “buy it” option, which will unlock the song out of the “station”, and charge the user for the song. In other embodiments, songs are replaced with full music videos to create a fuller user experience. Furthermore, users could “publish” their personalized stations and make the stations available to others as Internet streams from the distribution system 110 or content provider 112 to potentially drive additional viral purchases.
In one embodiment, because the delivered programs are from content that has already been broadcast, the distribution system 110 stores each program for a predetermined time to enable repository device 140 distributions for any subsequent PVR requests. Alternatively, each repository device 140 may record all or some of the programs over a predetermined period so as to allow a mobile device 102 to select a recording option after a program has already aired. In another embodiment, the mobile device 102 maintains an event log which indicates when the device experienced reception degradation or total loss. The repository device 140 then refers to the event log to determine whether the user has been viewing a program which was interrupted. In one implementation, the repository device 140 provides an interface for the mobile device user to specify whether they would like to retrieve the remainder of the interrupted program. If the user would like to retrieve the remaining, interrupted portion of the program, the repository device 140 retrieves the program from the distribution system 110 as discussed above with respect to “on-demand” operations or alternatively retrieves the remainder from local memory, if such portion is already resident in the broadcast program storage 136 of the repository device 140. In one embodiment, the repository device 140 proceeds to patch the remaining portion to the viewed portion, if the user selects a “complete” option.
The apparatuses and methods described herein may be used to provide an improved mobile broadcast network with the ability to provide targeted advertising by ensuring that various advertisements are stored on the mobile device 102 as may be required by the network operator to facilitate a targeted advertisement function. Specifically, the system of the disclosure minimizes the challenges related to guaranteeing file delivery to mobile devices 102 where otherwise the operator would be uncertain as to whether a file or targeted advertising content arrived at the mobile device 102 due to the device synchronization requirements discussed above. Additionally, instead of transmitting all possible advertisements over the broadcast network to then be filtered at the device 102 based on user profiles, which may be the condition in a purely broadcast environment, the distribution system 110 may push to the repository device 140 advertisements that are relevant to the retrieved profile since it has available data relating to the user's profile by way of the collected usage data, so as to guarantee delivery, and conserve network capacity. Accordingly, instead of occupying network capacity for delivering all ads over the broadcast network 108, the system 10 may be configured to allow for the filtering to take place at the repository device 140 (or alternatively at the distribution system 110) which conserves transmission bandwidth of the broadcast operator, and guarantees delivery of the appropriate targeted advertising. Finally, one embodiment of the system 100 may be configured for delivery of interactive click-through/call to action content which may not be delivered to mobile devices 102 otherwise due to bandwidth requirements or other requirements.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As will be recognized, the invention may be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from others. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims, the foregoing description, or both. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/942,605, filed Jun. 7, 2007. This application relates generally to communications, and more specifically, to communication of streamed multimedia data.
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