Patent ID: 6614804
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: G06F,H04B,H04H,H04L,H04N

Abstract:
In a system that includes a server system and broadcast service provider comprised of at least one of a satellite broadcast service and a cable network, and a plurality of client systems coupled to the server system and the broadcast service provider, a method of updating information at the plurality of client systems by using relatively high bandwidth, one-way data communication capability of the broadcast service provider to download the updated information in order to reduce the need for using relatively low bandwidth, two-way data communication capability used when connecting to the server system, the method comprising:at a client system, receiving from the broadcast service provider scheduling information including a scheduled time for when updated information is to be transmitted to the client systems wherein the scheduling information is generated at the server system and communicated to the broadcast service provider prior to being sent to the client system; and at client system, receiving at the scheduled time, updated information that is being broadcast on a relatively high bandwidth, one-way data communication channel of the broadcast service provider, wherein the server system allocates the use of the relatively high bandwidth, one-way communication channel and communicates the updated information to the broadcast service provider upon formatting and allocating the updated information for high bandwidth data communication, and wherein the broadcast service provider broadcasts the updated information on the relatively high bandwidth communication channel to the client system at the scheduled time.