The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 10, 2012
Filed:
Aug. 28, 2008
Michael L. LA Joie, Stamford, CT (US);
Michael L. La Joie, Stamford, CT (US);
Time Warner Cable Inc., New York, NY (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for conserving bandwidth within a network based on two or more different service levels. In an exemplary embodiment, programming that is simulcast on two or more program channels is mapped to one physical channel during periods when the programming is scheduled at only one service level (e.g., standard definition), thereby conserving bandwidth on the network that would otherwise be consumed by the simultaneous broadcast on the two or more channels. When the programming service level becomes heterogeneous across the channels (e.g., SD and HD simulcast), physical channel(s) supporting the HD content are provided within a local service area only 'on-demand' using, for example, a switched digital channel allocation. Accordingly, no HD broadcast occurs within a given area until at least one user requests it, thereby further conserving network bandwidth.