GB2439612A

GB2439612A - Reconfigurable dab application for a mobile communications device

Info

Publication number: GB2439612A
Application number: GB0613053A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Orrell; Antony Rix; Coreena Fiona Anne Lofting
Original assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Current assignee: British Telecommunications PLC
Priority date: 2006-06-30
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Publication date: 2008-01-02
Also published as: GB0613053D0

Abstract

A method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application using a communications application of said mobile communications device; communicating the request over a bi-directional wireless communications network to a remote server; receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for download to the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network; and installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications devices. Also disclosed is a digital receiver module for a mobile communications device for receiving and partially decoding a DAB multiplex wherein the partial decoding is implemented by a decoder arranged to utilize resources shared with other applications supported by the operating system of the mobile communications device. Furthermore a router module in the device separates out subchannels in a received digitally broadcast multiplex comprising audio and/or video and programme guide information. The subchannels are decoded to provide display or playable content.

Description

1 2439612

RECONFIGURABLE DAB APPLICATION FOR A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

The present invention relates to a mobile communications device arranged to play and display digitally broadcast audio and video signals. The signals are partially decoded by a DAB receiver controlled by a DAB application supported by the operating system of the mobile communications device.

The invention in particular, but not exclusively, relates to a mobile communications device having a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application for receiving a multiplex of DAB subchannels from the DAB receiver and the DAB application is arranged to selectively decode one or more sub-channels from said multiplex using resources shared with the operating system of the mobile communications device.

Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) is a standard for broadcasting digital audio signals and video signals. The standards for digital video broadcast (DVB) signals differ slightly from the standards for DAB signals which also carry video content. There a two main techniques used for broadcasting video using the DAB standards. One is the Digital Multimedia Broadcast standard (0MB) which usually uses MPEG-i coding and the other is the "Motion PAD" (M-PAD) which essentially supplements the DAB audio programme. A particular DMB standard is T-DMB, which uses H264/AAC or H264/BSAC encoded video/audio carried over an MPEG-2 transport stream another is DAB IP multicast.

Figure 1A of the accompanying drawings shows a schematic of an exemplary DMB system already known in the art. In Figure 1 A, a 0MB system provides broadcast digital television based on the DAB transport mechanisms is shown. In early DMB standards, the video and audio source signals were source coded according to the MPEG-i standard using target bit rates in the range from 1.2 up to 1.5 Mbitls adapted to the Ensemble Transport Interface (ETI) and provided directly to the DAB ensemble multiplexer/modulator. Each DAB ensemble carried a MPEG-i bit-stream within its payload capacity of about 1.5Mbit/s (depending on the code rate) (whereas now MPEG-2 is standard). On the receiving side, a standard DAB receiver is used for channel decoding up to a full-rate serial data interface Receiver Data Interface (RDI). The AOl data stream is then output to an MPEG-i decoder which outputs the audio and video signals for presentation. Digitally broadcast signals are currently broadcast in the form of time-division multiplexed (TDM) data streams at specified frequencies. Each multiplex at a particular frequency comprises a number of sub-channels which occupy designated slots in that TDM stream.

The generation of a DAB multiplex is shown schematically in Figure 1 B of the accompanying drawings. Data for audio and video components and other applications such as an electronic programme guide are carried in a Main Service Channel (MSC). Multiplex and service- related information is carried in a Fast Information Channel (FIC). At predetermined intervals (e.g., every 24ms), the data of all applications are gathered in sequences referred to as "Common Interleaved Frames (ClFs), and FIC data is combined into Fast Information Blocks (FIBs). A number of ClFs and FIBs are grouped together into one DAB transmission frame which is then mapped to a number of OFDM systems.

The MSC of the DAB system is divided into sub-channels. Each sub-channel carries convolutionally encoded and time interleaved data. Each sub-channel can be organised into a stream or packet mode. The term "Multiplex Configuration" refers to the division of the MSC into sub-channels and the individual coding profiles of each sub-channel. The configuration can vary for different DAB transmission or from time to time for the same transmission. To decode the multiplex configuration signalling information is provided by the FIG to the DAB receivers. The RIC is used to signal the multiplex configuration of a DAB transmission and uses fixed symbols in the DAB transmission frame and a DAB receiver must be preconfigured with this information to decode any of the sub-channels. Figure ic shows a logical structure of a DAB multiplex.

A DAB service comprises a plurality of the different data streams in a DAB multiplex which are grouped together. Each DAB service can be labelled (e.g., Sky OneTM or BBC OneTM (British television channels), and the labels attached to a DAB service inform the user of a DAB device so that they can select a service channel. A DAB ensemble comprises a number of services which are taken together as a package. Each service comprises a number of service components, each service component comprising a different data stream for that service.

Different services may share components and the logical structure of services, service components and the position in the CIF (Common Interleaved Frame) where the data components are carried as signalled as part of the MCI in the FIC. Figure lc shows an exemplary DAB ensemble DAB X comprising a number of services, Radio 1, Data 2, Video 3, and Radio 4. Radio 4 is a service comprising only an audio component. Radio 1 comprises both an audio component and a data component. Video 3 comprises an audio component, a video component and a data component. Data 2 comprises two different data streams data a and data b. Radio 1 data, Data 2b, and Video 3 data all share the same data sub-channel, i.e., the same data audio component. Different data components (Radio 1 data and Data 2 data b) share a packet mode sub-channel. Different stream mode components each have an individual sub-channel. The FIG provides information on the sizes and positions of the sub- channels in the CIF and their respective code rates. This information is signalled as "sub-channel" organisation in FIG type 0 extension 1, the services and their components are described by "Basic service and service component definition" in FIG type 0 extension 2 and 3 (used for packet mode). Further information about each service, such as service label, programme type, programme nu8mber for recorder control, indications of announcements, alternative frequencies etc can all be provided using data channels under the DAB system.

For further background information on DAB technology, the reader is referred to Digital Audio Broadcasting, Principles and Applications of Digital Radio, Edited by Wolfgang Hoeg and Thomas Lauterbach, 2 Edition, Wiley, 2003, ISBN 0-470-85013-2, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

In a DAB system, therefore, an entertainment channel such as Sky OneTM, or BBC OneTM, for example, will occupy one or more designated sub-channel on a designated multiplex. Other entertainment channels will occupy other sub-channels. Information about the programmes will be provided in data sub-channel. Other sub-channels may be used to provide other information. In general, to ensure spectral efficiency, a provider of an entertainment channel will multiplex a number of their entertainment channels together with the programme guide information together into an ensemble. Unless a channel is free to view, it will have its content encoded by the entertainment provider to ensure that only subscribers to that channel are provided with the means to view the channel properly. In addition, as mentioned above, a multiplex of encoded content channels will normally be further encoded prior to transmission to enhance the error detection and/or correction characteristics of the multiplexed signal. The latter encoding is particularly important for wireless transmission in a mobile communications environment, where the receiver equipment moves during reception of a digitally broadcast signal.

Conventional DAB receiver equipment has specific processing power and other resource requirements. Decoding equipment needs to firstly decode the received signals to detect/correct any errors in the received signal. Secondly, the content sub-channels (audio and video entertainment channels and the programme guide channel) must be located in the multiplexed stream and identified. Finally, any encoded audio and/or video entertainment channels must be decoded so that their content can be played.

The amount of processing power required to fully decode a number of channels is sufficient in the mobile communications equipment field for channel decoders to be preferably hardwired into the DAB circuitry so that the battery power consumption is minimised. This prolongs the amount of time the mobile communications equipment can be used. DAB equipment which has access to a power supply (for example, such as a computer slot-in card or in a satellite, cable, for free-to-view television set-top box, or a dedicated DAB radio) does not suffer from the same constraints on power consumption, weight, or physical size imposed by the mobile communications device environment.

As television set-top boxes and DAB radios do not have the resource constraints imposed upon mobile communications devices, DAB receivers for mobile communications devices are known to be provided as DAB receiver modules or chipsets with decoders having a non- reconfigurable form, e.g. they are hardwired into the DAB module. The DAB modules generally output a single decoded DAB audio and/or video sub-channel comprising entertainment content and/or a data sub-channel which comprises electronic program guide information (EPG) information. Known DAB receivers are arranged to receive and decode DAB signals conforming to a particular protocol, which remains the same even if new channels are added and EPG data changes. This is problematic if, for example, a new encoding technique is to be used or if the encoding of the signals changes to support, for example, high-definition television.

Figure id of the accompanying drawings shows an exemplary DAB receiver module 10 of a type well known in the art. The DAB protocols signals are broadcast from a remote head-end (not shown in Figure id), and are received by an antenna mounted on the end-user's receiver equipment. The DAB receiver module receives power and utilises memory provided off the DAB module.

Signals are received by the radio frequency front end 12 of the DAB module 10, converted from analogue to digital form by an ADC 14 and processed by a digital front end (16) before being subject to a fast fourier transform FFT 18 and suitably demodulated (e.g. by a DQPSK demodulator 20), the interleaved signals are then de-interleaved using a suitable de-interleaver means 22. A decoder (shown as Viterbi decoder 24 in Figure ic) is used to decode the signals from the transmitted frame format.

As mentioned above, each received DAB multiplex signal includes a fast information channel (FIG), which provides sufficient signalling information through interface 30 to a user interface 32 to enable a subsequent selection by user of a DAB service through user interface 32. The control information generated by the user interface is returned via an interface 30 and used to select a service for subsequent decoding. As shown in Figure ic, a single selected audio and/or a data sub-channel are decoded using an audio decoder 26 and a data decoder 28 on the DAB receiver module (which may, for example, be provided as a DAB chipset). The data decoder enables the DAB module to deliver electronic programme guide information.

The data and/or audio decoders output audio and/or video data via a suitable interface which is multiplexed together using suitable means 34 to provide a signal to video reproduction means (e.g. a display) 36 and/or audio reproduction means (e.g. loudspeakers/audio jack) 38.

A control interface 30 is provided to the DAB module to enable control and service information to be exchanged between the DAB module and user interface 32 of the device the DAB module is contained within.

The DAB receiver module 10 shown in Figure 1 has certain limitations if used in a mobile communications environment, i.e., if a receiver of this type were to be provided within a mobile communications handset. For example, if the DAB protocol recognised by the audio and/or data decoder changes subsequent to the device being shipped out of the manufacturing environment. In such circumstances, the displayed video channel and/or the played audio channel may not be capable of decoding (and thus displaying and/or playing) certain features of signals conforming to the new protocol (and may not even be able to play/display such signals at all). The DAB receiving equipment needs to be replaced with new equipment capable of receiving and processing the new signal protocols to obtain the additional features of the new protocols.

Whilst this is simple to do where the DAB receiver is provided in a set-top box environment or as a computer slot in module, in the mobile communications environment constraints of size etc, have resulted in DAB receivers being provided as a chipset built into the mobile communications platform. In such circumstances, to upgrade the DAB receiver of a mobile communications handset, the users of the mobile communications handset must acquire a new handset with the new DAB receiver built in. This might not be possible if the user is constrained by a service contract to retain their communications device until either offered an upgrade under their existing contract or until the minimum term of their contracts expires.

Another limitation of known mobile communications devices is that as the DAB directly outputs audioMdeo services in a form suitable for display on the user's device, any displayed DAB video is rendered separately from video generated by the mobile communications operating system's user interface, for example. This can result in the displayed characteristics of the DAB elements differing from those of mobile communications elements, i.e., a different "look and feel" is provided, preventing an integrally rendered display for both the user interface and the DAB content.

Also specified in the DAB standards are certain command sets for receivers, for example, British Standard EN 50320:2001 describes a get_receiver_capability which allows a DAB controller to ask the DAB receiver for its capabilities, and a notifyreceiver_capabilties command which enables the DAB receiver to provide its capabilities to the controller. British Standard EN 62105:2002 "Digital Audio Broadcasting System -Specification of the Receiver Data Interface" describes the interface between devices such as dedicated decoders for data applications, computers, audio post-processing and recording devices and the DAB receiver.

The DAB AOl is capable of carrying the full information obtained by the DAB receiver, i.e., the maximum data rate of the MSC, plus the FIC and information on the received transmitters in a suitable format. It also is capable of carrying data in the format of the output format of recently developed channel decoders and input format of audio source and data decoder ICs (the DAB 3 interface), It is independent of any physical interfaces. It is capable of connecting several decoders to a receiver, to implement a return channel for receiver control from an application terminal, and to connect the DAB receiver to a data network.

One object of the invention seeks to mitigate andlor obviate the limitations known In the art for DAB receivers when provided on mobile communications devices, by providing a mobile communications device having a DAB receiver which Is capable of being remotely reconfigured. In this way, It Is possible for the audio andfor video decoders used to resolve the DAB sub-channels into playable/displayable content to be modified to decode content conforming to a protocol which differ from a protocol the DAB receiver application was originally configured to decode. Mother object of the Invention seeks to provide a mobile communications device in which the audio and(or video decoders are remotely recant Igurable by the user initiating a request to upgrade the DAB application using a web-browser.

Another object of the Invention seeks to provide an integrally rendered display for I) DAB audio andlor video content and electronic programme guide Information and Ii) the mobile communications user Interface.

SUMMARY STATEMENTS OF ThE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention seeks to provide a method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on an operating system of the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application; communicating the request over a communications link to a remote server receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components; and Installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said request Is communicated to the remote server by the mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said request Is communicated to the remote server by another device.

In one embodiment, said downloading step downloads said one or more DAB application components to said mobile commu.xdcatlons device.

In one embodiment, said downloading step downloads said one or more DAB application components to another device, said downloaded application components being arranged for Installation on saId mobIle communications device when connected to said other device.

In one embodiment, said step of Instailing said one or more DAB application components modifies the decoding process provided by a decoder implemented using said DAB application.

In one embodiment, said modification to the decoding process enables said DAB application to decode signals provided according to a different protocol than said DAB application was configured to decode prior to said downloaded DAB application components being installed on said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, the decoding process operates on a received DAB bearer sub-channel, whereby said DAB application is arranged to output said bearer content to a rendering device for a display of said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said rendering device is further arranged to render a graphical user interface for the operating system of said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said step of installing one or more DAB application components enables said mobile communication device to display signals of a higher definition than the definition displayed prior to said downloaded DAB application components being installed on said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said method of installing one or more DAB applications further comprises connecting said mobile communications device to another device having the capability to establish said communications links with said server for requesting and forward downloaded DAB components to said mobile communications device, and wherein said mobile communications device sends said request and receives said downloaded DAB components using the communications link between said other device and said server.

In one embodiment, said mobile communications device generates said request using a wireless communications link, and wherein said other device receives said downloaded DAB components over a different communications link.

In one embodiment, said mobile communications device is connected to the other device subsequent to said other device receiving said downloaded DAB components.

In one embodiment, a device identity for the mobile communications device and a device identity for the other device is included in said request to said server.

In one embodiment, said step of installing said one or more DAB application components one to said mobile communications device comprises: configuring a DAB application including said one or more DAB application components to interface with a hardwired DAB receiver module of said mobile communications device, thereby enabling said DAB application to simultaneously decode a plurality of audio and/or video content sub-channels output by said DAB receiver module.

In one embodiment, said one or more DAB application components downloaded to said mobile communications device are one or more of the following: additional DAB application components for use by an existing DAB application installed on said mobile communications device; and/or DAB application components which replace equivalent one or more DAB application components of an existing DAB application installed on said mobile communications device; or DAB application components comprising a reconfigurable DAB application for said mobile communications device; or DAB application components comprising a new version of an existing reconfigurable DAB application for replacing an existing reconfigurable DAB application of said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, the user of the mobile communications device triggers said step of generating a request for one or more DAB application modules.

In one embodiment, an existing DAB application provided on said mobile communications device is arranged to interface with one or more communications applications capable of generating said request for one or more DAB application modules, and said DAB application is arranged to automatically trigger said step of generating a request for one or more DAB application components if said existing DAB application receives any data having a data format which said DAB application does not recognise.

In one embodiment, said request establishes a Internet supported web-browser session with said remote server over said wireless communications network, and wherein said web-browser session is on-going during said step of downloading said DAB application components.

In one embodiment, said request comprises a request to establish an initial Internet supported web-browser session with said remote server over said wireless communications network, and wherein said initial web-browser session is terminated prior to said step of downloading said DAB application components.

In one embodiment, said DAB application components are downloaded using a file-transfer protocol from a remote site.

In one embodiment, said remote server receiving said request stores said request in a data store in an appropriate form, and when said remote server receives one or more DAB application components, determines by appropriately performing a lookup operation on said data store, that said mobile communications device has previously requested an update, and said remote server establishes a session with said mobile communications device over said wireless communications network to provide said mobile communications device with said one or more previously requested DAB application components.

Another aspect of the invention seeks to provide a mobile communications device having a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on the mobile communications device, wherein the DAB application is configured using any method aspect, and the mobile communications device comprises: means to generate a request for at least one component of the DAB application using a communications application of said mobile communications device; means to communicate the request over a bi-directional wireless communications network to a remote server; means to download said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network; and means to install said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications devices.

Another aspect seeks to provide a server arranged in use to be accessing over a wireless communications network by a mobile communications device, the server being arranged to provision said mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application capable of being configured to run on the mobile communications device using any method aspect, the server comprising: means to receive a request generated by said mobile communications device and communicated using said bi-directional wireless communications network; means to process the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for download to the mobile communications device; and means to generate a signal comprising data for downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network.

Another aspect of the invention seeks to provide a signal arranged to convey data from any server aspect to a mobile communications device according to any mobile communications aspect over a wireless communications network, said signal comprising data for downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device.

Another aspect of the invention seeks to provide a digital receiver module, the module being capable of integration into a mobile communications device according to any device aspect of the invention and comprising: means for receiving a DAB signal comprising at least one multiplex of DAB subchannels; means for partially decoding a received DAB multiplex to extract at least subchannel identifiers for a plurality of subchannels of said DAB multiplex; means to signal said received DAB identifiers for said multiplex subchannels to a DAB application supported by an operating system of said mobile communications device; and means to send said received DAB subchannels to said DAB application; wherein, said step of partial decoding said received DAB multiplex is implemented by a decoder of said digital receiver module arranged to utilise resources shared with other applications supported by said operating system of said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said shared resources comprise one or more of the following: a shared random access memory resource; a shared flash memory resource; a shared dynamic memory resource; a shared processor resource.

Another aspect of the invention seeks to provide a mobile communications device comprising a router module for separating out subchannels in a received digitally broadcast time-division multiplex, at least two of said subchannels comprising audio and/or video content and at least one sub-channel comprising programme guide information, said subchannels being provided as input to a plurality of decoding means, wherein the decoding means decode the sub-channels to provide displayable/playable content through means provided on said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, said decoding means is remotely configurable.

In one embodiment, said decoding means is reconfigurable remotely in an automated manner by an application running on said device.

In one embodiment, said decoding means is reconfigurable in a user controllable manner.

In one embodiment, said decoding means is reconfigurable to change the protocol of the video and/or audio content decoded.

In one embodiment, said TDM multiplex comprises a plurality of subchanriels, at least two subchannels relating to the same type of content conforming to differing protocols.

In one embodiment, said displayable content is rendered using the same means provided for rendering the user interface of said mobile communications system.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a DAB application arranged to be provisioned for remote configuring on a mobile communications device according to any device aspect using a method according to any method aspect.

Another aspect of the invention seeks to provide a method ofprovisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on an operating system of the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application, said request indicating an identifier for the requesting device capable of being associated with a user profile for a plurality of devices; communicating the request over a communications link to a remote server; receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components to a device selected in accordance with a predetermined set of rules associated with said user profile; and installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications device directly if selected, or if another device is selected downloading said one or more DAB application components to said other device, wherein said installation of said DAB application components occurs when said mobile communications device connects to said other device.

In one embodiment, the downloading server selects one or more DAB application components for download to said device based on information provided by an identifier for said mobile communications device which identifies what, it any, existing DAB application components are already installed on said mobile communications device.

In one embodiment, the request specifies the DAB application components which are to be downloaded.

In one embodiment, prior to said the step of installing said DAB application components, said mobile communications device determines what resources controlled by the operating system of the mobile communications device are required to complete the installation, and if not available, requests the operating system of the mobile communications device to reallocated resources utilised by other applications to enable said installation process to proceed.

In one embodiment, during said the step of installing said DAB application components, said mobile communications device determines what resources controlled by the operating system of the mobile communications device are required to complete the installation, and if not available, requests the operating system of the mobile communications device to reallocated resources utilised by other applications to enable said installation process to proceed.

In one embodiment, if sufficient resources are not made available following said request for more resources, the installation process is terminated.

In one embodiment, the user of the mobile communications device is alerted to one or more characteristics of the resource conflict between the installation process and other applications running on said operating system, and said alert is arranged to prompt the user to selectively terminate one or more other applications or the installation process.

In one embodiment, wherein one DAB application component comprises a component related to a characteristic of an electronic programme guide for bearer content received by said DAB application from a DAB receiver module of said mobile communications device.

The aspects of the invention and preferred embodiments as set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims respectively, and may be combined in any appropriate manner known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Thus some embodiments of the invention seek to provide a means of receiving DAB signals in differing protocols on a mobile communications device by remotely configuring and/or reconfiguring the DAB receiver and/or decoder of the mobile communications device. This enables the user of a mobile communications device to receive signals which conform to a differing protocol from the protocol their device was originally configured to decode, and also enables the DAB decoders of such devices to be pre-provisioned and remotely "activated" for signals of a particular protocol.

LIST OF FIGURES

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are by way of example only and in which: Figure la is a functional block diagram of a DMB system known in the art; Figure 1 a is a functional block diagram showing the generation of a DAB multiplex as known in the art; Figure ic shows a functional block diagram of an exemplary DAB ensemble as known in the art; Figure id shows a functional block diagram of a DAB receiver known in the an; Figure 2 shows a functional block diagram of a mobile communications device having a DAB application according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows in more detail the functional processes of the DAB application according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 shows a functional block diagram of a mobile communications platform according to another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing steps performed in a DAB sub-channel provisioning scheme according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figures 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams showing alternative schemes for downloading DAB application components for installation on a mobile communications device according to various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The best mode of the invention currently contemplated by the inventor will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Features which are well known in the art in the context of the invention may be omitted from the description entirely or not described in explicit detail herein. Where omitted from the description, further detail can be obtained from BS EN 50248:2001: Characteristics of DAB receivers, and ETSI EN 300 401 V1.3.3 (2001-05): Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) to mobile, portable, and fixed receivers, the final draft of ETSI EN 301 234 V2.1.1(2005-02): Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Multimedia Object Transfer (MOT) protocol; ETSI ES 201 735 V1.1.1 (2000-09):Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Internet Protocol (IP) datagram tunnelling; IETF RFC 791(1981): "Internet Protocol (IP); Darpa Internet Program; Protocol Specification" J. Postel, IETF: RFC 2616 (1999-06): Hypertext Transfer Protocol -HTTP/1.1; Draft file ETSI_TS_Enhanced packet mode 21_i 1_04. doc: Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Enhanced Packet mode; ETSI TS 101 756 V1.1.1 (2000-10): Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Registered Tables; ETSI TS 102 818 Vi.2.1(2005-01): Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); XML Specification for DAB Electronic Programme Guide (EPG); ETIS TS 102 371 Vi.1.1. (2005.01) Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Transportation and Binary Encoding Specification for DAB Electronic Programme Guide; the contents of which are all hereby incorporated into the description). Where an equivalent element for implementing functionality described herein below is well known in the art, their inclusion in the description is implicit.

MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings shows schematically a functional block diagram of a mobile communications device according to an embodiment of the invention. The mobile communications device 40 includes DAB receiving means comprising a DAB receiver 42 which is a hardwired module of a similar type to that shown in Figure 1 and a DAB application which is supported by the operating system (not shown) of the mobile communications device. The DAB application 60 and DAB receiver module 42 are arranged to exchange at least control and signalling information through interface 58.

The DAB receiver module 42 comprises means to receive a plurality of DAB multiplexes and sufficiently decodes each DAB multiplex to extract the FIC information (see Figure 1 b). Thus in Figure 1 c, DAB receiver module 42 comprises an RF front end 44, and ADC 46, and digital front end 48, an FF1 component 50, a demodulator 52, an optional de-interleaver 54, and a convolutional decoder 56, for example, a Viterbi decoder. De-interleaver 54 is only used if required to enable a DAB multiplex to be output directly to the DAB application via interface 58. The DAB receiver module 42 of Figure 2 may comprise all the normal components of a DAB receiver chipset, but instead of utilising external memory resources dedicated to the receiver chipset such as is known in the prior art, the DAB receiver module of Figure 2 instead shares some of the memory (and optionally in some embodiments some processing) resources used by other applications running on the operating system of the mobile communications device 40. This is possible because the service components are not decoded by the DAB receiver module 42, but are instead decoded using the DAB application 60.

As a result, the DAB receiver module 42 must send signalling information via interface 58 shown in Figure 2 to enable the DAB application 60 to identity the sub-channels carrying the various service components in any multiplex it receives from the DAB receiver module 42.

The DAB application 60 is also arranged to receive information about what multiplex should be selected through user interface 62 which is arranged to enable a user of the mobile communications device 40 to select a service. The user interface 62 then communicates this control information to the DAB receiver module 42 to enable the DAB receiver module 42 to output the selected multiplex to DAB application 60.

The control information received by the DAB receiver module 42 from the user interface thus no longer determines which service components should have their sub-channels extracted by the DAB receiver module 42 (as in the prior art). Instead, the control information is only used by the DAB receiver module 42 to output an entire DAB multiplex of a received MSC via interface 58 to the DAB apphcation 60.

DAB multiplexes are provided at differing frequencies. A multiplex contains a plurality of sub-channels, and comprises one or more bearer sub-channels and optionally at least one data channel (for example, an electronic programme guide sub-channel). A bearer sub-channel contains source encoded audio and/or video entertainment content components. The term entertainment content" is used herein to distinguish programme guide content which provides a description of certain characteristics of the "entertainment content". A television programme or radio show is an example of "entertainment content", and the electronic programme guide data provides descriptive information about the entertainment content such as its start and end time, and optionally further information about the nature of the content.

The DAB application 60 is arranged to receive one or more DAB multiplexes from the DAB receiver module 42. The entertainment content of the sub-channels on a received multiplex are still source encoded, which requires the DAB application 60 to perform additional decoding processes on one or more of the received sub-channels. The additional decoding processes are performed by reconfigurable decoder(s) 64 of the DAB application. A reconfigurable decoder 64 of the DAB application is capable of being modified by downloading different configuration information using a bi-directional mobile communications link from a remote server. This enables the DAB application to change the type of decoding operation it performs on signals received from the DAB module. This is useful in a mobile communications environment where a user may not want to return their mobile communications device for updating to receive signals comprising additional features and/or characteristics (e.g., encoded differently, of a new type of format, or different definition).

When appropriately configured a DAB application 60 according to the invention utilises the memory and processing resources of the mobile communications device 40 and uses these resources to decode the television and/or audio services.

In one embodiment, a DAB service provider is able to remotely configure/reconfigure certain features of the DAB application using an appropriate interface with the mobile communications device, for example, to push software upgrades to enhance the DAB receiver functionality as a downloaded file which will self-install within the operating system of the mobile communications devices.

DAB application 60 also contains a user interface 62 and other means to interface with the operating system of mobile communications device 40. The user interface 62 enables a user to selectively control what DAB channel is played/displayed, to access EPG information and also request the DAB application to be verified and/or upgraded remotely. It is also possible for a user to request activation of certain features of the DAB application whidh might be provided but not activated when the device originally ships to the user.

In this way, a mobile communications device according to one embodiment of the invention is provided with a DAB receiver which is reconfigurable by a remote server. The DAB application 60 may be pre-installed when purchased by the user, partially installed, or fully installed, but in each case, the DAB application 60 can receive additional and/or replacement components subsequent to the mobile communications device being purchased by a user by utilising the mobile communications functionality to download additional software.

DAB application components are obtained in one embodiment of the invention by a user generating a request using the user interface 62 of the mobile communications device. This triggers a request for at least one component of the DAB application to be communicated over a bi-directional wireless communications network to a remote server. The request may be transmitted using one or more appropriate wireless communications protocols, e.g., WiMax, Wi-Fi, 801.llx, ,GPRS or 3G over an appropriate wireless network infrastructure.

More details of the way a request is generated are provided below. However, once the request is received by the relevant server (i.e., the server which is configured to respond to such requests), it is processed to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for download to the mobile communications device, and these are then provided to the mobile communications network in a form suitable for downloading over said bi-directional wireless communications network. The mobile communications device operating system is arranged to install the received said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications devices. In this way a DAB application comprising a number of such components can be provided to the mobile communications device and an existing DAB application already provided on the mobile communications device can be upgraded by providing relevant replacement and/or additional components.

Alternatively, installation and/or upgrading of software on the mobile communications device can be performed using any appropriate combination of two uril-or bi-directional communications links, which do not need to involve the same network (for example, a DAB broadcast download can be provided in response to an upgrade request sent over the GPRS link from a mobile communications device). This enables upgrades to be broadcast to all devices (e.g. compulsory upgrades) as well as enabling unicast upgrades to specific mobile communications devices. This is particular useful for enabling software patches to be provided and faults (bugs) to be rectified without asking users to return their mobile communications devices (which unlike set-top boxes may be indispensable) to a service centre.

The DAB application is supported by the operating system of a mobile communications device and in operation, the DAB application will utilise resources shared with other applications running on the mobile communications device operating system. The DAB application 60 controls the output of the DAB receiver only at the multiplex level, selection of individual services requires operation of the DAB application 60 to enable the mobile communications device to receive and play DAB radio and television signals.

In one embodiment the DAB application 60 is automatically activated by activation of the S mobile communications device 40, however in other embodiments, the activation of the DAB application 60 may be selectively controlled by a user.

As mentioned above, the DAB application is at least in part provided in software which can be remotely configured/re-configured. This may be done by a server for the radio and/or television service pushing out a new version of the software required to activate or update the DAB application to the mobile communications device. Alternatively, the user of the mobile communications device may request to check to see if an update is available for the DAB application. In another embodiment of the invention, if the current DAB application receives data having a format which is not recognised, it will automatically initiate a request to an update server to determine if an update or new version of the existing DAB application is available for download.

The DAB application 60 according to the invention is capable of interfacing with the DAB receiver 42 via interface 58 which may or may not comprise the same interface means to exchange signalling and control information. Any implementation of a software modification to the DAB application 60 may be automatic when the new data is downloaded and controlled by the mobile communications operating system, or it may require the user to initiate acceptance of the downloaded file and to trigger installation of the file in an appropriate manner using user interface 62.

REMOTE PRO VISIONINGICONFIGUR ING OF THE DAB APPLICATION

In one embodiment of the invention, the user is presented with a selectable option from the menu of the user interface to check for software updates. This may be performed using a dedicated key, button or other user-activated means such as an icon on a graphical user interface.

This generates a request which is communicated to a remote server using a mobile communications protocol, e.g., over a cellular network which supports digital data being transmitted bidirectionally between a mobile communications device and a remote server, for example, WiMax, WIFI, Bluetooth, GPRS, 3G wireless data networks.

In one embodiment, the request may be generated as part of an Internet browsing session with the remote server, or it may be sent in the background (e.g., whilst other applications run in the foreground on the mobile communications device). The URL for the request is generated as a HTTP GET request in accordance with IETF RFC 2616 (1999.

2006):Hypertext Transfer Protocol-I-fTTP/1.1 (a copy of which is available from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) web-site well-known to those skilled in the art), with the following format: http:ll<baseurl>?<search> where <search> consists of one or more fields of the form <atlribute>=<value>, separated by the ampersand character (&) (see below for an

example).

The <baseurl> will correspond to a value which is pre-provisioned on the mobile communications device. In one embodiment the value of the <baseurl> is hardwired into the TV and Radio application for security, alternatively, it could be provided in software and suitably encrypted. If hardwired, it is only modifiable by an upgrade of the application configured on the mobile communications device. Alternatively, if suitable security provisions are available, it may be provided in a reconfigurable form (i.e., in software), in which case it is possible to dynamically change the baseurl.

When establishing a web browser session, the following field attributes are provided by the mobile communications device: query version, action, DAB date and time, device phone number, device hardware ID, device screen size, device version, UserServiceProvider ID, Service ID, WDP payload. For example: httlx//www.xyz.com/oQen.asDx?QVER=1 &ACT=1 &DDAT2005-09-06T1 1:28:1 5&DIDO1 =b201 bld7Ol &DIDO2=b4d85e61 59ca1 745&DSS=01 76x01 80&OVER=M onet-DABDIayer-1.6.0&USID=0001 &SID=cl 81 0000c2al 0000.

OVER is the attribute name for query version which specifies the version of the query that follows. ACT is the attribute name for the action which specifies the type of query. DDAT is the attribute name for the DAB date and time when the request was generated on the device or when the session with the server was first opened. DIDO1 is the attribute name for the device phone number; this may be modified by the user. DIDO2 is the attribute name for the device hardware ID which is a pseudo-unique 64-bit identifier derived from the device Id in a way that is not reversible but is unlikely to result in duplicates, which users are not able to modify. DSS is the attribute name for the device screen size to allow the server to render content appropriately. OVER is the attribute name for the device version, which is assigned by the device manufacturer (or any other party) to assign a name to different versions of the same device. USID is the attribute name for the user service provider identity; this may be configured by the mobile communications device manufacturer. SID is the attribute name for the service identifier and specifies the service the user is currently consuming.

The ACT field may take a number of values, including an ACT_SOFTWARE_UPDATE value.

The server receiving the update request will then inspect the OVER field to determine an appropriate response. If the OVER is not recognised it will provide a response indicating that the DVER is unknown, for example in the form of a text file "unknown.txt". If the OVER is recognised as being the most up to date version for the hardware, the server responds with an appropriate text tile, and if the DVER is recognises as not being the most recent version available for the mobile communications device hardware, a signed software update compressed installation file in a suitable format for the operating system of the mobile communications device (for example, a MicrosoftCABTM file) will be provided in response which will update the current software to the latest version.

Two types of installation file may be used, depending on whether the installation file contains a compressed copy of all the application files (i.e., all the components of a DAB application are downloaded and a full install is performed) or if the installation file contains only a "patch" comprising one or more components. Where a "patch" is to be installed, the installation file also provides a "patcher" programme to read the existing application files and apply the patch" to create the new, upgraded version (or to repair any existing application files which have become corrupted or otherwise developed a fault). A "patch" is limited to those components whose installation will implement the necessary upgrade or repair which reduces the size of file needed to download to obtain a new version of an existing DAB application.

Prior to installing a software update, the application automatically updates the web un favourites list of the user to provide a backup route for the user to get a full software update.

The URL saved as a backup route is the same as that originally issued to get the update, except that the DVER field is set to a failsafevalue.

Where changes are small, the update may be a small patch to bring the software up to date, or where changes are more significant, the update will be a complete new version.

INSTALLATION BY PROXY SERVER

Figures 6a, 6b, and 6c show alternative embodiments of the invention in which the mobile communications device 40 is provided with suitable data interface means to connect with another device 80 (e.g., a personal or laptop computer), and the other device 80 is used as a proxy to request and/or download one or more DAB application components from a DAB server 82. It the mobile communications device 40 is connected to the other device 82 at the time the DAB application components are downloaded, the other device 82 functions as a proxy server which relays the DAB application components it receives directly on to the mobile communications device 40. Alternatively, the other device 82 may store the received DAB application components until a user connects it to the mobile communications device 40 in a suitable store. In this embodiment, either the other device 80 drives any subsequent transfer process of the downloaded content when the mobile communications device connects to it or the mobile communications device drives the transfer process. In either case, an identifier of the mobile communications device will be checked as being the same identifier associated with the final destination for the DAB application components the other device 80 has received from the server 82.

Figure 6A shows an embodiment in which a mobile communications device 40 generates a request to the DAB application server 82 in the manner described hereinabove, but with additional information as a download to the other device 80 is now also requested. This is done in any appropriate way known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, in one embodiment, an identifier which the DAB application can resolve to a network address for the other device is provided as a destination address for the downloaded data and included as part of the web-browser session initiation information (for example, it can simply be appended to the un for the download server). In Figure 6A, mobile communications device 40 generates the request, the server 82 receives and processes the request and pushes the download information to the other device 80. The other device 80 then pushes the downloaded files across an appropriate Figures 6B and 6C show embodiments where another device 80 requests a download of DAB application components (which maybe to the other device initially as is shown in Figure 6C or directly to the mobile communications device as shown in Figure 6B). The other device in these embodiments will establish a session to the download server in a similar manner to that described above where the mobile communications device establishes the download session with the server 80. However, to ensure that the downloaded software is only installed on the mobile communications device, the request sent by the other device must include details of one or more identifiers for the mobile communications device (as described above). This information can be determined by connecting the mobile communications device to the other device, for example, and/or running a suitable software application on the other device (which is provided on a suitable carrier medium (for example, such as a CD or DVD) to the use when they first purchase the mobile communications device. Alternatively, if a user of the other device were to access the download server by a web-portal and establish a session with the download server, a prompt to the user to ask the user to connect their mobile communications device to the download server could be provided. These techniques enable the user of another device to include the additional download address information associated with the mobile communications device to ensure that the file downloaded is for installation on the right type of device.

In one embodiment of the invention, to provide security and simplify the request and download process, the mobile communications device is connected to the other device via a suitable interface to extract information on the identifier(s) for the mobile communications device and/or other device. A mobile communications device is capable of determining from this connection the address of the other device, and vice versa. Alternatively, other unique identity information (such as forexample, might be retained in a user profile for a SIP-enabled mobile communications device and a SIP-enabled other device) to provide to the DAB server (more details are provided below). Where a different device identity is provided from the identity of the mobile communications device to which the DAB application components are to be downloaded, in one embodiment, the installation process does not execute for the DAB components until the mobile communications device connects to the other device and the DAB application components are transferred to the environment of the mobile communications device operating system.

Some embodiments of the invention are suitable for implementing in a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled environment, in which each user has a user-profile indicating all devices associated with the user. The user-profile may have rules associated with certain functions which can be performed on the devices associated with the user, which may be time and location specific, such as, for example, only provide downloads after 6pm or on Sunday's at 6am, only when the user is in a region associated with their home etc. This additional information enables more flexible the download schemes, such as those, for example, shown in Figs. 6A to 6B. In Figures 6A to 6B, the device requesting the upgrade provides an identifier to the download server which is associated with the user, whose profile can be checked to determine the identity of the mobile communications device which is to be configured with the downloaded DAB application components. This embodiment removes any necessity to append additional device identifiers to the URL to the download server. The download server receives the request from any device, determines from the device identification information for that device the identity of the user associated with that device.

The user identity is used to retrieve the profile for that user from a data store. The download server then determines what other devices associated with that user identity are capable of receiving the download, and it the user has set up any rules to determine how information is to be downloaded devices. The download server may then either download to a destination device determined in accordance with any predefined rules established for that user profile (which may or may not be directly to the mobile communications device), or alternative downloads only to one or more devices associated with the user which have connections available with higher bandwidths. In one embodiment, where the DAB multi-casts the download to a plurality of other devices associated with the user profile (regardless of location, for example, a work computer, laptop, home computer etc,) and when the user subsequently connects the mobile communications device to any of these other devices the mobile communications device automatically receives the downloaded DAB application components.

In this way, large files can be downloaded using high-speed fixed-line connections from the server to the other device and then transferred to the mobile communications device which uses less resources of the mobile communications device for the download process. This also enables the user of the mobile communications device to manage when the upgrade is installed, which allows the user to control when installation uses up resources such as processing, memory and power, and also avoids downloads occurring when the mobile communications device is otherwise in use by the user (e.g., the user is watching a television programme on the device or using the device as a telephone) which could create conflicts with the installation process. Where a connection is established between the mobile communications device and the other device which is capable of recharging a battery power resource of the mobile communications device, the mobile communications device is configured with the downloaded DAB application components without power constraints being imposed on the installation process.

The embodiments shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 60 enable a user to upgrade the functionality of the DAB application for their mobile communications device (or in fact, any other application on the mobile communications device), simply by sending a request using either their mobile communications device itself or a computer suitably capable of establishing a web-browser session (or any other file transfer session) with the DAB application server. The request indicates where the downloaded DAB files should be sent by the server, and the user of the mobile communications device can then establish a connection with this device to obtain the DAB application components (which could be a short-range wired connection such as might be implemented by a USB cable connection or a wireless connection such as BluetoothTM.

OPERATION OF THE DAB APPLICATION

Figure 3 comprises a schematic diagram showing some functional components of an embodiment of a DAB application 60 according to the invention. In Figure 3, the DAB application 60 is supported by the operating system of the mobile communications device and comprises means to exchange control and receiving signalling information from the hardwired DAB receiver module 42 (not shown) and a suitable driver 70 for receiving a plurality of subchannels from the DAB receiver module (for example, a Serial Peripheral Interface driver).

The sub-channels received via the channel the driver 70 provides comprise one or more bearer subchannels for audio and/or video entertainment channels and one or more data bearing subchannels conveying electronic programme guide information for -the received plurality of subchannels. The subchannels received by a router component 72' of the DAB application will all have the same multiplex frequency (unless the DAB receiver module 42 is arranged to simultaneously receive a plurality of DAB channel multiplexes at different frequencies and provide these to the DAB application). Router component 72 may be provided in a pre-configured or a configurable/reconfigurable fomi (and by analogy partly implemented in hardware as well as in software).

The DAB application 60 shares dynamic memory resources provided on the mobile communications device through a number of appropriately configured interfaces which are not shown but which are also supported by the operating system of the mobile communications device. The DAB receiver module 42 outputs a multiplex of bearer and data channels which are partially decoded to the extent that the DAB receiver application 60 is capable of identifying which one or more of a plurality of bearer anWor data channels received from the DAB receiver module 42 should be further decoded by the DAB application 60 using signalling information received from the DAB receiver module 42 and in accordance with control information provided by user through the user interface (UI) 62..

When router 72 receives a multiplex comprising a plurality of bearer subchannels and a data subchannel comprising electronic programme guide information for the received multiplex from the DAB receiver module 42, the router 72 is configured to distribute one or more received subchannels to an appropriate reconfigurable decoder component (reconfigurable decoders 64 shown in Figure 2). In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, three sub-channels are extracted from a received multiplex for decoding by the DAB application 60, and each signal conforms to a differing protocols. A received subchannel conforming to protocol #1 in Figure 3 is decoded by an EPG decoding component 64a. The decoded EPG information is then stored in a database 76. Subchannels conforming to differing protocols #2 and #3 are routed to respective reconfigurable decoders 64b and 64c. The reconfigurable decoders 64b, c are arranged to decode source encoded subchannels which the user of the mobile communications device has subscribed to. Although two simultaneous decoders 64a,b are shown in Figure 3, which enables one subchannel to be recorded and stored (not shown in Figure 3), one decoder is sufficient if recording and simultaneous viewing of an alternative subchannel is not required. It is also possible to provide more than two reconfigurable decoders, which would enable two subchannels to be stored whilst a user views a third subchannel, but this impacts not only the memory resources used for the stored programme but also the shared memory resources used by the decoders and the amount of processing power the decoding component utilises.

A decoded subchannel is provided in a form which enables appropriate reproduction by a media application also supported by the operating system of the mobile communications application, such as Windows Media PlayerTM. The operation of the DAB application in terms of which subchannel (or more than one subchannels if recording features are implemented as described above) is selectively decoded from a multiplex of subchannels received from the DAB module is controlled by the user through a suitable user interface which is provided with programme information from the database 76 of electronic programme guide content.

Each sub-channel in the TOM multiplexed content stream which passes through the interface between the DAB receiver module 42 and DAB application 60 running on the operating system of the mobile communications platform is capable of being identified in the multiplexed stream by the processor provided on the mobile communications platform, i.e., the sub-channels have already been partially decoded so that sufficient information to identify individual sub-channels in the received data stream can be provided over the interface with the mobile communications platform.

The DAB receiver module 42 may also output a DAB ensemble comprising multiple services sharing one or more DAB bearer subchannels in which each service is separately branded by having its own DAB service ID. The DAB service ID information enables each subchannel to be mapped by the DAB application 60 to appropriate user-friendly sub-channel identifier for display in an electronic programme guide.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, when tuned to a service on a multiplex or durin9 EPG acquisition, the DAB application 60 will automatically identify all EPG services on the applicable multiplex and will download and decode them. EPG services are appropriately signalled to the DAB application 60 by the DAB receiver module 60. Thus in one embodiment, the SCId of the packet service is signalled by FIGO/2 with TMId =11 b (MSC packet data) and each EPG service is provided with a single primary service component.

Data group DG=0, DSCTy =111 lOOb (MOT), the subchannel ID used to carry the data, and the DB packet address used within that subchannel for the services are signalled by FIGOI3 and the corresponding SCId. Multiple data streams may be carried within the same sub-channel provided they use different packet addresses. If this occurs, the receiver power consumption will increase and the Reed-Solomon forward-error correction will decrease.

MEMORY MANAGEMENT

In this embodiment, on start up of the mobile communications device and during execution of the DAB application programme, the DAB application will check if sufficient memory is available for it to execute. If not, the DAB application automatically requests the operating system of the mobile communications device to provide more memory by closing down other applications. The selection of which applications to close is based on a predetermined set of rules according to one embodiment of the invention. If the closure of other applications does not provide enough memory to enable the DAB application to continue, the DAB application is configured to automatically close down prior to running out of memory. In one embodiment of the invention, a user is able to selectively control which applications and the order of applications to shut down in preference to maintaining the DAB application operational.

The DAB application is configured in hardware and/or software in differing embodiments of the device, and features described herein which are not explicitly indicated as being provisioned in one form may be provided in an alternative form.

The term mobile communications device is used herein to all portable devices which are capable of establishing bi-directiorial communications links within a mobile communications network, including devices capable of establishing both telephony and data communications over a mobile communications network, such as a mobile telephone handset.

Communication links established between the server providing DAB application components for download and the request generating and/or download receiving device may be uni-directional or bi-directional, wireless or fixed. Similarly, communication links between the receiving/request generating other device and the mobile communications device may be wireless and/or wireline and uni-or bi-directional. For example, in one embodiment a GPRS data connection is established between the mobile communications device 40 and the server and a broadband connectio is used to download the DAB application components to the other device 40. The DAB applications are then transferred to the mobile communications device over a BluetoothTM connection. The above description indicates the best mode of the invention currently contemplated by the inventors, and those of ordinary skill in the art will be aware of obvious modifications and equivalent alternative features to those described hereinabove, and accordingly, the scope of the invention is as set out by the accompanying claims construed with reference to the above description. The requests generated may include specific details of the DAB components to be downloaded, or these may be determined in an arbitrary manner by the remote server receiving the request (or any proxy for the remote server), based on any of the attributes provided in the request.

The text of the abstract repeated below is incorporated into the description: A method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application using a communications application of said mobile communications device; communicating the request over a bi-directional wireless communications network to a remote server; receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for download to the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network; and installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications devices.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on an operating system of the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application; communicating the request over a communications link to a remote server; receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components; and installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications device.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said request is communicated to the remote server by the mobile communications device.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said request is communicated to the remote server by another device.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said downloading step downloads said one or more DAB application components to said mobile communications device.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said downloading step downloads said one or more DAB application components to another device, said downloaded application components being arranged for installation on said mobile communications device when connected to said other device.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said step of installing said one or more DAB application components modifies the decoding process provided by a decoder implemented using said DAB application.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said modification to the decoding process enables said DAB application to decode signals provided according to a different protocol than said DAB application was configured to decode prior to said downloaded DAB application components being installed on said mobile communications device.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the decoding process operates on a received DAB bearer sub-channel, whereby said DAB application is arranged to output said bearer content to a rendering device for a display of said mobile communicat,ons device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said rendering device is further arranged to render a graphical user interface for the operating system of said mobile communications device.

10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said step of installing one or more DAB application components enables said mobile communication device to display signals of a higher definition than the definition displayed prior to said downloaded DAB application components being installed on said mobi'e communications device.

11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said method of installing one or more DAB applications further comprises connecting said mobile communications device to another device having the capabUity to establish said communications links with said server for requesting and forward downloaded DAB components to said mobile communications device, and wherein said mobile communications device sends said request and receives said downloaded DAB components using the communications link between said other device and said server.

12. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said mobile communications device generates said request using a wireless communications link, and wherein said other device receives said downloaded DAB components over a different communications link.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8, when said mobile communications device is connected to the other device subsequent to said other device receiving said downloaded DAB components.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a device identity for the mobile communications device and a device identity for the other device is included in said request to said server.

15. A method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a DAB application according to any one claim, wherein said step of installing said one or more DAB application components one to said mobile communications device comprises: configuring a DAB application including said one or more DAB application components to interface with a hardwired DAB receiver module of said mobile communications device, thereby enabling said DAB application to simultaneously decode a plurality of audio and/or video content sub-channels output by said DAB receiver module.

16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim1 wherein said one or more DAB application components downloaded to said mobile communications device are one or more of the following: additional DAB application components for use by an existing DAB application installed on said mobile communications device; and/or DAB application components which replace equivalent one or more DAB application components of an existing DAB application installed on said mobile communications device; or DAB application components comprising a reconfigurable DAB application for said mobile communications device; or DAB application components comprising a new version of an existing reconfigurable DAB application for replacing an existing reconfigurable DAB application of said mobile communications device.

17. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the user of the mobile communications device triggers said step of generating a request for one or more DAB application modules.

18. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein an existing DAB application provided on said mobile communications device is arranged to interface with one or more communications applications capable of generating said request for one or more DAB application modules, and said DAB application is arranged to automatically trigger said step of generating a request for one or more DAB application components if said existing DAB application receives any data having a data format which said DAB application does not recognise.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, wherein said request establishes a Internet supported web-browser session with said remote server over said wireless communications network, and wherein said web-browser session is on-going during said step of downloading said DAB application components.

20. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, wherein said request comprises a request to establish an initial Internet supported webbrowser session with said remote sen/er over said wireless communications network, and wherein said initial web-browser session is terminated prior to said step of downloading said DAB application components.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said DAB application components are downloaded using a file-transfer protocol from a remote site.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said remote server receiving said request stores said request in a data store in an appropriate form, and when said remote server receives one or more DAB application components, determines by appropriately performing a lookup operation on said data store, that said mobile communications device has previously requested an update, and said remote server establishes a session with said mobile communications device over said wireless communications network to provide said mobile communications device with said one or more previously requested DAB application components.

23. A mobile communications device having a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on the mobile communications device, wherein the DAB application is configured using a method according to any previous claims, and the mobile communications device comprises: means to generate a request for at least one component of the DAB application using a communications application of said mobile communications device; means to communicate the request over a bi-directional wireless communications network to a remote server; means to download said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network; and means to install said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications devices.

24. A server arranged in use to be accessing over a wireless communications network by a mobile communications device, the server being arranged to provision said mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application capable of being configured to run on the mobile communications device using the method of any one of claims 1 to 22, the server comprising: means to receive a request generated by said mobile communications device and communicated using said bi-directional wireless communications network; means to process the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for download to the mobile communications device; and means to generate a signal comprising data for downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device over said bi-directional wireless communications network.

25. A signal arranged to convey data from a server as claimed in claim 24 to a mobile communications device as claimed in claim 23 over said wireless communications network, said signal comprising data for downloading said one or more DAB application components to the mobile communications device.

26. A digital receiver module, the module being capable of integration into a mobile communications device and comprising: means for receiving a DAB signal comprising at least one multiplex of DAB subchannels; means for partially decoding a received DAB multiplex to extract at least subchannel identifiers for a plurality of subchannels of said DAB multiplex; means to signal said received DAB identifiers for said multiplex subchannels to a DAB application supported by an operating system of said mobile communications device; and means to send said received DAB subchannels to said DAB application; wherein, said step of partial decoding said received DAB multiplex is implemented by a decoder of said digital receiver module arranged to utilise resources shared with other applications supported by said operating system of said mobile communications device.

27. A DAB receiver module as claimed in claim 28, wherein said shared resources comprise one or more of the following: a shared random access memory resource; a shared flash memory resource; a shared dynamic memory resource; a shared processor resource.

29. A mobile communications device comprising a router module for separating out subchannels in a received digitally broadcast time-division multiplex, at least two of said subchannels comprising audio and/or video content and at least one sub-channel comprising programme guide information, said subchannels being provided as input to a plurality of decoding means, wherein the decoding means decode the sub-channels to provide displayable/playable content through means provided on said mobile communications device.

30. A mobile communications device as claimed in claim 29, wherein said decoding means is remotely configurable.

31. A mobile communications device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said decoding means is reconfigurable remotely in an automated manner by an application running on said device.

32. A mobile communications device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said decoding means is reconfigurable in a user controllable manner.

33. A mobile communications device as claimed in claim 307 to 32, wherein said decoding means is reconfigurable to change the protocol of the video and/or audio content decoded.

34. A mobile communications device as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 33, wherein said TOM multiplex comprises a plurality of subchannelS, at least two subchannels relating to the same type of content conforming to differing protocols.

35. A mobile communications device as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 34, wherein said displayable content is rendered using the same means provided for rendering the user interface of said mobile communications system.

36. A DAB application arranged to be provisioned for remote configuring on a mobile communications device as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 35, using a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22.

37. A method of provisioning a mobile communications device with a digital audio broadcast (DAB) application configured to run on an operating system of the mobile communications device, the method comprising: generating a request for at least one component of the DAB application, said request indicating an identifier for the requesting device capable of being associated with a user profile for a plurality of devices; communicating the request over a communications link to a remote server; receiving the request at the remote server; processing the request to identify one or more DAB application components suitable for the mobile communications device; downloading said one or more DAB application components to a device selected in accordance with a predetermined set of rules associated with said user profile; and installing said one or more DAB application components onto said mobile communications device directly if selected, or if another device is selected downloading said one or more DAB application components to said other device, wherein said installation of said DAB application components occurs when said mobile communications device connects to said other device.

38. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22 or 37, wherein the downloading server selects one or more DAB application components for download to said device based on information provided by an identifier for said mobile communications device which identifies what, if any, existing DAB application components are already installed on said mobile communications device.

39. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22 or 37, wherein the request specifies the DAB application components which are to be downloaded.

40. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22, or 37 to 39, wherein prior to said the step of installing said DAB application components, said mobile communications device determines what resources controlled by the operating system of the mobile communications device are required to complete the installation, and if not available, requests the operating system of the mobile communications device to reallocated resources utilised by other applications to enable said installation process to proceed.

41. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22, or 37 to 39, wherein during said the step of installing said DAB application components, said mobile communications device determines what resources controlled by the operating system of the mobile communications device are required to complete the installation, and if not available, requests the operating system of the mobile communications device to reallocated resources utilised by other applications to enable said installation process to proceed.

42. A method as claimed in any one of claims 40 or 41, wherein if sufficient resources are not made available following said request for more resources, the installation process is terminated.

43. A method as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 42, wherein the user of the mobile communications device is alerted to one or more characteristics of the resource conflict between the installation process and other applications running on said operating system, and said alert is arranged to prompt the user to selectively terminate one or more other applications or the installation process.

44. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22, and 40 to 43, wherein one DAB application component comprises a component related to a characteristic of an electronic programme guide for bearer content received by said DAB application from a DAB receiver module of said mobile communications device.