Video-on-demand web portal

• US 20020138844A1
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rick Otenasek, Tobias Joel Musser
• Original Assignee: Rick Otenasek, Tobias Joel Musser
• Inventors: Otenasek, Rick, Musser, Tobias Joel
• Application Number:
  US10/075,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138844A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A system for centrally warehousing digital audio/video of PA/LO programs, and for remotely reviewing, authorizing and thereby controlling accessibility of said programs by the public. The system involves a method of use as well as a supporting architecture. The method includes the steps of uploading digital video works from independent producers to a central upload site, tagging each digital video work with an abstract of information, and reviewing and controlling availability of said digital video works for public access from a remote review/control site. The content review/control site serves as a gatekeeper to screen those works that are appropriate for general public access. The architecture includes a central web-enabled server accessible over a distributed communication backbone, and a network administrator for operating the same, the foregoing maintaining a central library of multimedia content. Additionally, a remote content review/control site is maintained by a reviewing authority to remotely review and approve/disapprove each digital video work in central upload site for general public access.

Claims

1. A system for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet, comprising:

a central server accessible over a distributed communication backbone for storing a central library of multimedia content;

a network administrator for maintaining said library of multimedia content at the central server, said maintenance including tagging each work with an abstract of information and storing the multimedia work with associated abstract in said central library;

a catalog of available multimedia works intermittently compiled from the abstracts and stored on said central server;

a remote content review/control site that intermittently polls the catalog maintained on the central server to ascertain when new works have become available, said remote content review/control site allowing a reviewer to edit the abstract of information and view each corresponding work, and to approve/disapprove each such work for public access;

whereby when a particular work is deemed suitable by the remote content review/control site, a publication approval message is sent to the network administrator indicating that the work should be made available by streaming for general public access.

2. The system for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 1, wherein said library of multimedia content at the central server is maintained in an SQL database.

3. The system for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 1, wherein said library of multimedia content at the central server is maintained in a uniform digital video format.

4. The system for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 1, wherein said library of multimedia content at the central server is maintained in AVI digital format.

5. A method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet, comprising the steps of:

providing a web portal to independent video producers by which they can upload their video files to a central upload site;

performing pre-processing on each video file uploaded to said central upload site, said pre-processing including verification of a video file format, screening based on file size, translation when necessary to a uniform pre-determined file format, tagging each file added to said database with an abstract of information, and storage of each pre-processed file in a database of files needing approval;

sending an administrative alert for each file added to said database to an administrator;

maintaining a catalog at said central upload site of all new tagged files in said database;

periodically canvassing said catalog from a remote reviewing site, and for each new tagged file in said database, reviewing the abstract and content of the tagged file as desired and sending a publication approval or disapproval message back to the administrator at the central upload site.

6. The method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 5, wherein said step of storing each pre-processed file in a database of files needing approval further comprises storing each pre-processed file in an SQL database library of multimedia content at the central upload site.

7. The method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 6, wherein said step of storing each pre-processed file in a database of files needing approval further comprises storing each pre-processed file in a uniform digital video format.

8. The method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 7, wherein said step of storing each pre-processed file in a database of files needing approval further comprises storing each pre-processed file in AVI digital format.

9. A method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet, comprising the steps of:

uploading digital video works from independent producers to a central upload site;

tagging each digital video work with an abstract of information including any fields from among the group comprising subject matter category, subject, date, runtime, author, and rating;

storing each tagged work with associated abstract in a database on a web-enabled network server;

periodically canvassing the abstracts on said network server and compiling a catalog of available works at said network server;

maintaining a remote content review/control site for reviewing and controlling availability of said digital video works for public access, said remote content review/control site periodically polling said catalog at the network server to ascertain when new works are available, and said remote content review/control site having the ability to screen each new digital video work by abstract and by content in real time by audio/video streaming, and to approve/disapprove each said work for public access viewing, whereby said content review/control site serves as a gatekeeper to screen those works that are appropriate for general public access.

10. The method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 9, further comprising a step of receiving mailed NTSC videos and digitizing said NTSC videos into digital video works at said central upload site.

11. The method for distributed maintenance and publishing control of a library of video files for public access over the internet according to claim 9, further comprising the step of providing streaming video access to all works approved by said review/control site for public access viewing.