Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved media content rating system.SOLUTION: A method comprises: logging the amount of playback of one or more portions of media content played back by a media content player device; rating the media content on the basis of the logged amount of playback of each portion; providing rating metrics associated with the rating of the media content and/or the rating of each portion of the media content; and presenting the rating metrics to the media content player device.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for improving content delivery with a business incentive for placement of kiosks with multiple wireless access points in public locations so that portable media players (PMPs) can receive media contents.SOLUTION: Coordination between subscribing users of PMPs 504, vendors who provide kiosks, and a network central controller 514 of a content distribution system allow for: prepositioning of video contents at the kiosks through economically desirable low data rate communication links from the network; coordinated queuing of downloads (e.g., partial downloads) from a kiosk to a PMP, peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading between PMPs, and uploads from a PMP to a kiosk; and billing/crediting to correspond with such participation in the distribution.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a subscription-based distribution service that distributes media contents to a portable device (PMP) via geographically positioned kiosks that support wireless access points.SOLUTION: Coordination between subscribing users of PMPs, vendors who provide kiosks, and a network central controller of a content distribution system allows for: pre-positioning of video content at the kiosks through economically desirable low data rate communication links from a network (dial-up modem, DSL, etc.); coordinated queuing of downloads (partial downloads) between a kiosk to a PMP, P2P downloading between PMPs, and uploads from a PMP to a kiosk; billing/crediting to correspond with such participation in the distribution; and changing priority/selection of pre-positioning of contents at the kiosks to reflect a clientele profile.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a communication system in which transmission takes place according to a format which permits different types of data to be combined and transmitted within a single transmission. The novel feature is that the communication system transmits variable length frames of data in packets, and that a data combining and transmission sub-system (14, 16, 18, 20) is provided so that when a frame of data does not require a complete packet for transmission, the data combining sub-system combines the frame of data with additional data to provide a complete packet. The data combining sub-system comprises input means for receiving the frame of data and the additional data and for combining the frame of data and the additional data to provide a complete packet responsive to a control signal, and control means for providing the control signal.
Abstract:
A VITERBI DECODER (50) FOR RECOVERING THE ORIGINAL BIT DATA STREAM THAT WAS CONVOLUTIONALLY ENCODED AS A CODE SYMBOL STREAM IN A CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (CDMA) MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. THE DECODER SIMULTANEOUSLY DECODES AT THE SEVERAL DATA RATES ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN MULTIRATE VOCODERS. THE DECODER CAN DECODE AT AN UNKNOWN DATA RATE IN EITHER CONTINUOUS OR FRAMED PACKET MODES. IT ACCOMPLISHES THIS BY SIMULTANEOUSLY DECODING AT MULTIPLE RATES AND BY CREATING ONE OR MORE DATA QUALITY METRICS FOR EACH DECODED DATA PACKET. SPECAIL INPUT AND OUTPUT BUFFERING IS PROVIDED TO ISOLATE THE DECODER FROM SYSTEM TIMING CONSTRAINTS. THE INPUT BUFFER (48) INCLUDES SELECTION AND ACCUMULATION LOGIC TO ORGANIZE CODE SYMBOL DATA INTO THE PACKET ORDER FOR REPEAT MODE OR RANDOM BURST MODE AT LOWER FRAME DATA RATES. DECODED DATA PACKETS FOR EACH OF SEVERAL PREDETERMINED DATA TRANSFER RATES ARE HELD IN AN OUTPUT BUFFER (54) FOR ABOUT HALF OF THE DECODING CYCLE, THEREBY PERMITTING THE SYSTEM MICROPROCESSOR TO EXAMINE AND SELECT THE APPROPRIATE DECODED DATA PACKET. THE DECODER (50) ALSO CAN BE RECONFIGURED TO OPERATE AT ANY ONE OF SEVERAL PREDETERMINED CONVOLUTIONAL ENCODING ALGORITHMS. THE VITERBI DECODER (50), IMPLEMENTED AS A SINGLE MONOLITHIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, CAN BE USED IN ANY AND ALL OF MANY DIFFERENT MULTIUSER TELECOMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS.FIGURE 5