EP0748122A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Multimedia control system and method for controlling multimedia program presentation
Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC
•
Filing: 1996-05-31
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2016-05-31
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for effectuating local reception and processing of source program signals representative of a compressed digital multimedia program received from a remote multimedia server are disclosed. The multimedia server transmits a selected multimedia program as a custom ordered series of discrete program segments to a local set-top control system, which buffers and decompresses the compressed program segments for presentation on a local display monitor. A local set-top control system preferably includes a direct access storage device adapted to buffer a predetermined number of compressed program segments received from a multimedia server, some of which may be non-sequentially ordered and others of which may be sequentially ordered. A novel formatting methodology provides for the sequential presentation of the program segments asynchronously distributed on one or more data storage disks disposed in the direct access storage device. A user-definable presentation control window for performing local VCR-type presentation control functions for the portion of a multimedia program buffered in the direct access storage device is also provided through the novel formatting methodology. The novel formatting methodology also provides concurrent presentation and buffering of program segments received from the multimedia server for on-demand viewing of a selected multimedia program.
Inventors
- 👤 Hal Hjalmar Ottesen
- 👤 Gordon James Smith
- 👤 George Willard Vanleeuwen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 18:53
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/60; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318; G; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/10; G11B20/10527; G11B20/12; G11B20/1217; G11B20/1254; G11B27/00; G11B27/02; G11B27/031; G11B27/034; G11B27/10; G11B27/102; G11B27/105; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/234; H04N21/23406; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/433; H04N21/4331; H04N21/4333; H04N21/4334; H04N21/44; H04N21/44004; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/47202; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/0604; G06F3/0607; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0655; G06F3/0656; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0683; G06F3/0689; G11B2020/1062; G11B2020/10935; G11B2020/10953; G11B2020/10962; G11B2220/00; G11B2220/40; G11B2220/41
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A multimedia control system, coupled to a display and a communication channel, for communicating with a remote multimedia server having means for transmitting source program segments representative of a multimedia program as a custom ordered series of the source program segments over the communication channel, the multimedia control system comprising: an input buffer for buffering the source program segments received from the communication channel; a direct access storage device, coupled to the input buffer, including at least one data storage disk; and a controller for coordinating writing of the source program segments buffered in the input buffer to the data storage disk, and for coordinating reading of the source program segments from the data storage disk as sequentially ordered local program segments; whereby the sequentially ordered local program segments read from the data storage disk are transmitted to the display for sequential presentation thereon.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
69 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein: the custom ordered series of the source program segments include non-sequentially and sequentially ordered source program segments; and the controller coordinates writing of the non-sequentially ordered source program segments received from the communication channel to the data storage disk, and coordinates reading of the non-sequentially ordered source program segments from the data storage disk as the sequentially ordered local program segments.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the multimedia server transmits the source program segments to the communication channel arranged in packets, wherein each of the packets comprises no greater than a predetermined maximum number of the source program segments; and the input buffer comprises memory for buffering at least the predetermined maximum number of the source program segments arranged in each of the packets received from the communication channel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein: the multimedia server further comprises coding means for coding the source program segments defining the multimedia program as compressed source program segments; and the multimedia control system further comprises a decoder for decoding the compressed sequentially ordered local program segments read from the data storage disk.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the multimedia control system further comprises an output buffer coupled to the direct access storage device and the input buffer, and the controller coordinates transferring of at least some of the source program segments received from the communication channel concurrently to the direct access storage device and the output buffer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the data storage disk comprises: an upper disk surface having a plurality of upper surface storage locations defined along an upper spiral data track; and a lower disk surface having a plurality of lower surface storage locations defined along a lower spiral data track.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
88 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein: the data storage disk comprises: an upper disk surface including an upper data storing region for storing a first plurality of the source program segments; and a lower disk surface including a lower data storing region for storing a second plurality of the source program segments; and the controller coordinates writing and reading of the first and second plurality of the source program segments received from the communication channel respectively to and from the upper and lower data storing regions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
86 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the controller coordinates writing of a predetermined number of the source program segments received from the communication channel to the data storage disk and reading of the predetermined number of the source program segments from the data storage disk as the sequentially ordered local program segments, wherein the source program segments comprising the predetermined number of the source program segments written to the data storage disk are overwritten by subsequently received source program segments on a first-written-first-read basis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the controller, in response to either one of a forward and a reverse presentation control signal, respectively coordinates forward sequential and reversed sequential reading of the source program segments from the data storage disk.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising: a decoder coupled to the display; and an output buffer coupled to the direct access storage device and the decoder; wherein the controller coordinates reading of the sequential local program segments from the direct access storage device to preclude an overflow condition of the output buffer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the controller communicates a control signal to the remote multimedia server to halt transmission of the source program segments to the multimedia control system to preclude an overflow condition of the input buffer.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
125 words
A method for locally controlling the presentation of a multimedia program received from a remote multimedia server as a custom ordered series of coded source program segments arranged in packets, each of the source program segments representing a unique portion of the multimedia program, the method comprising: providing a direct access storage device having a plurality of data storing regions defined on a surface of at least one data storage disk disposed in the direct access storage device; receiving packets of the source program segments; writing the source program segments to at least two of the plurality of data storing regions; and reading the source program segments from the at least two of the plurality of data storing regions as sequentially ordered local program segments.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as claimed in Claim 12, including the further step of decoding the sequentially ordered local program segments.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
92 words
A method as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the writing step is performed concurrently with the additional step of transmitting sequentially received ones of the source program segments to a display for sequential presentation thereon, wherein the plurality of data storing regions are defined along a spiral data track provided on the surface of the at least one data storage disk, and wherein the writing step includes the step of writing the source program segments of consecutively received packets alternately to the at least two of the plurality of data storing regions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.