Advanced Wireless IPTV Set Top Box

Abstract

An advanced wireless IP STB is provided with multiple built-in antennas capable of capturing plural downstream transmissions simultaneously on dedicated receivers using different modem technologies without the use of wires to the home. The proposed solution facilitates the advanced wireless IP STB being able to receive multiply sourced data traffic, including, for example, IPTV, digital TV, web TV, radio web, internet chat: written, voice and video, GPS tracking locator signals, media player web support, web based video gaming, You Tube and the like video streaming, TV surveillance, video intercom surveillance, and much more. The advanced wireless IP STB is configured to be able to establish a broadband (internet) session through previously assigned or negotiated channel assignments between one or more modems and plural remote wireless infrastructures widely deployed in a municipality, such as WIMAX, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA 1x, TDSCMA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 5G or the like.

1 . An advanced STB comprising:
 antennas means for capturing plural downstream transmissions on dedicated receivers using a plurality of wireless modem technologies without the use of wires to the home; and   means for establishing, based on at least one of predefined metrics and priority schemes, data traffic links to at least two of the plurality of wireless modem technologies simultaneously.   
     
     
         2 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , wherein each data traffic link is at least one of a simple broadcast link, a unicast link, and a multicast link. 
     
     
         3 . The advanced STB B of  claim 1 , wherein the assignment of traffic links to the one or the other of the at least two of the plurality of wireless modem technologies, is a function of desired user data traffic. 
     
     
         4 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , wherein the assignment of traffic links to the one or the other of the at least two of the plurality of wireless modem technologies, is a function of predefined quality of service requirements. 
     
     
         5 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , wherein the plural downstream transmissions include IPTV, digital TV, web TV, radio web, VoIP communications, media player web support, web based video gaming, and video streaming. 
     
     
         6 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , further comprising a GPS modem. 
     
     
         7 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , further comprising means for processing surveillance type data traffic captures by external peripherals and linked to the STB through one of the multiple antennas. 
     
     
         8 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , wherein each of at least two modem technologies are operated by different network carriers. 
     
     
         9 . The advanced STB of  claim 8 , further comprising means for registering with the servicing network carriers of a given data link in a seamless and automatic manner to the user. 
     
     
         10 . The advanced STB of  claim 8 , wherein the STB is configured to operate on an associated network of each of the different network carriers prior to customer delivery of the STB. 
     
     
         11 . The advanced STB of  claim 10 , further comprising means for configuring the STB to register and operate on the network carriers with whom partnership agreements exist. 
     
     
         12 . The advanced STB of  claim 10 , wherein the configuring of the STB to operate on an associated network, further involves configuring the STB to establish a broadband (internet) session through previously assigned or negotiated channel assignments. 
     
     
         13 . The advanced STB of  claim 8 , where the different network carriers include a first operator of a WIMAX network, and a second operator of an LTE radio channel network. 
     
     
         14 . The advanced STB of  claim 8 , where the different network carriers include a first operator of a 4G radio channel network, and a second operator of any one of a 5G, 3.5G, 3G, 2.5G, and 2G cellular radio channel network. 
     
     
         15 . The advanced STB of  claim 1 , where the data traffic links include a first broadband link to an IPTV signal serviced by a first corresponding network, and a second link to a web-based link providing digital TV reception, web-based gaming, web browsing, email capability, video-conferencing, and IP telephony services and serviced by a second corresponding network. 
     
     
         16 . The advanced STB of  claim 8  wherein the means for establishing establishes data links over specific predefined channels associated with secure proprietary frequency allocations in order to manage bandwidth and scheduling resources associated with IPTV signals. 
     
     
         17 . The advanced STB of  claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of memories, each configured to buffer data traffic from a corresponding network carrier received over an associated one or more of the multiple antennas. 
     
     
         18 . The advanced STB of  claim 8 , wherein the network carriers are configured to introduce a delay in transmission signals broadcast to the STB, the STB further comprising means for bandwidth capacity optimization on the basis of the delay in received signal transmissions from the network carriers. 
     
     
         19 . The advanced STB of  claim 18 , further comprising a plurality of memories, each configured to buffer data traffic from a corresponding network carrier received over an associated one or more of the multiple antennas.