System for managing and outputting audio data

• US 20050256875A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Barix AG
• Original Assignee: Barix AG
• Inventors: Rietschel, Johannes
• Application Number:
  US10/524,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256875A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system including at least one content server including at least one processor, data storage, and at least one network interface; at least one terminal including at least one processor, an internal data storage, and at least one network interface; and a network by which the at least one content server and the at least one terminal can be connected via their respective network interfaces for data transmission. The content server includes a management data processing program providing specific terminals with specific files (audio, control protocols, commands) (without actively outputting the same), the at least one terminal outputs audio files, and the at least one terminal periodically and autonomously collects, or more precisely, updates files specifically provided for the terminal via a TCP/IP protocol, especially HTTP or FTP, on the content server, and outputs such via the media output according to a control protocol stored in the terminal.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A system comprising

at least one content server including at least one processor, means for storing data, and at least one network interface;

at least one terminal device including at least one processor, means for storing data, and at least one network interface;

one network, by which the at least one content server and the at least one terminal device are in data connection by their respective network interfaces,

wherein the content server further includes a management data processing program configured to make specific audio files available to specific terminal devices,

wherein the at least one terminal device further includes a media output channel for output of audio files,

wherein the at least one terminal device periodically and self-dependently gets/fetches from the content server the audio files made available specifically for the terminal device by a TCP/IP protocol, or updates them, respectively, and

wherein the terminal device outputs the audio files depending on a direction protocol that is saved in the terminal device continuously, or in repetition, or only once, by the media output channel.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein the network and/or the network connection includes wire technology or wireless technology.

29. A system according to claim 27, wherein the network connection includes a modem.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein the terminal device automatically dials a point of presence (POP) via the modem for establishing a network connection.

31. A system according to claim 27, wherein the transmission of the data takes place via HTTP, FTP, SSL, TLS, or SMTP protocols.

32. A system according to claim 27, wherein the transmission of the data takes place via HTTP, and further protocols for the communication with proxy servers or for the transmission of data via proxy server from and to the content server can be supported or configured, respectively.

33. A system according to claim 27, wherein the at least one terminal device is provided with, as a media output channel, a loudspeaker and/or a head phone jack, and/or one or plural connectors for connection of local telephones and/or a local telephone system, wherein in a case of such a telephone connector at least one interface for connection to an external telephone line is provided.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein the terminal device is configured to receive incoming calls via the external telephone line and to put the received calls into an on hold loop, which is structured in function of a state of a local telephone system or of local telephones and/or depending on specific input, and which plays at least one audio file in accordance with a direction protocol if need be in an interactive manner.

35. A system according to claim 27, wherein the protocol in the terminal device controls the output or play-back of the audio files with respect to sequence and/or time.

36. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices further periodically and self-dependently fetches and/or updates direction protocols made available on the content server specifically for each individual terminal device and/or a current time.

37. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices transfer a signature, version, or check sum as a confirmation to the content server in a case of complete download of audio files or direction protocols, respectively.

38. A system according to claim 37, wherein accesses having taken place or transmitted, respectively, and/or the transactions and/or the signatures and/or the versions and/or the check sums from the terminal devices are logged on the content server in the management data processing program, and on the content server a state of a system of a whole system or of individual terminal devices can be checked by using a web browser.

39. A system according to claim 27, wherein requests of the terminal devices on the content server are substantially equally distributed by attribution of staged request times.

40. A system according to claim 27, wherein the individual terminal devices and/or the content server can be configured by a web browser and can be checked in respect of their status by the web browser.

41. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices are further configured for direct streaming of audio files from the content server.

42. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices further include at least one local interface, by which an output of specific audio files or a combination of audio files, in a form of messages and/or music files, can be triggered, wherein direction protocols specifically made available in the terminal device are attributed to the local interfaces, wherein the protocols are coordinating a sequence of audio files upon activation of the local interfaces.

43. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices are equipped in embedded technology with internal flash memory.

44. A system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal devices are provided with a memory extension by commercially available memory media of at least one of compact flash, memory stick, SD card, or MMC card.

45. A system according to claim 44, wherein the memory media are configured to be charged/recorded and modified on a commercially available PC or adapter.

46. A system according to claim 27, wherein in addition to the audio files, analogously graphic files are managed, which are output at the terminal device in coordination with the audio files.

47. A system according to claim 27, wherein the management data processing program is programmed on the content server as a script solution.

48. A system according to claim 27, wherein the management data processing program is coded as an independent software package on the content server with integrated web server in C#, Java, or in another programming language.

49. Use of a system according to claim 27 as an on hold center in a telephone network, for generation of background music, for management of audio information and audio advertisement, respectively, and/or for specific output of messages on specifically provided information posts.

51. A management data processing program for use on a content server of a system according to claim 27.

52. A terminal device for use in a system according to claim 27, wherein the terminal device exclusively comprises at least one processor, means for storing data, at least one network interface, and one media output channel, wherein the media output channel is a loud speaker and/or interfaces for connection to a local and/or external telephone system.

50. A method for management and output of audio files by use of a system comprising:

at least one content server including at least one processor, means for storing data, and at least one network interface;

at least one terminal device including least one processor, means for storing data, and at least one network interface;

a network, by which the at least one content server and the at least one terminal device are in data connection by their respective network interfaces;

wherein, the content server further includes a management data processing program, by which specific audio files are made available to specific terminal devices;

wherein the at least one terminal device outputs the audio files by a media output channel,

wherein the at least one terminal device periodically and self-dependently fetches and updates, respectively, the audio files as specifically made available on the content server for the specific terminal device by a TCP/IP protocol, and

wherein it outputs these files in accordance with a protocol saved in the terminal device by using the media output channel.