公开(公告)号：EP1295480A2

公开(公告)日：2003-03-26

申请号：EP01948749.5

申请日：2001-06-27

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： KNITTEL, Brian ,  DENMAN, Donn ,  LUE, Vincent ,  WONG, Andrew, C.

IPC分类号： H04N7/24

CPC分类号： H04N21/25808 ,  H04N19/40 ,  H04N21/40

摘要： An image display system includes a web server with web pages containing images in a first format. The first format includes a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), a Joint Photographics Experts Group (JPEG) format and/or a Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) format. A distributed communications system is connected to the web server. A proxy server is connected to the distributed communications system. The proxy server decompresses the first format images. The proxy server converts the first format images to a second format that includes either JPEG or MPEG image formats. The proxy server compresses the second format iamges. A set top box that is connected to the proxy server contains either hardwired circuits or hardware acceleration for quickly decompressing the second format images and for generating image frames. A display that is connected to the set top box allows viewing of the image frames.

公开(公告)号：EP1142309A1

公开(公告)日：2001-10-10

申请号：EP99967424.5

申请日：1999-12-17

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： HOUHA, James, A. ,  ASPROMONTE, Bill, J. ,  STALKER, Altan, J.

IPC分类号： H04N5/00 ,  G06F11/14 ,  G06F9/445

CPC分类号： H04N21/443 ,  G06F9/4406 ,  G06F11/1417

摘要： A computer-implemented method and apparatus for restoring operating systems within a set-top box system. The restoration provides for operating a first operating system in a first memory. An application program is operated in a second memory. The first operating system is stored in a second memory so that a second operating system is loaded into the first memory. When a predetermined condition which is associated with the second operating system is detected, the first operating system is loaded into the first memory in response to the detected predetermined condition. Such a system provides such non-limiting advantages to the set-top box as the ability to robustly recover from errors or anomalies associated with downloading an operating system.

公开(公告)号：EP1142307A1

公开(公告)日：2001-10-10

申请号：EP99966434.5

申请日：1999-12-17

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： HOUHA, James, A.

IPC分类号： H04N5/00 ,  G06F9/46

CPC分类号： G06F9/4843 ,  G06F9/461 ,  H04N21/443

摘要： A computer-implemented thread is provided for communicating with other threads in a set-top box environment. The thread includes a stack, a thread control block, and a queue object. The thread's stack provides data storage for the thread, and the thread control block is utilized for storing context information related to the thread. The queue object is utilized for providing communications between the thread and another thread. A swap type detector can be provided for detecting a predetermined swap type for when the thread is swapped from the CPU. A register recorder partially stores the CPU state of the thread based upon the detected swap type of the thread. The register recorder also can perform a partial storage of the CPU state of the thread based upon a received interrupt service request.

摘要翻译： 提供计算机实现的线程用于与机顶盒环境中的其他线程进行通信。 该线程包括一个堆栈，一个线程控制块和一个队列对象。 线程的堆栈为线程提供数据存储，并且线程控制块用于存储与线程相关的上下文信息。 队列对象用于在线程和另一个线程之间提供通信。 交换类型检测器可以被提供用于当线程从CPU交换时检测预定的交换类型。 寄存器记录器根据检测到的线程交换类型部分存储线程的CPU状态。 寄存器还可以基于接收到的中断服务请求执行线程的CPU状态的部分存储。

公开(公告)号：EP1395920A2

公开(公告)日：2004-03-10

申请号：EP01958919.1

申请日：2001-07-12

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： TSO, Victor ,  KNITTEL, Brian

IPC分类号： G06F17/30

CPC分类号： G06F17/30902

摘要： A cache management system for a set top box that improves the loading speed of hypertext markup language (HTML) documents that are provided by web servers through a distributed communications system. The cache management system includes a set top box with a processor and memory that includes cache. A plurality of HTML documents stored in the cache. A cache manager manages the cache and calculates a removal factor for each of the HTML documents. The cache manager removes at least one of the HTML documents based on its removal factor until sufficient room is available for an additional HTML document when a user requests access to the additional HTML document and insufficient cache is available to store the additional HTML document. A table is accessible by the cache manager and is stored in memory of the set top box. The HTML documents are arranged in an ordered list in the table based on the removal factors. The cache manager employs hysteresis when removing the HTML documents from the cache to create room for the additional HTML document when the user requests access to the additional HTML document and insufficient cache is available to store the additional HTML document. The cache manager provides hysteresis by continuing to remove the HTML documents until a predetermined extra amount of the cache is available. The cache manager also continues to remove the HTML documents until available system memory is above a breathing room threshold. The cache manager keeps the maximum number of relevant web pages in cache to maximize loading speed.

公开(公告)号：EP0880745A4

公开(公告)日：1999-04-21

申请号：EP96944439

申请日：1996-12-23

申请人： POWERTV INC

发明人： HOUHA JAMES

IPC分类号： G06F9/46 ,  G06F11/30 ,  G06F9/00

CPC分类号： G06F9/542 ,  G06F9/52

摘要： An improved operating system kernel for a home communication terminal (HCT) includes an event filtering feature (204) which allows threads (A, B) running in the HCT to register interest in events of a particular type, from a particular source, or other desirable criteria. Events occurring in the system (205, 206) are prequalified by the kernel before providing them to individual threads which have registered interest in only certain types of events. By executing a filter in the kernel's context, a thread context switch can be avoided. Events occurring in the system can be matched with events of interest (200a, 200b, 200c) registered by various threads by an efficient comparison operation including a mask field and a code field. Additionally, various thread synchronization mechanisms such as alarms and semaphores can be implemented using a common event object which is integrated onto event queues.

公开(公告)号：EP0885529A1

公开(公告)日：1998-12-23

申请号：EP97908963.0

申请日：1997-03-05

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： CHEN, Jiann-Tsuen ,  MacINNIS, Alexander, G. ,  MORSE, Ken

IPC分类号： G06F9 ,  G09G5

CPC分类号： G09G5/393 ,  G06F9/3879 ,  G09G2340/125

摘要： An improved graphical manipulation technique for a home communications terminal (HCT) includes a linked-list of commands controlling various video operations in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). After each command has been implemented by the ASIC, the ASIC (200) proceeds to the next command without interrupting a host processor (303). Accordingly, the linked-list (302) eliminates the need of the host processor to continually process interrupts at the completion of each instruction. The linked-list command structure aids in intensive video operations including bit block transfers, video capture, and video display.

公开(公告)号：EP0885528A1

公开(公告)日：1998-12-23

申请号：EP97908737.0

申请日：1997-03-06

申请人： PowerTV, Inc.

发明人： CHEN, Jiann-Tsuen, PowerTV, Inc. ,  MacINNIS, Alexander G., PowerTV, Inc.

IPC分类号： H04N9

CPC分类号： H04N9/75 ,  G09G5/026 ,  G09G5/377 ,  G09G5/397 ,  G09G2340/10

摘要： A graphics blending feature for a terminal (200) such as a home communication terminal (HCT) allows an overlay image (301) to be selectively blended with a background image (302) through the use of a chroma key function and one or more alpha control bits (206-208). The chroma key function is used to determine whether the overlay will be completely transparent or not, and the one or more alpha control bits are used to look up a larger alpha value used to blend the overlay and background images. By using small number of alpha control bits to retrieve a larger value for blending, memory requirements per pixel are reduced. The chroma key function may be implemented by comparing each overlay pixel value to a chroma value and, responsive to a match, making the overlay pixel transparent (i.e., no blending occurs). A dithering function is included in various embodiments to smooth out the resulting image.

公开(公告)号：EP0880745A1

公开(公告)日：1998-12-02

申请号：EP96944439.0

申请日：1996-12-23

申请人： Powertv, Inc.

发明人： HOUHA, James, A. Powertv, Inc.

IPC分类号： G06F9

CPC分类号： G06F9/542 ,  G06F9/52

摘要： An improved operating system kernel for a home communication terminal (HCT) includes an event filtering feature (204) which allows threads (A, B) running in the HCT to register interest in events of a particular type, from a particular source, or other desirable criteria. Events occurring in the system (205, 206) are prequalified by the kernel before providing them to individual threads which have registered interest in only certain types of events. By executing a filter in the kernel's context, a thread context switch can be avoided. Events occurring in the system can be matched with events of interest (200a, 200b, 200c) registered by various threads by an efficient comparison operation including a mask field and a code field. Additionally, various thread synchronization mechanisms such as alarms and semaphores can be implemented using a common event object which is integrated onto event queues.

公开(公告)号：EP0870235A1

公开(公告)日：1998-10-14

申请号：EP96945247.0

申请日：1996-12-27

申请人： Powertv, Inc.

发明人： HOUHA, James, A. ,  FREEDMAN, Gordon, J.

IPC分类号： G06F9 ,  H04L29 ,  H04N7

CPC分类号： H04N21/4435 ,  G06F8/54 ,  G06F9/44521 ,  H04L29/06 ,  H04N21/235 ,  H04N21/23614 ,  H04N21/435 ,  H04N21/4351 ,  H04N21/8166

摘要： A system for preprocessing computer programs before downloading them into terminals includes a packager (303) which processes certain information contained in compiled but unlinked programs (307). The packager (303) partially resolves undefined symbols and relocations based on knowledge of a dispatch table (310) in the destination terminal (302) and other information known prior to downloading process. Packager (303) determines sizes of separate code, data dispatch table and temporary symbol areas, incorporates this size information into a header (309d), and transmits a data stream including the header and the aforementioned areas, including partially resolved symbols, to one or more terminals such as home communication terminals (HCTs) in a cable television network. Each receiving terminal (302) extracts the size information and allocates only as much memory as is needed to store each of the separate areas, thus avoiding the need for temporary holding buffer. Receiving terminal thereafter relocates remaining executable instructions to prepare the computer program for execution.

公开(公告)号：EP0870235B1

公开(公告)日：2007-07-25

申请号：EP96945247.3

申请日：1996-12-27

申请人： Powertv, Inc.

发明人： HOUHA, James, A. ,  FREEDMAN, Gordon, J.

IPC分类号： G06F12/02 ,  G06F13/10 ,  G06F9/445

CPC分类号： H04N21/4435 ,  G06F8/54 ,  G06F9/44521 ,  H04L29/06 ,  H04N21/235 ,  H04N21/23614 ,  H04N21/435 ,  H04N21/4351 ,  H04N21/8166

摘要： A system for preprocessing computer programs before downloading them into terminals includes a packager (303) which processes certain information contained in compiled but unlinked programs (307). The packager (303) partially resolves undefined symbols and relocations based on knowledge of a dispatch table (310) in the destination terminal (302) and other information known prior to downloading process. Packager (303) determines sizes of separate code, data dispatch table and temporary symbol areas, incorporates this size information into a header (309d), and transmits a data stream including the header and the aforementioned areas, including partially resolved symbols, to one or more terminals such as home communication terminals (HCTs) in a cable television network. Each receiving terminal (302) extracts the size information and allocates only as much memory as is needed to store each of the separate areas, thus avoiding the need for temporary holding buffer. Receiving terminal thereafter relocates remaining executable instructions to prepare the computer program for execution.