Abstract:
A mechanism for displaying gap filler data on a display of a portable mobile communications device (PMCD) receiving a mobile broadcast via a mobile broadcast receiver during a time delay occurring as a result of switching from a first channel to a second channel is presented. A PMCD processor detects when a channel switch request is initiated via a user interface. This causes the mobile broadcast receiver to switch from the first channel to the second channel. A media player application receives a signal from a mobile broadcast device signal processor that a channel switch is occurring. The media player application retrieves gap filler data to be displayed during the time delay needed to complete the channel switch. The media player application subsequently receives a signal that the channel switch has completed and discontinues displaying the gap filler data so that the display can display the newly tuned second channel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to portable mobile communications devices (PMCDs) and systems, and more particularly to a portable mobile communications device, system and method that can receive television broadcast signals.  
         [0002]     Portable mobile communications devices such as mobile phones are becoming more sophisticated and include many new features and capabilities. One such feature is the capability to receive mobile broadcast signals, mobile television, or the like. Such services include digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H), digital media broadcast (DMB), integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T), mobile broadcast multi-cast service (MBMS), or similar technologies. When integrated into a mobile phone, all of the aforementioned technologies utilize a separate mobile broadcast tuner except for MBMS which can be received using the portable mobile communications device existing mobile radio receiver and transmitter.  
         [0003]     The DVB-H standard reduces power consumption and extends battery life by using a time sliced format to transfer one of many data channels to a portable mobile communications device. For instance, the radio and demodulator associated with the mobile broadcast portion of the portable mobile communications device are only powered on for relatively short periods of time (i.e., 0.1 seconds) while they remain powered off for longer periods of time (i.e. 1 to 5 seconds). Thus, the ratio between on/off of the radio and demodulator can range from 10:1 to 50:1 while the interval between on cycles can vary from 1.0 to 5.0 seconds.  
         [0004]     The drawback to this power save method is that the time required to switch from one channel to another channel is noticeably and annoyingly long for the user/viewer. Conversely, leaving the radio and demodulator powered on all the time to capture and buffer all available channels will drastically affect the battery life of the device.  
         [0005]     Currently, there are no provisions addressing the situation described above. What is needed is a means for presenting something other than a blank screen on the display during the extended time gap as a result of retuning the mobile broadcast receiver to a new channel.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention comprises an apparatus, method, and computer program product for displaying gap filler data on a display of a portable mobile communications device receiving a mobile broadcast via a mobile broadcast receiver during a time delay occurring as a result of switching from a first channel to a second channel. A processor detects when a channel switch request is initiated via a user interface. This causes a mobile broadcast receiver to switch from the first channel to the second channel. A media player application receives a signal from a mobile broadcast device signal processor that a channel switch is occurring. The media player application retrieves gap filler data to be displayed during the time delay needed to complete the channel switch. The media player application subsequently receives a signal that the channel switch has completed and discontinues displaying the gap filler data so that the portable mobile communications device display can show the newly tuned second channel.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary portable mobile communications device for presenting something other than a blank screen or the last frame of the previous channel on a mobile display during an extended time gap as a result of retuning the television receiver to a new channel.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a timing diagram illustrating the timing involved in switching channels from one mobile broadcast program to another.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart describing interaction between the channel switch delay gap filler application and the mobile television device. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary portable mobile communications device for presenting something other than a blank screen or the last frame of the previous channel on a mobile display during an extended time gap as a result of retuning the television receiver to a new channel. The design of the portable mobile communications device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  is for purposes of explaining the present invention and the present invention is not limited to any particular design.  
         [0011]     The portable mobile communications device  100  may include an operator or user interface  100  to facilitate controlling operation of the portable mobile communications device  100  including initiating and conducting phone calls and other communications. The user interface  100  may include a display  112  to provide visual signals to a subscriber, viewer, or user as to the status and operation of the portable mobile communications device  100 . The display  112  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like capable of presenting color images. The display  112  may provide information to a user or operator in the form of images, text, numerals, characters, a graphical user interface (GUI) and the like. The display  112  may also be used to present programming carried by broadcast mobile television signals.  
         [0012]     The user interface  112  may also include a keypad and function keys or buttons  114  including a pointing device, such as a joystick or the like. The keypad, function buttons and/or joystick  114  permit the user to communicate commands to the portable mobile communications device  100  to dial phone numbers, initiate and terminate calls, establish other communications, such as access a mobile television provider, the Internet, send and receive email, text messages and the like. The keypad, function buttons, and/or joystick  114  may also be used to control other operations of the portable mobile communications device  100 . The keypad, function buttons, and/or joystick  114  may also be implemented and combined on a touch sensitive display to receive tactile input.  
         [0013]     The display  112 , keypad, and function buttons  114  may be coupled to a PMCD processor  120 . The PMCD processor  120  may be a microprocessor, digital signal processor or the like. The PMCD processor  120  may include a media player application  122  for filling the gap in time during a channel switch. The functions and operations described with respect to a portable mobile communications device  100  in method  300  of  FIG. 3  may be embodied in the media player application  122  for filling the gap in time during a channel switch. The media player application  122  may be embodied in hardware, firmware, software (data structures) or combinations thereof. The PMCD processor  120  may also include other data structures, software programs, computer applications and the like to encode and decode control signals; perform communication procedures and other functions as described herein.  
         [0014]     With respect to traditional mobile phone functions, the user interface  110  may also include a microphone and a speaker  116 . The microphone  116  may receive audio or acoustic signals from a user or from another acoustic source. The microphone  116  may convert the audio or acoustic signals to electrical signals. The microphone  116  may be connected to the PMCD processor  120  wherein the PMCD processor  120  may convert the electrical signals to baseband communication signals. The PMCD processor  120  may be connected to a radio transmitter  130  that may convert baseband signals from the PMCD processor  120  to radio frequency (RF) signals. The radio transmitter  130  may be connected to an antenna assembly  140  for transmission of the RF signals to a communication medium or system, such as a mobile radio access network (MRAN) or the like.  
         [0015]     The antenna assembly  140  may receive RF signals over the air and transfer the RF signals to a radio receiver  130 . The radio receiver  130  may convert the RF signals to baseband signals. The baseband signals may be applied to the PMCD processor  120  which may convert the baseband signals to electrical signals. The PMCD processor  120  may send the electrical signals to the speaker  116  which may convert the electrical signals to audio signals that can be understood by the user.  
         [0016]     The portable mobile communications device  100  may also include a mobile broadcast device  150 . The mobile broadcast device  150  may be a DVB-H type device or the like. The mobile broadcast device  150  may be integrally formed as part of the portable mobile communications device  100  or may be a separate unit that may be connected and operate in association with the portable mobile communications device  100 . The mobile broadcast device  150  may include an antenna assembly  152  for receiving broadcast signals of programming from a mobile broadcast network, broadcast radio access network (B-RAN) or the like. A receiver  154  may be coupled to the antenna assembly  152  to receive the broadcast signals. A signal processor  156  may receive the broadcast signals from the receiver  154  and convert the signals to a format for video presentation on the display  112  and audio output on speaker  116  of the portable mobile communications device  100 .  
         [0017]     A gap filler data storage means  158  may also be present to store data to be presented during a channel switch delay. The gap filler data storage means  158  is accessible to the media player application  122 . The gap filler data storage means  158  need not be a separate data storage means within the portable mobile communications device  100 . It can be virtually any type of memory or data storage common to the portable mobile communications device  100  such as internal memory, or removable storage media such as Memory Stick™, or compact flash card, etc. It has merely been labeled gap filler data storage means  158  for convenience and ease of illustration. The gap filler data itself can be pictures, short video clips, pre-configured content supplied by the mobile network service provider, or user downloaded content. Moreover, the gap filler data need not all reside within the same memory structure. Some gap filler data can be stored internally while other gap filler data can be stored on a removable storage medium.  
         [0018]     The DVB-H mobile broadcast standard reduces power consumption and extends battery life by using a time sliced format to transfer one of many data channels to a mobile device. For instance, the radio and demodulator associated with the mobile broadcast receiver  154  of the portable mobile communications device  100  are only powered on for relatively short periods of time (i.e., 0.1 seconds) while they remain powered off for longer periods of time (i.e. 1 to 5 seconds). Thus, the ratio between on/off of the radio and demodulator can range from 10:1 to 50:1 while the interval between on cycles can vary from 1.0 to 5.0 seconds. This results in a significant and annoying lag time when switching channels. The delay between retuning from the old channel to the new channel can be a few seconds.  
         [0019]     This is illustrated on the timeline of  FIG. 2 . The mobile broadcast device  150  is camped on and currently displaying channel X. Since the tuner/demodulator are only on for a fraction of time, the mobile broadcast device  150  must wait until the next on cycle in order to perform any commands or instructions initiated by the user/viewer via the user interface. Thus, a channel switch request and execution can take up to 6 seconds according to  FIG. 2 .  
         [0020]     In this timing diagram, the mobile broadcast device receives a request initiated by the user/viewer to switch to channel Y at the two (2) second mark on the timeline. The channel switch request can take up to six seconds to process before the mobile broadcast device is ready to display the content on the newly requested channel. During this time the portable mobile communications device will display an alternate content data source. The alternate content data source is designed to occupy the user&#39;s interest or accomplish a goal of a service provider while the channel switch takes place. The alternate content data source is of more interest to the user than a blank screen or last frame of the previous channel would be during the time needed to carry out the channel switch.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart describing interaction between the media player application and the mobile broadcast device. In block  310 , the mobile broadcast device is displaying the content on channel X. In block  320 , the user decides to switch to channel Y and initiates a channel switch with the mobile broadcast receiver. In block  330 , the mobile broadcast receiver detects a loss of the television signal due to the retuning by the mobile broadcast receiver. This cedes control of the portable mobile communications device display to the media player application while the mobile broadcast receiver retunes from channel X to channel Y in block  340 . In block  350 , the mobile broadcast receiver monitors the progress of the channel switch request until the mobile broadcast receiver signal processor detects a resumption of the broadcast signal following completion of the channel switch and sends a request to the media player application to return control of the portable mobile communications device display to the mobile broadcast receiver. In block  360 , the portable mobile communications device displays the content broadcast by channel Y.  
         [0022]     During the retuning period between the request to switch from channel X to Y and the actual retuning to channel Y, control of the portable mobile communications device display is ceded to the media player application. In block  370 , the media player application retrieves gap filler data. In block  380 , the media player application displays the retrieved gap filler data. In block  390 , the media player application then waits for a request to return control of the portable mobile communications device display to the mobile broadcast receiver upon successful retuning from channel X to channel Y.  
         [0023]     The gap filler data can be pre-stored digital video stills, motion clips, or animation that would play during the channel switch delay. The gap filler data can be locally stored on the portable mobile communications device or stored on a removable storage medium. For instance, a slide show of still images stored in a specific file folder could be shown. Similarly, the media player application could point to and retrieve a video clip or animation stored in a specific file folder.  
         [0024]     The increments and intervals shown in  FIG. 2  are illustrative in nature and not intended to restrict the present invention in any way. Other mobile television devices may use smaller or larger time intervals between power on cycles of the tuner/demodulator portion of the mobile television device.  
         [0025]     As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.  
         [0026]     Any suitable computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.  
         [0027]     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).  
         [0028]     The present invention may have been described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.  
         [0029]     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.  
         [0030]     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.  
         [0031]     The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.  
         [0032]     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.  
         [0033]     Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the invention has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.