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US 7,688,861 B2Granted
Media channel switching
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorVikas Sidana
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention discloses methods and systems for switching between media channels. Pursuant to these methods and systems, a broadcast source may provide multicast streams to client devices for presentation of media channels to a user. When a client device requests to switch channels, a client device that is receiving the requested channel initially transmits a unicast stream for the requested channel to the client device switching channels. The requesting client device upon receipt of this unicast stream may then provide the corresponding channel to the user.
Claims20
A method for providing media channels comprising:
- receiving, by a first client device, a first data stream transmitted by a broadcast source, the first data stream representing a first channel;
- processing the first data stream by the first client device that is connected to a first display device;
- presenting the first channel to the first display device based on the processed first data stream;
- receiving, by the first client device, a request generated by a second client device that is connected to a second display device, wherein the request is generated by the second client device in response to a switch of channels at the second client device from a second channel to the first channel;
- and
- transmitting, in response to the request, from the first client device to the second client device, a second data stream representing the first channel, wherein the second data stream is for display by the second display device.
3 more elements
A first client device for providing a media channel to a user comprising:
- a first interface to connect to a first display device:
- a network interface configured to receive a first data stream representing a first channel from a broadcast source and to receive a request from a second client device that is connected to a second display device, wherein the request is responsive to a switch at the second client device from a second channel to the first channel;
- and
- a processor configured to process the first data stream to display the first channel at the first display device, and to transmit a second data stream representing the first channel to the second client device in response to the request.
1 more element
A system for providing a media channel to a user comprising:
- at least one broadcast source configured to transmit a first data stream representing a first channel and a second data stream representing a second channel,
- a distribution node connected to the at least one broadcast source,
- a first client device and second client device each connected to the distribution node,
- the first client device comprising an interface configured to receive the first data stream, and a processor configured to process the first data stream to display the first channel at a first display device for connection to the first client device;
- and
- the second client device comprising an interface configured to receive the second data stream, and a processor configured to process the second data stream to display the second channel at a second display device for connection to the second client device, and to transmit a request in response to a switch from the second channel to the first channel at the second client device,
- wherein the processor of the first client device is further configured to receive the request from the second client device and transmit a third data stream representing the first channel to the second client device in response to the request from the second client device.
4 more elements
A first client device, comprising:
- a first interface for connection to a first display device;
- a network interface to receive a first data stream carrying content of a first channel from a broadcast source;
- a processor configured to:
- process the first data stream to display the content of the first channel on the first display device;
- receive a request from a second client device responsive to channel switching from a second channel to the first channel at the second client device;
- in response to the request, transmitting a second data stream carrying the content of the first channel to the second client device to display the content of the first channel on a second display device connected to the second client device;
- and
- receive an indication from the second client device to terminate transmission of the second data stream, wherein the indication is responsive to the second client device receiving, from another source, another data stream carrying content of the first channel;
- and
- in response to the indication, terminate transmission of the second data stream to the second client device.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.