Method and apparatus for monitoring a transport processing system in a software download broadcast communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9602628-B2
Application number	US-61591509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2009
Priority date	Nov 10, 2008
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for a system for communicating with a user device includes a first transport processing system and a second transport processing system. The system also includes a software download manager that monitors a first transport processing system communicating a software image, generates a first announcement for the software image, communicates the first announcement to the user device, determines a failure of the first transport processing system, discontinues the first announcement for the software image in response to the failure and communicating the software image through the second transport processing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising
monitoring a first transport processing system of a broadcast system communicating a first software image;
generating a first announcement for the first software image at the broadcast system;
communicating the first announcement from the broadcast system to a user device;
determining a failure of the first transport processing system;
discontinuing the first announcement for the first software image in response to the failure;
communicating the first software image through a second transport processing system of the broadcast system;
generating a first download resolution file for the software image corresponding to the first transport processing system prior to determining a failure; and
generating a second download resolution file for the software image corresponding to the second transport processing system after determining a failure.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising after communicating the first software image through a second transport processing system, generating a second announcement for the first software image and communicating the second announcement to the user device.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein communicating the first announcement to a user device comprises communicating the first announcement to the user device through a conditional access system, and wherein communicating the second announcement to the user device comprises communicating the second announcement to the user device through a conditional access system.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating the software image to the first transport processing system with a unique identifier and communicating an abort signal with the unique identifier after determining a failure.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating the software image to a first queue associated with the first transport processing system prior to determining a failure and communicating the software image to a second queue associated with the second transport processing system after determining the failure.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a failure comprises communicating a status request signal to the first transport processing system and, generating a failure signal when a response signal is not received after the status request signal.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising updating operating software in the user device with the software image after communicating the software image through the second transport processing system.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein monitoring a first transport processing system comprises monitoring a primary or backup transport processing system.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein monitoring a first transport processing system comprises monitoring an engineering transport processing system.

10. A method comprising:
monitoring a first transport processing system of a broadcast system communicating a first software image;
generating a first announcement for the first software image at the broadcast system;
communicating the first announcement from the broadcast system to a user device;
determining a failure of the first transport processing system;
discontinuing the first announcement for the first software image in response to the failure;
communicating the first software image through a second transport processing system of the broadcast system;
communicating first content channel data to a scheduling system;
generating a first schedule in response to the first content channel data;
broadcasting software download images based on the first schedule;
communicating second content channel data to the scheduling system;
generating a second schedule in response to the second content channel data; and
broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 further comprising changing the first content channel data to the second content channel data by changing at least one of bandwidth, a start time, a stop time, a channel availability.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 further comparing broadcasting announcement files based on the first schedule.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 further comparing broadcasting announcement files based on the second schedule.

14. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule comprises broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule through a transport processing system.

15. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein broadcasting software download images based on the first schedule comprise broadcasting a first software image from the software images from a first transport processing system and wherein broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule comprises broadcasting the first software download image based on the second schedule through a second transport processing system.

16. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein after broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule, updating a software image in a user device.

17. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule comprises broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule through a satellite.

18. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein broadcasting software download images comprises broadcasting software download images and first download resolution files based on the first schedule; and
further comprising generating second download resolution files based on the second schedule; and
wherein broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule comprises broadcasting software download images and the second download resolution files based on the second schedule.

19. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein after broadcasting software download images based on the second schedule, updating a software image in a user device.

20. A broadcast system electronically communicating with a user device comprising:
an electronic first transport processing system;
an electronic second transport processing system;
an electronic software download manager in the broadcast system in electronic communication with the first transport processing system and the second transport processing system, the software download manager electronically monitors the first transport processing system, electronically communicates a software image, generates a first announcement for the software image, electronically communicates the first announcement to the user device, determines a failure of the first transport processing system, discontinues the first announcement for the software image in response to the failure and communicates the software image through the second transport processing system;
generates a first download resolution file for the software image corresponding to the first transport processing system prior to determining the failure, and generates a second download resolution file for the software image corresponding to the second transport processing system after the failure is determined.

21. A system as recited in claim 20 wherein the software download manger, after communicating the software image to the second transport processing system, generates a second announcement for the software image and communicates the second announcement to the user device.

22. A system as r

Assignees

• Yu Jianming
• Deverakonda Venkata Subbaraya Kumar
• Debergh Charles C
• Clabaugh Lonnie Scott
• Directv Group Inc

Inventors

• Yu Jianming
• Deverakonda Venkata Subbaraya Kumar
• Debergh Charles C
• Clabaugh Lonnie Scott

Classifications

• H04L67/34 Primary

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L69/40

  for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection (management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06) · CPC title

• H04L45/28

  using route fault recovery · CPC title

• H04N21/4351

  involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules · CPC title

• H04N21/8166

  involving executable data, e.g. software (arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34) · CPC title