Providing a multi-tier enterprise level application

• US 20030217170A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: In-Store Broadcasting Network LLC (Stingray Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: In-Store Broadcasting Network LLC (Stingray Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Powell, Robert H., Nelson, Hortense Kathleen, Smylie, Gary Dean, Landon, Michael Dee
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a multi-tier enterprise level application. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing an architecture and interface for delivering customizable music and advertisements to remote retail locations. A client player computer device is located at the retail location and a server system is located at a remote location. The server system selectively provides broadcast information when an active contract, an active advertisement, and an active schedule are available. The client player computer device establishes a contact with a server at a predetermined time or upon request by the server or another source. The client player computer device executes a broadcast or program schedule that includes music content and advertisements, wherein the advertisements have been purchased as blocks of time by entities and are scheduled to be broadcast at particular times. The music content and advertisements are selectively customizable to provide a dynamic service at the retail location.

Claims

1. A system for providing a multi-tier enterprise level application, the system comprising:

a server having a data layer, wherein the server is connected to a communication mechanism;

a client having a presentation layer for use in providing a broadcast, wherein the client is connected to the communication mechanism; and

an interface layer that selectively interacts with the data layer and the presentation layer, wherein control over the broadcast is experienced locally at the client and disseminated remotely.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication mechanism comprises at least one of:

(i) a local area network;

(ii) a wide area network;

(iii) a wireless network; and

(iv) a leased line.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the presentation layer for use in providing the broadcast comprises at least one of:

(i) video data; and

(ii) audio data.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the broadcast is performed at the client using at least one of:

(i) a speaker;

(ii) a display device; and

(iii) a hologram.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data layer includes at least one database.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the interface layer comprises one or more peers corresponding to one or more persistent objects, and wherein the one or more peers are independent from the one or more persistent objects.

7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the interface layer further comprises:

a controller manager configured to interface with the presentation layer and selectively creates one or more controllers; and

a manager configured to manage the one or more persistent objects and corresponding peers, and wherein the peers interface with the database.

8. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein the enterprise level application provides customized content to a retail location for the broadcast of the content at the client, and wherein the customized content includes at least one of:

(i) music; and

(ii) an advertisement.

9. A system as recited in claim 5, further comprising a system manager that is configured to communicate with the server, wherein the system manager includes at least one of:

(i) a control center module;

(ii) a scheduling center module;

(iii) a report module;

(iv) a music library manager module;

(v) a database sync module; and

(vi) a field support application.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, further comprising a chain manager that is configured to communicate with at least one of:

(i) the client; and

(ii) the server.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the chain manager comprises at least one of:

(i) a player manager module; and

(ii) a music manager module.

12. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client comprises at least one of:

(i) a player component;

(ii) an updater component;

(iii) a client launcher component; and

(iv) an upgrader component.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the server comprises at least one of:

(i) a storage device;

(ii) a remote file access component; and

(iii) a business object component.

14. In a system that includes a client, a server, a system manager, and a method for providing a multi-tier enterprise level application that selectively delivers music and announcements to a retail location, the method comprising the steps for:

providing a broadcast schedule that includes music content and one or more advertisements, wherein the broadcast schedule is customizable to the client;

executing at least a portion of the broadcast schedule at the client; and

selectively establishing a connection between the client and the server to exchange information, wherein the information exchanged includes data corresponding to a broadcast at the client.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the broadcast comprises an advertisement customized for the client and disseminated by the server.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the information exchanged includes a request received by the server for customized content for the broadcast at the client.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step for providing a broadcast schedule comprises the steps for:

selectively processing the music content by performing at least one of the steps for;

(i) placing the music content into a desired format;

(ii) populating a header corresponding to the music content; and

(iii) removing any dead space associated with the music content; and

preserving the processed music content in a storage device.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step for providing a broadcast schedule comprises the steps for:

obtaining an active contract;

obtaining an active advertisement associated with the active contract; and

obtaining an active broadcast schedule associated with the active contract.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step for providing a broadcast schedule comprises delivering the broadcast schedule to the client.

20. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step for selectively establishing a connection comprises the step for establishing a connection at a predetermined instant in time.

21. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step for selectively establishing a connection comprises the steps for:

providing a request to the client to initiate a connection with the server; and

initiating a connection with the server upon the receipt of the request by the client.

22. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the information exchanged includes at least one of:

(i) data corresponding to music content; and

(ii) data corresponding to an advertisement.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the information exchanged further includes data corresponding to a broadcast time.

24. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the broadcast is performed at the client using at least one of:

(i) a speaker;

(ii) a display device; and

(iii) a hologram.

25. A computer program product for implementing within a computer system a method for providing a multi-tier enterprise level application that selectively delivers music and announcements to a retail location, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for providing computer program code means utilized to implement the method, wherein the computer program code means is comprised of executable code for implementing the steps for;

obtaining a customized broadcast schedule of content to be broadcast;

broadcasting at least a portion of the content; and

selectively establishing a connection with a server to exchange information corresponding to the portion broadcast.

26. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the content to be broadcast includes music content and at least one advertisement.

27. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the step for obtaining comprises the step for selectively processing the music content by performing at least one of the steps for:

(i) placing the music content into a desired audio format;

(ii) populating a header corresponding to the music content; and

(iii) removing any dead space associated with the music content.

28. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the step for obtaining includes establishing at least one of:

(i) a JDBC connection with the server; and

(ii) an FTP connection with the server.

29. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the step for selectively establishing a connection comprises the step for establishing a connection with the server at a predetermined time.

30. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the step for selectively establishing a connection comprises the step for establishing a connection with the server upon receipt of a request to initiate a connection with the server.