EP0653884A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Interactive video on demand network
Assignee: Nokia Bell NV
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Filing: 1993-11-17
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-11-17
Abstract
Abstract The interactive video on demand network is intended for a plurality of user stations (US11, ..., USNM) and includes a video server (VS) producing a plurality of delayed instances of a video signal for transmission to the user stations, and a buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) to an input of which a selected one of these instances is applied and at an output of which a version of the video signal as requested by a said user station is provided. The buffer means generates the requested version under control of control signals issued by the user stations and selects the instance based on that requested version. The buffer means (IB1, ... IBN) is able to transmit a load request signal to the video server (VS) which in response thereat applies at least part of the video signal to the input of the buffer means for storage therein, at a rate substantially higher than real time. In this way the buffer means always contains at least that part of the video signal needed to provide to the user station the version it has requested for and to provide functions such as pause, (fast) forward, (fast) rewind and resume.
Inventors
- 👤 Henri Albert Julia Verhille
- 👤 Daniel Deloddere
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 15:10
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
Interactive video on demand network with a plurality of user stations (US11, ..., USNM) and including a video server (VS) producing a plurality of delayed instances of a video signal for transmission to said user stations, and a buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) to an input of which a selected one of said instances is applied and at an output of which a version of said video signal as requested by a said user station is provided, said buffer means under control of control signals issued by said user station generating said requested version and selecting said instance based on said requested version, characterized in that said buffer means (IB1, ... IBN) is able to transmit a load request signal to said video server (VS) which in response thereat applies at least part of said video signal to said buffer means input for storage therein, at a rate substantially higher than real time.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that one of said control signals is a start-of-view request signal, and that said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) upon receipt of said start-of-view request signal sends a said load request signal for at least the part of said video signal comprised between the beginning (pb2) of said video signal and the video signal position (pSOV2) actually transmitted in the one of said delayed instances (I2) last begun before receipt of said start-of-view request, said latter instance being applied to said buffer means input the latest at the moment a video signal position is transmitted in said latter instance that corresponds to a last video signal position of said stored part.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
107 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that one of said control signals is a pause request signal, and that upon receipt thereof by said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) said selected instance (I2) is applied to said buffer means at least until the video signal part stored in said buffer means and starting from the video signal position (pps2) transmitted at the moment said pause request signal was received has a length corresponding to a time interval at least equal to the time interval between the transmission of a said load request signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
161 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that one of said control signals is a fast forward request signal, and that, upon receipt of said fast forward request signal and each time the difference between a last video signal position stored in said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) and the video signal position actually being transmitted to said user station becomes lower than a predetermined threshold, said buffer means sends a said load request signal to said video server (VS) for part of said video signal starting from at least said last video signal position stored in said buffer means and with a length such that the difference between a last position of the latter part and said video signal position actually being transmitted to said user station corresponds to a time interval at least equal to the time interval between the transmission of a said load signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
157 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that one of said control signals is a rewind request signal, and that, upon receipt of said rewind request signal and each time the difference between the video signal position actually being transmitted to said user station (W11, ... USNM) and a first video signal position stored in said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) becomes lower than a predetermined threshold, said buffer means sends a said load request signal for part of said video signal ending with at least said first video signal position stored in said buffer means and with a length such that the difference between a first position of the latter part and said video signal position actually being transmitted to said user station corresponds to a time interval at least equal to the time interval between the transmission of a said load signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
141 words
Interactive video on demand network according to either one of claims 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that one of said control signals is a resume request signal and that said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) sends on receipt of said resume request signal a said load signal for at least the part of said video signal comprised between a last video signal position stored in said buffer means and the video signal position actually transmitted in the one of said instances in which the video signal position at which said transmission of said user requested version is to be resumed, is last transmitted, said latter instance being applied to said buffer means at the latest from the moment a video signal position is transmitted in said latter instance that corresponds to a last video signal position of the latter part.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
99 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 2, characterized in that upon a said storage having been performed, said part of said video signal stored in said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) extends around the video signal position at which said transmission of said user requested version to said user station (US11, ..., USNM) is to be started, such that both the parts before and after the latter video signal position have a length corresponding at least to the time interval between the transmission of a said load signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 6, characterized in that upon a said storage having been performed, said part of said video signal stored in said buffer means (IB1, ..., IBN) extends around the video signal position at which said transmission of said user requested version to said user station is to be resumed, such that both the parts before and after the latter video signal position have a length corresponding at least to the time interval between the transmission of a said load signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
78 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that the size of said buffer means is such that a said part of said video signal with a length at least equal to the sum of a length corresponding to the maximum delay between subsequent instances and a length corresponding to twice the time interval between the transmission of a said load signal and the resulting storage of a said signal part may be stored therein.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that said buffer means includes buffer modules (IB11, ..., IB1N) each of which is associated to at least one of said user stations (US11, ..., US1N).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 1, characterized in that said buffer means includes a buffer arrangement (BUFF) part of which is allocated to a said user station upon request thereby.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
Interactive video on demand network according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said video server (vs) constitutes a node of a communication system and is coupled to an access node thereof, a first and second set of ports of said access node being coupled to said buffer means and to said user stations respectively.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 11, characterized in that said buffer arrangement includes a first plurality of separate memories, and that said allocated part includes parts of a second plurality of said separate memories.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
Interactive video on demand network according to claim 13, characterized in that the access rate of a said separate memory is at least equal to the rate at which a said storage is performed divided by said second plurality.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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