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`UNITED STATES PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION
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`For
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`SWITCHED BROADCAST IMPLEMENTATION
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`Inventor:
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`Zeev Vax, Tel-Aviv,Israel
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`Prepared by:
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`BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP
`12400 Wilshire Boulevard
`Los Angeles, CA 90025-1026
`(408) 947-8200
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`Attorney's Docket No.: 5079P036Z
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`“Express Mail” mailing label number:
`Date of Deposit:
`_August 10, 2004
`I herebycertify that I am causing this paper or fee to be deposited with the United States
`Postal Service “Express Mail Post Office to Addressee”service on the date indicated above
`and that this paper or fee has been addressed to the Assistant Commissionerfor Patents,
`Washington, D.C. 20231
`Patricia A. Balero
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`EV541641651US
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`~$a orprinted nameofperson mailingpaperor fee)
`
`(Signatére of person mailing paper or fee)
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`SONY - Ex.-1005
`Sony Corporation - Petitioner
`
`1
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`SONY - Ex.-1005
`Sony Corporation - Petitioner
`
`1
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`

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`SWITCHED BROADCAST IMPLEMENTATION
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`General
`{0001}
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`Switched Broadcast (SwB) is a new concept accepted enthusiastically
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`especially by the Cable TV operators. Essentially, it offers broadcast programs on
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`demand only. This way, precious bandwidth is saved. See US patent application
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`number: 09/841579.
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`{0002}
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`In order for this to work, a SwB client is installed in the home viewer’s
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`set-top box (STB). Today’s STBs have known channels and methods to communicate
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`with the operators’ head-ends. These communicationlines are used to conveyto the
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`head-end which channel a viewer wants to watch, and to convey to the STB, what are
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`the technical parameters of the desired program (such as frequency, program number,
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`etc.). These communication lines have limited bandwidth. Therefore there is a need to
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`reduce the amountoftraffic on them. Another problem is that viewers sometimes
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`close their television sets but leave the STB on. This way,the head-end doesn’t know
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`that a viewer has stopped watchingthe desired program. This documentprovides a
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`few methods to overcomethese and other problems.
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`Implementation methods
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`[0003]
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`In order to reduce communication between the multitude of STBs and
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`the head-end, the head-endperiodically send to the STB a list of currently available
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`programsandtheir parameters. Occasionally, the head-end also sends update
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`messagesofthis table. This way,if the program is available, the STB doesn’t need to
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`requestit specifically from the head-end.
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`[0004]
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`Programs may sometimes moveto a “regular” broadcast mode based on
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`automatic policy based mechanisms. This can happen only on individual service
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`groups. At different times, these programs can return to be switched broadcast
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`programs.
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`[0005]
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`Viewer behavioris modeled constantly. This way, the system can decide
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`that it is highly likely that a program being broadcastis actually not viewed by
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`anyone. It can remove this program andfree bandwidth for other programs.In order
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`to eliminate mistakes, viewers who are watching these programs may receive a
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`warning prior to the removalof the program.If none of them respond within a certain
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`period, the program will be removed.
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`Clients/BigBandNetworks/5079P036Z/ProvApplicationAsFiledP036Z
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`{0006}
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`In order to reduce tuning times, more popular programs may be
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`broadcast whenthere is available bandwidth even if nobody requested them.
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`Eventually, if the popularity of these programs continuesto increase, they may move
`out of the SwB poolandinto the regular broadcast pool.
`[0007]
`It is very important to avoid cases where viewers can watch incorrect
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`.
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`content (such as adult content). This can be avoided by the SwB system ifit allocates
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`to the different programsfixed and unique parameters such as program numbersand
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`PIDs.
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`[0008]
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`Since most programsare encrypted, they cannot be RateShapedat the
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`edge. However,there is no needto set to each programafixed constantbit rate. There
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`may be somepre-defined encoding levels used.
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`Clients/BigBandNetworks/5079P036Z/ProvApplicationAsFiledP036Z
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`a
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