Content delivery system, content delivery apparatus, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11750890-B2
Application number	US-202117342863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2021
Priority date	Dec 10, 2018
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

According to the present embodiment, there is provided a content delivery apparatus applied to a content delivery system which delivers content, which is sent from a transmission apparatus, to a reception apparatus by a multicast method via an IP network. The content delivery apparatus includes an analyzer configured to detect a start point or an end point of the content by analyzing control information of the content, and a manager configured to control a reception start or a reception end of the content, based on the start point or the end point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A content delivery apparatus applied to a content delivery system which delivers content, which is sent from a transmission apparatus, to a reception apparatus by a multicast method via an IP network, the content delivery apparatus comprising:
an analyzer configured to detect a start point or an end point of the content by analyzing auxiliary data included in the content, the auxiliary data including control information of the content; and
a manager configured to control a reception start or a reception end of the content, based on the start point or the end point,
wherein the control information includes a marker bit that indicates boundary information of video data of the content, and further includes at least one of a time stamp that indicates timing information of the content or a frame count that indicates a count value of a frame in the content, and
the analyzer is further configured to detect the start point or the end point of the content based on a combination of the marker bit and the time stamp or based on a combination of the marker bit and the frame count.

2. The content delivery apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an input unit configured to start reception of the content in accordance with the reception start, and to end the reception of the content in accordance with the reception end; and
a transmitter configured to send the content received by the input unit to the reception apparatus.

3. The content delivery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analyzer is further configured to
monitor the auxiliary data included in the content that is sent from the transmission apparatus.

4. A content delivery system that delivers content, which is sent from a transmission apparatus to a reception apparatus by a multicast method via an IP network, the content delivery system comprising:
an analyzer configured to detect a start point or an end point of the content by analyzing auxiliary data included in the content, the auxiliary data including control information of the content;
a manager configured to control a reception start or a reception end of the content, based on the start point or the end point;
an input unit configured to start reception of content in accordance with the reception start, and to end the reception of the content in accordance with the reception end; and
a transmitter configured to send the received content to the reception apparatus,
wherein the control information includes a marker bit that indicates boundary information of video data of the content, and further includes at least one of a time stamp that indicates timing information of the content or a frame count that indicates a count value of a frame in the content, and
the analyzer is further configured to detect the start point or the end point of the content based on a combination of the marker bit and the time stamp or based on a combination of the marker bit and the frame count.

5. The content delivery system of claim 4 , wherein the analyzer is further configured to
monitor the auxiliary data included in the content which is sent from the transmission apparatus.

6. A method applied to a content delivery system that delivers content, which is sent from a transmission apparatus to a reception apparatus by a multicast method via an IP network, the method comprising:
detecting a start point or an end point of the content by analyzing auxiliary data included in the content, the auxiliary data including control information of the content;
controlling a reception start or a reception end of the content, based on the start point or the end point;
starting reception of the content in accordance with the reception start, and ending the reception of the content in accordance with the reception end; and
sending the received content to the reception apparatus,
wherein the control information includes a marker bit that indicates boundary information of video data of the content, and further includes at least one of a time stamp that indicates timing information of the content or a frame count that indicates a count value of a frame in the content, and
the detecting step further includes detecting the start point or the end point of the content based on a combination of the marker bit and the time stamp or based on a combination of the marker bit and the frame count.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of detecting further comprises
monitoring the auxiliary data included in the content that is sent from the transmission apparatus.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Sugawara Yukihiro
• Iwami Keita

Classifications

• H04N21/6405 Primary

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title

• H04N21/647

  Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless {(real-time session protocols H04L65/1101)} · CPC title

• H04N21/64322 Primary

  IP · CPC title

• H04N21/2353

  specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata · CPC title

• H04N21/2381

  Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network {(transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601)} · CPC title