Patent Application
20070021053
The disclosure generally relates to satellite radio programming distribution systems. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a satellite radio programming distribution system including a wireless distribution network.
It is known that vehicles, homes, offices, and the like, may include a receiver that receives satellite radio programming, which is commonly referred to as satellite digital audio radio services (SDARS). SDARS audio is typically broadcast on the 2320-2345 MHz frequency range and covers a large geographic area, such as North America. Satellite-based digital audio radio services generally employ either geo-stationary orbit satellites or highly elliptical orbit satellites that receive up-linked programming, which, in turn, is re-broadcast directly to the receivers in the vehicles, homes, or offices on the ground. A subscription fee is typically required to receive the satellite services/satellite audio programming at each designated receiver on the ground.
Referring to
Referring to
The wireless router 210 has conventionally shared a first wireless path, R′, with the computer workstation 212 to provide wireless internet access from the internet 206 to the computer workstation 212. However, the conventional audio system 200 has also employed the wireless router 210 to share a second wireless path, R″, with the wireless receiver 214. Accordingly, the wireless router 210 may provide MP3 audio from the computer workstation 212 to the wireless receiver 214 over the first and second wireless paths R′, R″. Alternatively, internet radio audio may be provided from the internet 206 to the wireless receiver 214 from a coaxial cable port 201, through a coaxial cable line 203, an Ethernet network cable 205, and over the second wireless path R″. The MP3 or internet audio may be output by the speakers 218 of the home theatre system 250 via an audio cable 207 that connects the wireless receiver 214 and home entertainment receiver 216. The router 210 and the wireless receiver 214 are commercially available, for example, from LINKSYS® of San Jose, Calif. and sold as model numbers WAP54G and WMLS11B, respectively. Alternatively, the wireless receiver 214 is commercially available, for example, from APPLE COMPUTER® of Cupertino, Calif. and sold under the trade-name and AIRPORT® Express with AIRTUNES®.
Although the conventional satellite radio system 100 allows a user in each room 104a-104d to selectively tune a desired audio channel, the homeowner or office administrator must pay a subscription fee to receive satellite services from satellite signals, S, at each conventional satellite receiver 108a-108d. Even further, although the conventional internet/computer audio system 200 eliminates the wiring of audio cables throughout the home or office 202 from a first room 204a to a second room 204b while also providing the capability to play MP3 or internet radio audio over more powerful speakers 218 of the home theater system 250 rather than on weaker speakers of the computer workstation 212, the conventional audio system 200 does not permit the reception of satellite signals, S, to provide satellite programming in the first room 204a over the speakers of the computer workstation 212, nor over the speakers of a device in a different room, such as, for example the speakers 218 of the home theatre system 250 in the second room 204b. Even further, if a homeowner or office administrator subscribes to both satellite and internet services as shown in
The present disclosure will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
A wireless satellite radio distribution network is shown generally at 10 in
A plurality of networked wireless receiver nodes are shown generally at 24a-24c. The networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c do not directly receive satellite signals, S, but rather, the networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c receive a selected compressed satellite radio bit stream including satellite programming taken from the satellite signal, S. The satellite programming may include audio programming and streamed text data, such as weather, traffic, stock data, and the like. One of the networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c is shown in each of the second, third, and fourth rooms 14b-14d, respectively. Although only four rooms 14a-14d and three networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c are shown, it will be appreciated that any desirable number of rooms 14a-14d and any desirable number of networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c may be included in the satellite radio distribution network 10.
Referring to
Referring to
To receive satellite and/or internet services, an end-user may subscribe to a first service provider, such as XM® or SIRIUS®, to enable reception of satellite services at the satellite antenna 16. The end-user may also subscribe to a second service provider to obtain access to the internet 50 at the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 from a port 11, cable 13, modem 15, and Ethernet network cable 17 located within the home or office 12. It will be appreciated that because the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 of the wireless satellite radio distribution network 10 processes both satellite and internet information in one device, a single service provider may offer subscriptions to both the satellite services and the internet services.
As illustrated, the satellite antenna 16 receives the satellite signals, S, from a satellite 75. Upon receiving the satellite signals, S, the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 sends and receives signals from the first room 14a over the routed wireless paths R2-R4 to antennas 22a-22c extending from the networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c located, respectively, in each of the second, third, and fourth rooms 14a-14d. Accordingly, broadcast satellite audio may be output over speakers 26a-26c that are integrated with or connected to each networked wireless receiver node 24a-24c. If desired, the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may include speakers to provide audio output of the satellite programming in the first room 14a. Alternatively, the broadcast satellite audio may also be communicated over routed wireless path, R1, to the computer workstation 25 for output over computer speakers (not shown).
Because the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may simultaneously receive and distribute many compressed satellite radio bit streams of programming from the satellite 75 to the networked wireless receiver nodes 24a-24c, end-users respectively located in each room 14a-14d may select any desirable programming that originates from a primary receiver source, such as the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18. As such, the homeowner or office administrator may pay for a single satellite service subscription to provide satellite programming to a plurality of rooms 14a-14d that includes a networked wireless receiver node 24a-24c or integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 including speakers.
Accordingly, the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 and networked wireless receiver node(s) 24a-24c of the wireless satellite radio distribution network 10 realizes cost savings for the homeowner, office administrator, or the like, because a single satellite service subscription is purchased rather than multiple satellite service subscriptions for a plurality of conventional satellite receivers 108a-108d as shown in
Also, because the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may include electronics that processes both satellite and internet information, satellite service providers, such as XM® or SIRIUS®, which have been typically limited to sales of satellite service subscriptions, may be enabled to broaden their customer base to include internet access subscriptions, and, conversely, internet service providers may broaden their customer base to include satellite service subscriptions. It will be appreciated that that regardless of the service provider that the end-user patronizes, the modem 15 may be owned by the end-user or leased/rented from the satellite/internet service provider to enable reception of internet services; however, if desired, the modem electronics may be integrated with the satellite receiver/wireless router 18 to reduce the number of components provided by the service provider if the components are leased/rented. Thus, the integrated satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may ultimately reduce the number of components and service providers within a localized area, such as a home or office 12. Even further, it will be appreciated that the satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may also include electronics associated with well-known set-top cable or satellite television boxes that provides digital cable programming. Accordingly, the satellite receiver/wireless router 18 may include the modem and/or set-top cable or satellite television box electronics to function as a streamlined device that may be sold by a commercial retailer or rented by a service provider when an end user subscribes to the service provider's services including, for example, satellite radio services, internet services, and/or cable/satellite television services.
The present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that it is possible to embody the invention in specific forms other than those of the exemplary embodiments described above. This may be done without departing from the spirit of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered restrictive in any way. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, rather than by the preceding description.
