Method and apparatus for providing broadcast information with indexing

Patent 5614940 Issued on March 25, 1997. Estimated Expiration Date:

October 21, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

System for electronically controllably viewing on a television updateable television programming information Patent #: 4751578
Issued on: 06/14/1988
Inventor: Reiter , et al.

Inventors

Application

No. 327504 filed on 10/21/1994

US Classes:

725/138, Headend725/37, OPERATOR INTERFACE725/139Receiver (e.g., set-top box)

Examiners

Primary: Kostak, Victor R.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman

International Class

H04N 005/265

Abstract

A method and apparatus generates and transfers a stream of broadcast information which includes multiple video and audio information segments to a receiving device. Once received, the segments are stored in a cache and indexing information associated with the segments is made available to end users of the apparatus. The end users are then able to select which segment(s) they would like to receive, and the selected segment(s) is transmitted to the requesting user(s). In one embodiment, when a new segment is received, a determination is made as to whether it is a more recent version of another segment already stored by the apparatus. If it is a more recent version, then the older version is overwritten by the newer version.