Efficient delivery of interactive program guide using demand-cast
US7519982B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 12, 2000 |
| Grant date | Apr 14, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N5/45
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Techniques to efficiently deliver interactive program guide (IPG). In one aspect, if an IPG page is requested by a viewer and not already transmitted, only the guide portion for the requested page is sent instead of the entire page. The requested page includes a guide portion that is specific to the requested page and a background portion that is common for a number of pages. The background portion can be continually broadcasted by the head-end. The requesting terminal is thus able to regenerate the requested page based on the demand-casted guide portion (i.e., transmitted upon request) and the continually broadcasted background portion. Alternatively, the entire requested page can be transmitted. In another aspect, instead of sending the requested guide portion continually, the guide portion is sent a limited number of times (e.g., only once, upon receiving the request). Since the guide portion for any particular page is normally static and does not change over time, sending the guide portion a limited number of times (e.g., once) is typically sufficient and greatly reduces bandwidth usage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.