Distribution of real-time entertainment scheduling data

• US 20040068742A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gracenote Media Services LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Media Services Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Strong, Kelly A., Shannon, Bryan A., White, Melissa E., Evans, Gary L., Ward, Brian J., Cushing, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A method, system, and software for distributing entertainment scheduling data (e.g., television scheduling data, movie scheduling data, etc.) to end users. Entertainment scheduling data updates are entered into an editorial database and then used to rapidly update a real-time database. A subset of entertainment scheduling data from the real-time database may be transmitted from the real-time database to an end-user database of an end user. The subset may be transmitted across a communication interface (e.g., the Internet) from the real-time database to the end-user database. An intermediate destination (e.g., a File Transfer Protocol server) between the real-time database and the communication interface may be used for temporary parking of the subset.

Claims

1. A method for distributing data, comprising updating a real-time database with entertainment scheduling content extracted from an editorial database:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the editorial database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises said content upon completion of said updating;

wherein said content had not existed in the real-time database prior to said updating;

wherein prior to said updating, an editing of the editorial database had occurred resulting in placement of said content in the editorial database;

wherein said content had not existed in the editorial database prior to said editing;

wherein said editing ended at time T₁;

wherein said updating ended at time T₂ such that T₂>

T₁;

wherein the entertainment scheduling data in the real-time database is adapted to have portions thereof become available to a plurality of end users; and

wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database is not based on a target environment context of any of said end users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein T₂−

T₁ does not exceed about 240 minutes.

3. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising repeating N times said updating the real-time database with additional entertainment scheduling content derived from the editorial database, wherein N is at least 1, wherein (T₂−

T₁)_AVE does not exceed about 10 minutes, and wherein (T₂−

T_I)_AVF is a statistical average of (T₂−

T₁) over said 1+N updatings.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the statistical average is an arithmetic average.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said updating comprises multi-threaded updating of said real-time database with said content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

9. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising pushing a dataset from the real-time database to a computer-readable medium of a destination:

wherein the dataset comprises said content;

wherein the dataset at the destination is adapted to be transmitted to an end-user database of an end user of the plurality of end users via a communication link between the destination and the end-user database;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium; and

wherein receipt of the dataset by said end-user database updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the destination is a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the dataset at the destination is adapted to be pulled by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the dataset at the destination is adapted to be pushed across the communication link into the end-user database.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said pushing is triggered upon satisfaction of a condition.

15. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising pushing a dataset from the real-time database to an end-user database of an end user of the plurality of end users over a communication link between the real-time database and the end-user database, wherein the end-user database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium;

and wherein receipt of the dataset by said end-user database updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said pushing is triggered by satisfaction of a condition.

18. A method for distributing data, comprising receiving by an end-user database of an end user a dataset that is stored in a real-time database:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises the dataset;

wherein the dataset includes entertainment scheduling content; and

wherein said receiving updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

19. The method of claim 18,

wherein prior to said receiving, an updating of the real-time database had occurred which updated the real-time database with said content that had been previously extracted from an editorial database;

wherein the editorial database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium;

wherein said content had not existed in the real-time database prior to said updating;

wherein prior to said updating of the real-time database, an editing of the editorial database had occurred resulting in placement of said content in the editorial database;

wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database is not based on a target environment context of the end user;

wherein said content had not existed in the editorial database prior to said editing;

wherein said editing ended at time T₁; and

wherein said updating ended at time T₂ such that T₂>

T₁.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein T₂−

T₁ does not exceed about 240 minutes.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said updating of the real-time database comprises a multithreaded updating of the real-time database with said content.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the content is not based on a target environment context of the end user.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the dataset by the end-user database from a computer-readable medium of a destination to which the dataset had been pushed from the real-time database, and wherein said receiving the dataset from said destination results from a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the destination and the end-user database.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the destination is a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said transmission comprises a pulling of the dataset by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said transmission comprises a pushing of the dataset across the communication link and into the end-user database.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the dataset had been pushed from the real-time database to the destination upon satisfaction of a condition.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the dataset by the end-user database from the real-time database via a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the real-time database and the end-user database.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmission results from a pulling of the dataset by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmission results from a pushing of the dataset across the communication link and into the end-user database.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein said transmission is triggered by satisfaction of a condition.

37. A system for distributing data, comprising a real-time database:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises a dataset;

wherein the dataset includes entertainment scheduling content for updating an end-user database of an end user;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium; and

wherein receipt of said dataset by said end-user database updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the entertainment scheduling content had been extracted from an editorial database prior to being comprised by the real-time database, wherein the editorial database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium, and wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database was not based on a target environment context of the end user.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein said receipt of said dataset by said end-user database comprises receipt of said dataset from a computer-readable medium of a destination to which the dataset had been pushed from the real-time database, and wherein said receipt of said dataset results from a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the destination and the end-user database.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the destination is a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein said receipt of said dataset by the end-user database from the destination results from the dataset having been pulled by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein receipt of said dataset by said end-user database results from the dataset having been pushed across the communication link and into the end-user database.

47. The system of claim 37, wherein said receipt of said dataset by the end-user database from the real-time database results from a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the real-time database and the end-user database.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein said transmission results from a pulling of the dataset by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein said transmission results from a pushing of the dataset across the communication link and into the end-user database.

51. The system of claim 47, wherein said transmission is triggered by satisfaction of a condition.

52. A system for distributing data, said system comprising an end user having an end-user database that is adapted to receive a dataset which is stored in a real-time database:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises the dataset;

wherein the dataset includes entertainment scheduling content; and

wherein receipt of the dataset updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the entertainment scheduling content had been extracted from an editorial database prior to being comprised by the real-time database, wherein the editorial database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium, and wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database was not based on a target environment context of the end user.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

55. The system of claim 52, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

56. The system of claim 52, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

57. The system of claim 52, wherein the end-user database is adapted to receive the dataset from a computer-readable medium of a destination to which the dataset had been pushed from the real-time database, and wherein said receipt of said dataset from the destination results from a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the destination and the end-user database.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the destination is a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

59. The system of claim 57, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

60. The system of claim 57, wherein said receipt of said dataset by said end-user database from the destination results from the dataset having been pulled by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

61. The system of claim 57, wherein receipt of the dataset by the end-user database results from the dataset having been pushed across the communication link and into the end-user database.

62. The system of claim 52, wherein the end-user database is adapted to receive the dataset from the real-time database as resulting from a transmission of the dataset over a communication link between the real-time database and the end-user database.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein said transmission results from a pulling of the dataset by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

65. The system of claim 62, wherein said transmission results from a pushing of the dataset across the communication link and into the end-user database.

66. The system of claim 62, wherein said transmission is triggered by satisfaction of a condition.

67. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, wherein the computer readable program code comprises an algorithm adapted to effectuate an updating of a real-time database that comprises entertainment scheduling data:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein said updating of the real-time database updates the entertainment scheduling data with entertainment scheduling content that is extracted from an editorial database through an editing of the editorial database;

wherein the editorial database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium;

wherein the algorithm is adapted to effectuate a completion of the updating of the real-time database in a time interval Δ

T following completion of the editing of the editorial;

wherein the entertainment scheduling data in the real-time database is adapted to have portions thereof become available to a plurality of end users; and

wherein extraction of the entertainment scheduling content from the editorial database is not based on a target environment context of the end user.

68. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein Δ

T does not exceed about 240 minutes.

69. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein the algorithm is adapted to have Δ

T_AVE not exceed about 10 minutes, wherein Δ

T_AVE is a statistical average of Δ

T over a plurality of such updatings of the real-time database.

70. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein said statistical average is an arithmetic average.

71. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein said updating comprises a multithreaded updating of said real-time database with said content.

72. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

73. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

74. The computer program product of claim 67, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

75. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, wherein the computer readable program code comprises an algorithm adapted to effectuate pushing a dataset from a real-time database to a computer-readable medium of a destination:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises the dataset,

wherein the dataset comprises entertainment scheduling content;

wherein the dataset at the destination is adapted to be transmitted to an end-user database of an end user via a communication link between the destination and the end-user database;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium; and

wherein receipt of the dataset by the end-user database updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

76. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein the entertainment scheduling content had been extracted from an editorial database prior to being comprised by the real-time database, wherein the editorial database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium, and wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database was not based on a target environment context of the end user.

77. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

78. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

79. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

80. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein the destination is a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

81. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein the communication link comprises the Internet.

82. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein said receipt of said dataset by the end-user database from the destination results from the dataset having been pulled by the end user across the communication link and into the end-user database.

83. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein receipt of said dataset by said end-user database results from the dataset having been pushed across the communication link and into the end-user database.

84. The computer program product of claim 75, wherein the algorithm is adapted to trigger said pushing by satisfaction of a condition.

85. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, wherein the computer readable program code comprises an algorithm adapted to effectuate pushing a dataset from a real-time database to an end-user database of an end user:

wherein the real-time database is recorded in a first computer-readable medium;

wherein the end-user database is recorded in a second computer-readable medium;

wherein the real-time database includes entertainment scheduling data that comprises the dataset,

wherein the dataset comprises entertainment scheduling content;

wherein the dataset at the real-time database is adapted to be transmitted to the end-user database via a communication link between the real-time database and the end-user database; and

wherein receipt of the dataset by the end-user database updates the end-user database with the dataset without logical modification of the dataset.

86. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the entertainment scheduling content had been extracted from an editorial database prior to being to being comprised by the real-time database, wherein the editorial database is recorded in a third computer-readable medium, and wherein extraction of the content from the editorial database is not based on a target environment context of the end user.

87. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises television program scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises television program scheduling content.

88. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises movie-theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises movie-theatre scheduling content.

89. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein said entertainment scheduling data comprises scheduling data selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling data, musical performance scheduling data, and live theatre scheduling data, and wherein said entertainment scheduling content comprises scheduling content selected from the group consisting of sports events scheduling content, musical performance scheduling content, and live theatre scheduling content.

90. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the communication link comprises the internet.

91. The computer program product of claim 85, wherein the algorithm is adapted to trigger said pushing by satisfaction of a condition.