Method and apparatus to broadcast content to handheld wireless devices via digital set-top receivers

Abstract

Delivery of programming from a content provider to one or more hand held devices is effected via a set-top box (STB). The STB receives a transport stream, recognizes and de-multiplexes out a co-cast content association table containing a list of all available co-cast programming, and broadcasts table to the one or more hand held devices. Each hand held device displays the list and a program therefrom is selected. The selection is transmitted to the STB, which de-multiplexes out the selection from the delivered programming, and re-multiplexes the requested co-cast programming into a transport stream for broadcast to the requesting hand held device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for of delivering program content from a content provider to one or more hand held handheld wireless devices via a set top box (STB), the method comprising the steps of:
 saidthe STB receivesreceiving a transport stream,from the content provider; 
 saidthe STB operable to recognize co-cast programmingrecognizing Co-Cast information in athe transport stream, wherein the co-cast information comprises a Co-Cast Content Association Table that identifies a list of co-cast programming for playback on the one or more handheld wireless devices other than a television; 
 saidthe STB demultiplexing out athe Co-Cast Content Association Table; said Co-Cast Content Association Table containing a list of all co-cast programming availablefrom the transport stream; 
 saidthe STB wirelessly broadcastingtransmitting to the one or more hand heldhandheld wireless devices information corresponding to the list of co-cast programming available to the one or more handheld wireless devices identified by the Co-Cast Content Association Table, where each hand held wireless device displays the list of available co-cast programming; 
 selecting on said hand held wireless device one program; said hand held device transmitting the program request to the STB; 
 saidthe STB receiving one or more requests from the one or more hand held handheld wireless devices one or more requests identifying co-cast programming among the list of co-cast programming available to the one or more handheld devices; 
 saidthe STB further demultiplexing out from the transport stream the requested co-cast programming identified by the one or more requests; and 
 re-multiplexesthe STB multiplexing the requested co-cast programming demultiplexed from the transport stream into a co-cast transport stream and broadcasting said transmitting the co-cast programming transport stream to each of the requesting hand held one or more handheld wireless devices, 
 wherein the co-cast programming is audio/video (A/V) content. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  where, wherein the co-cast information is associated with a specific television program. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  where, wherein the co-cast information is not associated with a specific television program. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  where, wherein the co-cast information was is introduced into the transport stream in the a native format of the hand held wireless device one or more handheld wireless devices. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  where, wherein the hand held one or more handheld wireless devices transmit their native format formats to the STB, which re-encodes the requested co-cast information programming into the native format of the destination hand held wireless device one or more handheld wireless devices, where said wherein the native format formats may be different from one hand held device to another each other. 
     
     
       6. The STB method of  claim 1  where, wherein the STB is capable of configured to simultaneously communicating communicate with more than one hand held wireless device the one or more handheld wireless devices. 
     
     
       7. The STB method of  claim 1  where, wherein the STB outputs multiple single-program Transport Stream Streams. 
     
     
       8. The STB method of  claim 1  where, wherein the STB outputs a single multiple-program Transport Stream. 
     
     
       9. The hand held device method of  claim 1  where, wherein the hand held device is the destination one or more handheld wireless devices are destinations of the co-cast programming. 
     
     
       10. A method for of delivering program content from a content provider to one or more hand held handheld wireless devices via a set top box (STB), the method comprising the steps of:
 saidthe STB receivesreceiving a transport stream,from the content provider; 
 saidthe STB operable to recognize co-castrecognizing Co-Cast programming in athe transport stream, wherein the Co-Cast programming comprises a Co-Cast Content Association Table that identifies a list of co-cast programming for playback on the one or more handheld wireless devices other than a television; 
 saidthe STB demultiplexing out the Co-Cast programming, where said co-cast programming includes the Co-Cast Content Association Table from the transport stream; 
 saidthe STB re-multiplexesmultiplexing the requested co-castCo-Cast programming into a co-cast transport stream,; 
 the STB wirelessly broadcasting to the one or more hand heldhandheld wireless devices the co-cast programming, where each hand held wireless device demultiplexes out the Co-Cast Content Association Table, displays the list of available co-cast programming, selecting one co-cast program; said wireless handheld further demultiplexing out said requested co-cast programming from the received stream; decoding and displaying said co-cast programmingtransport stream, 
 wherein the co-cast programming is audio/video (A/V) content. 
 
     
     
       11. A system for delivering content, the system comprising:
 a content provider configured to multiplex a transport stream, the transport stream comprising audio/video (AV) content, co-cast information, and co-cast content; and   a STB configured:
 to receive the transport stream from the content provider, 
 to recognize the co-cast information in the transport stream, wherein the co-cast information comprises a Co-Cast Content Association Table that identifies a list of co-cast programming for playback on the one or more handheld devices other than a television, 
 to demultiplex the Co-Cast Content Association Table from the transport stream, 
 to transmit information corresponding to the list of co-cast programming available identified by the Co-Cast Content Association Table, 
 to receive one or more requests identifying co-cast programming among the list of co-cast programming available from the one or more handheld wireless devices, 
 to demultiplex from the transport stream the co-cast programming identified by the one or more requests, 
 to multiplex the co-cast programming demultiplexed from the transport stream into a co-cast transport stream, and 
 transmit the co-cast transport stream to the one or more handheld wireless devices, 
   wherein the co-cast programming is audio/video (A/V) content.   
     
     
       12. A set top box (STB) configured to deliver content from a content provider to one or more handheld wireless devices, the STB comprising:
 a first receiver configured to receive a transport stream from the content provider, wherein the STB is configured to recognize co-cast information in the transport stream, wherein the co-cast information comprises a Co-Cast Content Association Table that identifies a list of co-cast programming for playback on the one or more handheld wireless devices other than a television;   a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the Co-Cast Content Association Table from the transport stream;   a wireless communication interface configured to transmit to the one or more handheld wireless devices information corresponding to the list of co-cast programming available to the one or more handheld wireless devices identified by the Co-Cast Content Association Table and receive from the one or more handheld wireless devices one or more requests identifying co-cast programming among the list of co-cast programming available to the one or more handheld devices; and   a multiplexer configured to multiplex co-cast programming demultiplexed from the transport stream into a co-cast transport stream,   wherein the demultiplexer further is configured to demultiplex from the transport stream the co-cast programming identified by the one or more requests,   wherein the wireless communication interface is further configured to transmit the co-cast transport stream to the one or more handheld wireless devices, and   wherein the co-cast programming is audio/video (A/V) content.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 1, wherein a header of the co-cast information comprises an identifier configured to identify a packet of the co-cast information as a co-cast packet. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless devices are comprised of one or more of a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 10, wherein a header of the co-cast information comprises an identifier configured to identify a packet of the co-cast information as a co-cast packet. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more wireless devices are comprised of one or more of a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone. 
     
     
       17. The system of claim 11, wherein a header of the co-cast information comprises an identifier configured to identify a packet of the co-cast information as a co-cast packet. 
     
     
       18. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more wireless devices are comprised of one or more of a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone. 
     
     
       19. The STB of claim 12, wherein a header of the co-cast information comprises an identifier configured to identify a packet of the co-cast information as a co-cast packet. 
     
     
       20. The STB of claim 12, wherein the one or more wireless devices are comprised of one or more of a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone.