US 9,432,728 B1Granted

Peripheral transponder bonding module

AssigneeThe DIRECTV Group, Inc.

InventorRobert J. Rothaus

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A tuner receives an input signal in which a high bandwidth video data stream is multiplexed amongst multiple fixed-bandwidth channels. The tuner receives instructions to output the high bandwidth video data stream and tunes and demodulates the input signal for the multiple fixed-bandwidth carriers in parallel. The tuner can apply error correction to the demodulated signal and identify data packets associated with the high bandwidth video data stream. The tuner combines the identified data packets to recover the original high bandwidth video data stream and outputs the high bandwidth video data stream via a universal serial bus port. As such, the tuner can be connected to a legacy receiver unit as an external module that enables the legacy receiver unit to receive high bandwidth video data streams that are multiplexed amongst multiple fixed-bandwidth channels.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a housing;
an input interface that is configured to receive a satellite signal;
a plurality of demodulators;
a signal combiner;
and
a control system operable to:
(i) receive, via a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an indication of a particular high bandwidth video-data stream that is distributed amongst two or more channels of the satellite signal;
(ii) cause two or more of the demodulators to demodulate the two or more channels, such that an output from each of the two or more demodulators is based on at least a portion of the particular high bandwidth video-data stream;
(iii) operate the signal combiner to generate a combined data stream based on demodulated outputs from the two or more demodulators;
(iv) apply a packet ID filter to identify data packets in the combined data stream having one or more packet identifiers associated with the particular high bandwidth video data stream, and to filter the combined data stream to extract the identified data packets;
(v) generate the high bandwidth video data stream using the identified data packets;
and
(vi) output the generated high bandwidth video data stream via the USB interface.

10 more elements

A method for extracting a high bandwidth video-data stream by a control system comprising:

receiving, via an input interface, a satellite signal;
receiving, via a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an indication of a particular high bandwidth video-data stream distributed amongst two or more channels of the satellite signal;
demodulating the two or more channels via two or more of a plurality of demodulators, such that an output from each of the two or more demodulators is based on at least a portion of the particular high bandwidth video-data stream;
generating a combined data stream based on demodulated outputs from the two or more demodulators;
applying a packet ID filter to identify data packets in the combined data stream having one or more packet identifiers associated with the particular high bandwidth video-data stream and to filter the combined data stream to extract the identified data packets;
generating the high bandwidth video-data stream using the identified data packets;
and
outputting the generated high bandwidth video-data stream via the USB interface.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, via a user interface, an input indicative of a particular high bandwidth video-data stream that is distributed amongst two or more channels of a satellite signal;
sending, via a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an indication of the particular high bandwidth video-data stream to a peripheral device coupled to receive the satellite signal, wherein a control system in the peripheral device is configured to:
(i) use two or more of a plurality of demodulators to demodulate the two or more channels of the satellite signal on which the particular high bandwidth video-data stream is distributed;
(ii) generate a combined data stream based on outputs of the two or more demodulators;
(iii) apply a packet ID filter to identify data packets in the combined data stream having one or more packet identifiers associated with the particular high bandwidth video-data stream and to filter the combined data stream to extract the identified data packets;
(iv) generate the particular high bandwidth video data stream using the identified data packets;
and (v) output the generated particular high bandwidth video data stream via the USB interface;
and
receiving the particular high bandwidth video-data stream via the USB interface.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/586,141Filed 30 Dec 2014
Granted: 30 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04N 21/6193
Specially adapted to the upstream path of the transmission network: involving transmission via a satellite
H04H 20/33
Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information: by plural channels
H04H 20/42
Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast: arrangements for resource management
H04H 40/90
Specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53 - H04H20/95: specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving