IP Library Granted Patent US 10,034,147
Granted Patent B2
US 10,034,147 · App. 14/498,845 · Granted Jul 24, 2018

Next generation broadcast system and method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,034,147
App. No.
14/498,845
Granted
Jul 24, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a next generation broadcast architecture, a broadcast gateway may send segments of a data file to a broadcast transmission system and to a server. The broadcast transmission system wirelessly transmits the segments to a user equipment (UE) device. When the UE device fails to decode a segment, it sends a request for re-transmission of the segment to the server via an IP network. The server re-transmits the requested segment to the UE device via the IP network. Furthermore, the gateway may receive one or more IP data flows (e.g., video streams) having variable bit rate. The gateway may apply dynamically-variable coding to the IP data flows so that the resulting coded IP data flows have an aggregate bit rate that matches a constant physical transport rate of the broadcast transmission system.

Claims (35)

1. A method for operating a server, wherein the server is part of an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the method comprising:

performing operations to facilitate a non-realtime transfer of a data file to a user equipment (UE) device, the operations including:

receiving segments of the data file from a broadcast gateway, wherein the broadcast gateway is configured to provide the segments to a broadcast transmission system for transmission as a Radio Frequency (RF) signal, wherein the RF signal includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the server, and wherein the broadcast gateway is configured to receive the segments of the data file from an external network;

establishing a connection, that has been initiated using the URL, with the UE device;

receiving one or more missing segment indications through the IP network from the UE device, the one or more missing segment indications being generated by the UE device based on the RF signal and identifying one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal, wherein each of the one or more missing segment indications includes:

a sequence number of a respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

a time-stamp associated with the respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

sending the one or more segments identified by the missing segment indications to the UE device through the IP network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadcast gateway is also part of the IP network, and the server receives the segments of the data file from the broadcast gateway via the IP network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RF signal also comprises a video broadcast signal for reception by a plurality of user devices.

4. A method for operating a user equipment device, the method comprising:

performing operations to facilitate a non-realtime transfer of a data file to the user equipment device, wherein the operations include:

receiving a Radio Frequency (RF) signal that is wirelessly transmitted by a broadcast transmission system, wherein the RF signal includes segments of the data file and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a server that is part of an Internet Protocol (IP) network, wherein a broadcast gateway is configured to receive the segments of the data file from an external network and the broadcast gateway is configured to provide the segments of the data file to the broadcast transmission system and to the server;

operating on the RF signal to recover estimates of the segments;

analyzing the estimates to determine which of the segments are not successfully received by the user equipment device;

establishing a connection, that has been initiated using the URL, with the server;

transmitting one or more missing segment indications to the server via the IP network, wherein each of the missing segment indications identifies a corresponding one of the segments that has not been successfully received, and wherein each of the one or more missing segment indications includes:

a sequence number of a respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

a time-stamp associated with the respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

receiving, via the IP network, segments corresponding to the missing segment indications.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the RF signal also comprises one or more video broadcast streams.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the broadcast transmission system is part of a broadcast network that is connected to the IP network.

7. A non-transitory memory medium for operating a user equipment device, wherein the non-transitory memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement:

performing operations to facilitate a non-realtime transfer of a data file to the user equipment device, wherein the operations include:

receiving a Radio Frequency (RF) signal that is wirelessly transmitted by a broadcast transmission system, wherein the RF signal includes segments of the data file and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a server that is part of an Internet Protocol (IP) network, wherein a broadcast gateway is configured to receive the segments of the data file from an external network and the broadcast gateway is configured to provide the segments of the data file to the broadcast transmission system and to the server;

operating on the RF signal to recover estimates of the segments;

analyzing the estimates to determine which of the segments are not successfully received by the user equipment device;

establishing a connection, that has been initiated using the URL, with the server;

transmitting one or more missing segment indications to the server via the IP network, wherein each of the missing segment indications identifies a corresponding one of the segments that has not been successfully received, and wherein each of the one or more missing segment indications includes:

a sequence number of a respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

a time-stamp associated with the respective one of the one or more segments that the UE device is not able to successfully recover from the RF signal; and

receiving, via the IP network, segments corresponding to the missing segment indications.

8. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 7 , wherein the RF signal also comprises one or more video broadcast streams.

9. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 7 , wherein the broadcast transmission system is part of a broadcast network that is connected to the IP network.

10. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 7 , wherein the data file is not part of a video broadcast stream.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2025
From: CSC DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY
To: ONE MEDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 071071/0363 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2025
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: CSC DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY
Reel/Frame 071071/0394 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 18, 2025
From: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: ONE MEDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 070242/0661 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 6, 2024
From: COHERENT LOGIX, INCORPORATED
To: PACIFIC CAP ACQUISITION FUND, LLC
Reel/Frame 067325/0476 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 5, 2023
From: SINCLAIR TELEVISION GROUP, INC.
To: ONE MEDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 063226/0398 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2022
From: COHERENT LOGIX INCORPORATED
To: SINCLAIR TELEVISION GROUP, INC.
Reel/Frame 059749/0435 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 11, 2020
From: SINCLAIR TELEVISION GROUP, INC.
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054701/0338 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 13, 2019
From: SINCLAIR TELEVISION GROUP, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050373/0784 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 7, 2014
From: SHELBY, KEVIN A.
To: COHERENT LOGIX, INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 034130/0537 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 7, 2014
From: SIMON, MICHAEL J.
To: SINCLAIR TELEVISION GROUP, INC.
Reel/Frame 034130/0629 →
Cited By (2)
US 12,190,198 US 12,250,564