# US 11,122,320 B2 · Methods and systems for adaptive content delivery

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- Number: US 11,122,320 B2
- Document ID: US11122320B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/786,110
- Filed: 2017-10-17
- Published: 2019-04-18
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2017-10-17
- Assignees: DISH Technologies L.L.C.
- Applicants: Echostar Technologies L.L.C.
- Inventors: Edmund Petruzzelli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122320B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/43: Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware {(real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00)}
- H04H 20/63: to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
- H04L 41/32: {Specific management aspects for broadband networks}
- H04L 41/50: Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 69/321: Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
- H04N 21/4344: {Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers}
- H04N 21/4347: {Demultiplexing of several video streams}
- H04N 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)}
- H04N 21/6112: {involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T}
- H04N 21/6131: {involving transmission via a mobile phone network (wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006)}
- H04N 21/6143: {involving transmission via a satellite}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are provided for delivering media content from different types of content sources to different destination devices across an outdoor/indoor interface using an outdoor hub device. An exemplary hub device includes a first input interface to receive a broadcast signal, a second input interface to receive a telecommunications signal from a telecommunications network, and an output interface. The device further includes a content stream management module coupled to the first input interface and the second input interface to multiplex broadcast and telecommunications content into a multiplexed content stream, an encapsulation module coupled to the content stream management module to encapsulate the multiplexed content stream into a packetized multiplexed content stream, and a communications interface coupled to the encapsulation module and the output interface to transmit the packetized multiplexed content stream to an indoor gateway device via the output interface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device comprising:
a first input interface to receive broadcast signals from a content source;
a second input interface to receive a telecommunications signal corresponding to second media content; an output interface;
a content stream management module coupled to the first input interface and the second input interface to receive indication of selected content streams for provisioning to different destination devices, select a first content transport stream corresponding to first media content on a selected channel of the broadcast signals from the first input interface and a second content transport stream corresponding to the second media content from the second input interface based on the indication, and multiplex the first content transport stream and the second content transport stream corresponding to the second media content into a multiplexed content transport stream;
an encapsulation module coupled to the content stream management module to encapsulate the multiplexed content transport stream into a packetized multiplexed content stream formatted in accordance with a communications protocol, wherein individual packets of the packetized multiplexed content stream are encoded with information identifying a source of media content encapsulated therein or an intended destination device of the different destination devices for the media content encapsulated therein; and
a communications interface coupled to the encapsulation module and the output interface to transmit the packetized multiplexed content stream via the output interface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising a satellite signal demodulation module coupled between the first input interface and the content stream management module to obtain the first content transport stream from the broadcast signals.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, further comprising: a third input interface to receive a second broadcast signal; and an over-the-air broadcast demodulation module coupled between the third input interface and the content stream management module to obtain a third content transport stream corresponding to third media content from the second broadcast signal, wherein the content stream management module multiplexes the first content transport stream, the second content transport stream, and the third content transport stream into the multiplexed content transport stream.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein the encapsulation module encapsulates the multiplexed content transport stream in accordance with an internet protocol (IP) standard.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4, wherein the first, second and third content transport streams comprise transport streams formatted in accordance with a Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) standard.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein: the output interface comprises a coaxial cable connector; and the communications interface is configured to transmit the packetized multiplexed content stream in accordance with a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein the first input interface comprises a second coaxial cable connector and the second input interface comprises an Ethernet port.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein: the output interface comprises an Ethernet port; and the communications interface is configured to transmit the packetized multiplexed content stream in accordance with a Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The device of claim 8, wherein the first input interface comprises a coaxial cable connector and the second input interface comprises a second Ethernet port.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the individual packets are encoded with a header or non-payload data that includes the information identifying the source of the media content encapsulated therein or the intended destination device of the different destination devices for the media content encapsulated therein.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the header or the non-payload data is utilized to route the individual packets to the different destination devices for subsequent decoding and presentation.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation module transcodes the multiplexed content transport stream from formatting in accordance with a Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) standard to the packetized multiplexed content stream formatted in accordance with an Internet protocol (IP) standard.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The device of claim 12, wherein: the first content transport stream comprises direct broadcast satellite (DBS) media content or over-the-air (OTA) broadcast media content; and the second content transport stream comprises over-the-top (OTT) media content.

### Claim 14

A system comprising:
a first receiver arrangement to receive a broadcast signal including first media content;
a telecommunications module to receive a telecommunications signal including second media content; a gateway device; and
a hub device coupled to the first receiver arrangement and the telecommunications module to receive indication of selected content streams for provisioning from the gateway device, obtain a first transport stream corresponding to the first media content from the broadcast signal based on the indication, obtain a second transport stream corresponding to the second media content from the telecommunications signal, multiplex the first transport stream and the second transport stream, encapsulate the multiplexed first and second transport streams into a packetized multiplexed content stream formatted in accordance with a communications protocol,
wherein: individual packets of the packetized multiplexed content stream are encoded with information identifying a source of media content encapsulated therein or an intended destination device for the media content encapsulated therein; and
to the gateway device is coupled to the hub device to receive the packetized multiplexed content stream and utilize the information identifying the source of the media content encapsulated therein or the intended destination device for the media content encapsulated therein to route the individual packets to different destination devices.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the gateway device is configured to obtain the first and second transport streams from the packetized multiplexed content stream, provide the first transport stream corresponding to the first media content to a first destination device, and provide the second transport stream corresponding to the second media content to a second destination device different from the first destination device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the gateway device is coupled to the hub device via one of a coaxial cable, an Ethernet cable, and a twisted pair cable.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein: the gateway device resides on the interior of an outdoor/indoor interface; and the hub device, the first receiver arrangement, and the telecommunications module reside on the exterior of the outdoor/indoor interface.

### Claim 18

A method of delivering media content from a plurality of different content sources to a plurality of different destination devices, the method comprising:
receiving, at a hub device coupled to the plurality of different content sources, indication of selected content streams for provisioning to the plurality of different destination devices from a gateway device coupled to the plurality of different destination devices;
selecting, at the hub device, different content transport streams from among a plurality of content streams available from the plurality of different content sources based on the indication;
multiplexing, at the hub device, the selected ones of the different content transport streams from different ones of the plurality of different content sources into a multiplexed content transport stream;
encapsulating, at the hub device, the multiplexed content transport stream into a packetized multiplexed content stream formatted in accordance with a communications protocol, resulting in a packetized multiplexed content stream, wherein individual packets of the packetized multiplexed content stream are encoded with information identifying a source of media content encapsulated therein or an intended destination device of the plurality of different destination devices for the media content encapsulated therein; and
transmitting, by the hub device, the packetized multiplexed content stream to the gateway device, wherein the gateway device utilizes the information identifying the source of the media content encapsulated therein or the intended destination device of the plurality of different destination devices for the media content encapsulated therein to route the individual packets to appropriate ones of the plurality of different destination devices.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, the plurality of different content sources comprising a satellite receiver arrangement receiving satellite broadcast signals and a telecommunications module communicating over a telecommunications network, wherein:
multiplexing the different content transport streams comprises multiplexing a first transport stream obtained by the hub device from the satellite broadcast signals with a second transport stream obtained via the telecommunications network, resulting in a multiplexed transport stream; and
encapsulating the multiplexed content transport stream comprises encoding the multiplexed transport stream in accordance with an internet protocol (IP) standard.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, the plurality of different content sources further comprising an over-the-air receiver arrangement receiving terrestrial broadcast signals, wherein multiplexing the different content transport streams comprises multiplexing a third transport stream obtained by the hub device from the terrestrial broadcast signals with the first and second transport streams to obtain the multiplexed transport stream.