Use of television satellite signals to determine location
View Patent ↗Various arrangements are directed to locating a television receiver. Multiple tuners of the television receiver may be simultaneously tuned to different television distribution satellites to receive timing signals. Using these timing signals, the location of the television receiver may be determined. Based on a comparison between a stored, expected location of the television receiver and the determined location, the functionality of the television receiver may be adjusted.
1. A television receiver comprising:
a plurality of tuners comprising a first tuner and a second tuner;
one or more processors;
a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
tune the first tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a first television channel transponder stream from a first television distribution satellite of a plurality of television distribution satellites;
tune the second tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a second television channel transponder stream from a second television distribution satellite of the plurality of television distribution satellites, wherein:
the second tuner is tuned to the second television channel transponder stream while the first tuner is tuned to the first television channel transponder stream;
determine a location region of the television receiver using the first television channel transponder stream and the second television channel transponder stream;
compare the location region of the television receiver to an approved locally-stored location of the television receiver, the locally-stored location being stored by the television receiver;
determine that the location region of the television receiver does not match the approved locally-stored location of the television receiver to within a threshold distance; and
modify functionality of the television receiver to output television channels in response to determining that the location region of the television receiver does not match the approved locally-stored location of the television receiver to within the threshold distance.
2. The television receiver of claim 1 , the television receiver further comprising:
a smartcard reader, wherein the memory further comprises processor-readable instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
retrieve the approved location of the television receiver from a smartcard installed within the smartcard reader.
3. The television receiver of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises processor-readable instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
output for presentation a message that obscures television programing in response to determining the location region of the television receiver does not match the approved locally-stored location of the television receiver to within the threshold distance.
4. The television receiver of claim 1 , wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
tune a third tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a third television channel transponder stream from a third television distribution satellite of the plurality of television distribution satellites, wherein the third tuner is tuned to the third television channel transponder stream simultaneously with the first tuner being tuned to the first television channel transponder stream and the second tuner being tuned to the second television channel transponder stream, wherein the location region is further calculated using the third television channel transponder stream.
5. A method for a television receiver to perform self-location, the method comprising:
tuning, by the television receiver, the first tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a first television channel transponder stream from a first television distribution satellite of a plurality of television distribution satellites;
tuning, by the television receiver, the second tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a second television channel transponder stream from a second television distribution satellite of the plurality of television distribution satellites, wherein:
the second tuner is tuned to the second television channel transponder stream while the first tuner is tuned to the first television channel transponder stream;
determining, by the television receiver, a location region of the television receiver using the first television channel transponder stream and the second television channel transponder stream;
comparing, by the television receiver, the location region of the television receiver to a locally-stored approved location of the television receiver
determining, by the television receiver, that the location region of the television receiver does not match the locally-stored approved location of the television receiver to within a threshold distance; and
modifying, by the television receiver, functionality of the television receiver to output television channels in response to determining the location region of the television receiver does not match the locally-stored approved location of the television receiver to within the threshold distance.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
retrieving, by the television receiver, the approved location of the television receiver from a smartcard installed within a smartcard reader of the television receiver.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
outputting, by the television receiver, for presentation a message that obscures television programing in response to determining the calculated location region of the television receiver does not match the approved location of the television receiver to within the threshold distance.
8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
tuning, by the television receiver, a third tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a third television channel transponder stream from a third television distribution satellite of the plurality of television distribution satellites, wherein the third tuner is tuned to the third television channel transponder stream simultaneously with the first tuner being tuned to the first television channel transponder stream and the second tuner being tuned to the second television channel transponder stream, wherein the location region is further calculated using the third television channel transponder stream.
9. A non-transitory processor-readable medium for performing self-location of a television receiver, comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:
tune the first tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a first television channel transponder stream from a first television distribution satellite of a plurality of television distribution satellites;
tune the second tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive a second television channel transponder stream from a second television distribution satellite of the plurality of television distribution satellites, wherein:
the second tuner is tuned to the second television channel transponder stream while the first tuner is tuned to the first television channel transponder stream;
determine a location region of the television receiver using the first television channel transponder stream and the second television channel transponder stream;
compare the location region of the television receiver to a locally-stored approved location of the television receiver;
determine that the location region of the television receiver does not match the locally-stored approved location of the television receiver to within a threshold distance; and
modify functionality of the television receiver to output television channels in response to determining the location region of the television receiver does not match the locally-stored approved location of the television receiver to within the threshold distance.