Apparatus for and a method of sending and displaying images and data

• US 20050155070A1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Paul Slaughter
• Original Assignee: Paul Slaughter
• Inventors: Slaughter, Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/498,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Apparatus and method for sending and displaying images and data includes a first computer and a second computer coupled to the first computer via a telecommunications network. Images and data are sent from the first computer to the second computer (and optionally to a third computer) for display using a digital display device. This invention also relates to a method of displaying data on a screen (e.g., a cinema screen).

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A digital display system comprising:

a central server comprising a central data store;

at least one local server suitable for retrieving a subset of data from the central data store and storing said subset as part of a local data store;

at least one digital control unit (DCU) associated with the or each local server suitable for retrieving data from the local data store; and

a digital display device associated with each DCU, wherein the data retrieved by the or each DCU comprises a plurality of distinct data structures (zones), which are displayed simultaneously on a screen of the digital display device.

33. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein each distinct data structure (zone) comprises either a plurality of data files stored as a single cast, or an MPEG file.

34. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein the local server comprises means for a user to define content of the local data store, said content being stored in addition to the data retrieved from the central data store.

35. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein each distinct data structure (zone) corresponds to a set area of a screen of the digital display device.

36. The digital display system of claim 35, wherein two or more set areas of a screen can overlap.

37. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein a plurality of play lists are stored on the central server, each play list defining a list of data to be displayed and a timing schedule for the playback of the list.

38. The digital display system of claim 37, wherein each play list is appropriate for a particular local server, and wherein said local server is capable of retrieving said play list from the central server.

39. The digital display system of claim 37, wherein the play list is represented in an editable table format.

40. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein the central server comprises a media campaign manager software module, which is suitable for receiving requests and making reservations for data and/or for a time slot for the transmission of data;

determining what data is to be shown on which digital display device; and

forming a play list accordingly.

41. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein the central server comprises:

a passive component for receiving status reports from the local servers;

a polling component for actively polling the local servers to verify that they are functioning correctly; and

a monitoring component for receiving information from the passive component and the polling component;

compiling a general system errors report (GSER); and

, in the event of a system error, generating a maintenance signal or request which comprises information regarding the location and nature of the problem.

42. The digital display system of claim 32, wherein the digital display devices are cinema projectors.

43. A digital display system comprising:

at least one local server suitable for retrieving data from a remote data source and storing said data as part of a local data store;

at least one digital control unit (DCU) associated with the or each local server suitable for retrieving data from the local data store; and

a digital display device associated with each DCU, wherein the data retrieved by the or each DCU comprises a plurality of distinct data structures (zones), which are displayed simultaneously on a screen of the digital display devices.

44. A method of displaying data, wherein:

a central data store is provided in a central server;

a local server retrieves a subset of data from the central data store and stores said subset as part of a local data store;

at least one digital control unit (DCU) associated with the local server retrieves data from the local data store to drive a digital display device, wherein the data retrieved by the or each DCU comprises a plurality of distinct data structures (zones), which are displayed simultaneously on a screen of the digital display device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein each distinct data structure (zone) comprises either a plurality of data files stored as a single cast, or an MPEG file.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein content of the local data store is defined by a user, said content being stored in the local data store in addition to the data retrieved from the central data store.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein each distinct data structure (zone) corresponds to a set area of a screen of the digital display device.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein two or more set areas of a screen can overlap.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein a plurality of play lists are stored on the central server, each play list defining a list of data to be displayed and a timing schedule for the playback of the list.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein each play list is appropriate for a particular local server, and wherein said local server is capable of retrieving said play list from the central server.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the play list is represented in an editable table format.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein the central server comprises a media campaign manager software module, which:

receives requests and makes reservations for data and/or for a time slot for the transmission of data;

determines what data is to be shown on which digital display device; and

forms a play list accordingly.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein:

a passive component receives status reports from the local servers;

a polling component actively polls the local servers to verify that they are functioning correctly; and

a monitoring component receives information from the passive component and the polling component;

compiles a general system errors report (GSER); and

, in the event of a system error, generates a maintenance signal or request which comprises information regarding the location and nature of the problem;

wherein the passive component, the polling component and the monitoring component are provided on a central server.

54. The method of claim 44, wherein the digital display devices are cinema projectors.