Insertion of notifications into in-band on-channel broadcasts
View Patent ↗During normal operation, a switching module receives, from one or more media encoders, channel content associated with one or more media channels and transmits that channel content to a transmitter. The switching module, while transmitting the channel content, logs in a notification system in response to a login request received from the notification system. Once logged in, the notification system transmits content associated with the one or more media channels to the switching module. The switching module transmits the notification content to the transmitter in place of the channel content received from the media encoders. While transmitting the notification content, the switching module determines that the notification system has been logged out, and resumes transmission of the channel content to the transmitter.
1. A method comprising:
receiving at a switching module, from one or more media encoders, channel content associated with one or more media channels;
transmitting the channel content from the switching module to a transmitter;
receiving, at the switching module, a login request from a notification system;
logging-in the notification system to the switching module in response to the login request;
receiving at the switching module, from the notification system, notification content associated with the one or more media channels;
transmitting the notification content from the switching module to the transmitter in place of the channel content;
determining that the notification system has logged out of the switching module; and
resuming transmission of the channel content to the transmitter.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the notification system has logged out of the switching module includes:
determining that a stream including the notification content has concluded.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the login request from the notification system identifies a first in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channel, but not a second IBOC sub-channel; and
transmitting the notification content from the switching module to the transmitter in place of the channel content includes transmitting the notification content to the first IBOC sub-channel, but not the second IBOC sub-channel.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the login request from the notification system includes a request for a master-login associated with all in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channels served by the switching module; and
transmitting the notification content from the switching module to the transmitter in place of the channel content includes transmitting the notification content to all IBOC sub-channels served by the switching module.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the login request from the notification system includes:
receiving the login request from an Emergency Alert System (EAS) encoder-decoder coupled to the switching module via a packet-switched network.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving, at the switching module, a heartbeat signal transmitted by the EAS encoder-decoder during periods of time that the notification system is not logged in to the switching module.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
initiating an alarm, by the switching module, in response to determining that the heartbeat signal has not been received before expiration of a heartbeat timer.
8. A switching module comprising:
a processor;
memory coupled to the processor;
at least one network interface configured to receive communication via a packet-switched network;
the processor configured to:
receive from one or more media encoders, via the at least one network interface, channel content associated with one or more media channels;
transmit the channel content to a transmitter for broadcast during operation in a non-emergency mode;
receive a login request from an emergency notification system via the at least one network interface;
login the emergency notification system in response to the login request;
receive emergency notification content associated with the one or more media channels from the emergency notification system;
transmit the emergency notification content to the transmitter in place of the channel content;
determine that the emergency notification system has logged out of the switching module; and
resume transmission of the channel content to the transmitter.
9. The switching module of claim 8 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to determine that the emergency notification system has logged out of the switching module by determining that a stream including the emergency notification content has concluded.
10. The switching module of claim 8 , wherein:
the login request from the emergency notification system identifies a first in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channel, but not a second IBOC sub-channel; and
the processor is further configured to transmit the emergency notification content to the first IBOC sub-channel, but not the second IBOC sub-channel.
11. The switching module of claim 8 , wherein:
the login request from the emergency notification system includes a request for a master-login associated with all in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channels served by the switching module; and
the processor is further configured to transmit the emergency notification content to all IBOC sub-channels served by the switching module.
12. The switching module of claim 8 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to receive the login request from an Emergency Alert System (EAS) encoder-decoder coupled to the switching module via the packet-switched network.
13. The switching module of claim 12 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to receive a heartbeat signal transmitted by the EAS encoder-decoder during periods of time that the emergency notification system is not logged in to the switching module.
14. The switching module of claim 13 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to initiate an alarm in response to determining that the heartbeat signal has not been received before expiration of a heartbeat timer.
15. An in-band on-channel (IBOC) importer-exporter comprising:
a processor and associated memory configured to implement a switching module;
at least one network interface configured to receive communication via a packet-switched network;
the processor and associated memory configured to:
receive from one or more media encoders, via the at least one network interface, channel content associated with one or more media channels;
transmit the channel content to a transmitter for broadcast during operation in a non-emergency mode;
receive a login request from an emergency notification system via the at least one network interface;
login the emergency notification system in response to the login request;
receive emergency notification content associated with the one or more media channels from the emergency notification system;
transmit the emergency notification content to the transmitter in place of the channel content;
determine that the emergency notification system has logged out; and
resume transmission of the channel content to the transmitter in response to the emergency notification system being logged out.
16. The IBOC importer-exporter of claim 15 , wherein:
the processor and associated memory are further configured to determine that the emergency notification system has logged out by determining that a stream including the emergency notification content has concluded.
17. The IBOC importer-exporter of claim 15 , wherein:
the login request from the emergency notification system identifies a first in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channel, but not a second IBOC sub-channel; and
the processor and associated memory are further configured to transmit the emergency notification content to the first IBOC sub-channel, but not the second IBOC sub-channel.
18. The IBOC importer-exporter of claim 15 , wherein:
the login request from the emergency notification system includes a request for a master-login associated with all in-band-on-channel (IBOC) sub-channels served by the IBOC importer-exporter; and
the processor and associated memory are further configured to transmit the emergency notification content to all IBOC sub-channels served by the importer-exporter.
19. The IBOC importer-exporter of claim 15 , wherein:
the processor and associated memory are further configured to receive the login request from an Emergency Alert System (EAS) encoder-decoder coupled to the switching module via the packet-switched network.
20. The IBOC importer-exporter of claim 19 , wherein:
the processor and associated memory are further configured to:
receive a heartbeat signal transmitted by the EAS encoder-decoder during periods of time that the emergency notification system is not logged in to the switching module; and
initiate an alarm in response to determining that the heartbeat signal has not been received before expiration of a heartbeat timer.