Systems, methods and apparatus for transmitting weather information in a television distribution network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8949885-B2
Application number	US-84791710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2010
Priority date	Jul 30, 2010
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

Described herein are techniques for transmitting alert information in association with television programming in a transport stream. The alert information may be transmitted to a plurality of television receivers for which the message may be applicable to at least a portion of the television receivers. Each television receiver receives the alert information and determines whether to output the alert information for presentation to a user.

First claim

I claim:

1. A television receiver comprising:
a communication interface operable to receive a transport stream, the transport stream including a first set of packets associated with a first television program and a second set of packets associated with weather information;
control logic communicatively coupled to the communication interface, the control logic operable to process the second set of packets to determine whether to output the weather information; and
an output interface operable to output at least one of the first television program and the weather information for presentation by a presentation device, wherein:
the first set of packets associated with the first television program are associated with one or more program identifiers (PIDs) and the second set of packets associated with weather information are associated with a different program identifier (PID) that is different from the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets associated with the first television program;
the transport stream further includes a third set of packets associated with second television program, wherein the third set of packets associated with the second television program are associated with one or more program identifiers (PIDs) different from the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets associated with the first program; and
the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets include a first program identifier associated with a video component of the first program and a different second program identifier (PID) associated with an audio component of the first program, the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the third set of packets include a third program identifier associated with a video component of the second program and a different fourth program identifier associated with an audio component of the second program, and the program identifier (PID) associated with the second set of packets associated with weather information is a fifth program identifier (PID) different from the first, second, third and fourth program identifier (PIDs).

2. The television receiver of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is operable to receive the transport stream from a satellite communication network and the transport stream is carried in a single signal communication channel of the satellite communication network.

3. The television receiver of claim 1 , wherein the weather information comprises a weather alert and the control logic is operable to determine whether to output the weather alert based on a geographic identifier associated with the television receiver.

4. The television receiver of claim 3 , wherein the geographic identifier comprises an emergency alert system (EAS) specific area message encoding (SAME) code.

5. The television receiver of claim 3 , wherein the control logic overlays the weather alert onto video content of the first television program.

6. The television receiver of claim 3 , wherein the weather alert is received while the television receiver is operating in a standby mode and the control logic is operable to activate an indicator device associated with the television receiver to present the weather alert.

7. The television receiver of claim 3 , wherein the weather alert is received while the television receiver is operating in a standby mode and the control logic is operable to initiate powering on of the presentation device and output the weather alert for presentation by the presentation device.

8. The television receiver of claim 3 , wherein the weather alert is received while the television receiver is operating in a standby mode and the control logic is operable to initiate storage of the weather information upon reception by the television receiver and output the weather alert responsive to the television receiver exiting the standby mode.

9. The television receiver of claim 1 , wherein the weather information comprises forecast information and the control logic is operable to initiate storage of the weather information upon reception by the television receiver and output the weather alert responsive to user input requesting to view the forecast information.

10. A method of presenting weather information on a television receiver, the method comprising:
receiving a transport stream at a television receiver, the transport stream including a first set of packets associated with a first television program and a second set of packets associated with emergency alert information;
outputting the first television program for presentation by a presentation device;
processing the second set of packets to determine whether to output the emergency alert information; and
responsive to determining that the emergency alert information is to be outputted, outputting the emergency alert information, in association with the television program, for presentation by the presentation device, wherein:
the first set of packets associated with the first television program are associated with one or more program identifiers (PIDs) and the second set of packets associated with weather information are associated with a different program identifier (PID) that is different from the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets associated with the first television program;
the transport stream further includes a third set of packets associated with second television program, wherein the third set of packets associated with the second television program are associated with one or more program identifiers (PIDs) different from the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets associated with the first program; and
the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the first set of packets include a first program identifier associated with a video component of the first program and a different second program identifier (PID) associated with an audio component of the first program, the one or more program identifiers (PIDs) associated with the third set of packets include a third program identifier associated with a video component of the second program and a different fourth program identifier associated with an audio component of the second program, and the program identifier (PID) associated with the second set of packets associated with weather information is a fifth program identifier (PID) different from the first, second, third and fourth program identifier (PIDs).

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the emergency alert information comprises a weather alert.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein outputting the emergency alert information further comprises:
overlaying the weather alert onto a portion of the first television program.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein processing the second set of packets to determine whether to output the emergency alert information further comprises:
determining whether a first geographic identifier, associated with the emergency alert information, corresponds with a second geographic identifier, associated with the television receiver.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein processing the second set of packets to determine whether to output the emergency alert information further comprises:
determining whether the first geographic identifier corresponds with a third geographic identifier, selected by a user of the television receiver.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein processing the second set of packets to determine whether to output the emergency alert information further compr

Assignees

• Strong Stephen
• Echostar Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Strong Stephen

Classifications

• H04N21/814

  comprising emergency warnings (arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title

• H04N21/6543

  for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} · CPC title

• H04H60/71

  using meteorological information · CPC title

• H04H20/59

  for emergency or urgency · CPC title

• H04N21/4882 Primary

  for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders (arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895) · CPC title