Media content distribution system and method

• US 20060288395A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hotel Digital Network Inc. (On Command Corporation)
• Inventors: DiLorenzo, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/51 specially adapted for satellite broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method of distributing content from multiple media content providers comprises combining the content into one or more composite data streams, and conveying the composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems, each of which has a user interface that displays content provider information and allows for the selection of one of the providers for playing of the selected provider'"'"'s media content. The media content is preferably provided to a computer server system via a data communications network. One or more composite data streams can be upconverted and uplinked to a satellite system for reception by satellite radio receivers. Intermediary service providers might also be used to receive the composite data streams, either via satellite or land-based communications lines, and format the data as needed for use by one or more associated end-user devices.

Claims

1. A method of distributing content from multiple media content providers, said method comprising:

providing an interface which receives media content from a plurality of media content providers;

forming one or more composite data streams from the media content received from said plurality of content providers;

providing a means of conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems; and

providing a user interface for said receiver systems, said user interface displaying content provider information and allowing for the selection of one of the content providers for playing of the selected provider'"'"'s media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said interface comprises a computer server system which receives said media content at one or more inputs and provides said composite data streams at one or more outputs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a data communications network coupled between at least one of said media content providers and at least one of said computer server system'"'"'s inputs which conveys media content from at least one of said providers to said computer server system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said data communications network is the Internet.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said media content conveyed via said data communications network is in a digital data streaming format.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said media content is conveyed via said data communications network as data packets.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising converting media content conveyed over-the-air to a digital data streaming format and conveying said converted media content to said computer server system via said data communications network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said media content conveyed over-the-air comprises analog data provided in AM, FM and/or satellite signal format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing of said means of conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems comprises upconverting at least one of said composite data streams and uplinking said upconverted data streams to a satellite system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of said receiver systems is a satellite radio receiver.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said receiver systems comprise one or more intermediary service providers, at least one of which includes a satellite radio receiver which receives said upconverted composite data streams and formats them as needed for use by one or more associated end-user devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiver systems comprise one or more intermediary service providers which receive said composite data streams via respective land-based communications lines and format them as needed for use by one or more associated end-user devices.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a database within said interface which stores media content source data; and

including said media content source data as part of said one or more composite data streams.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing user interface data within said database; and

including said user interface data as part of said one or more composite data streams.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said user interface data includes graphical user interface (GUI) data for use by said user interfaces when displaying content provider information and allowing for the selection of one of the content providers for playing of the selected provider'"'"'s media content.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user interface comprises:

conveying content source data via said composite data streams, said content source data including geographic territory data that indicates the geographic areas in which specific content is to be available;

receiving the content source data at said receiver systems; and

displaying only the content source data associated with the geographic territory in which said receiver system is located.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user interface comprises:

establishing user programming packages which restricts a receiver system'"'"'s access to specified media content;

conveying content source data via said composite data streams, said content source data including programming ID data associated with each content source;

receiving the content source data at said receiver systems; and

displaying only content source data having a programming ID which is included in a user'"'"'s programming package.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a provider'"'"'s content emanates from a source having an over-the-air coverage area and comprises primary content that is independent of the coverage area and secondary content that is specific to said coverage area, said method further comprising:

extracting the secondary content from said provider'"'"'s content for content being conveyed to receiver systems outside of said coverage area.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

storing alternate secondary content; and

inserting alternate secondary content in place of the extracted secondary content for content being conveyed to receiver systems outside of said coverage area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the alternate secondary content is independent of any coverage area.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the alternate secondary content is specific to a coverage area different than said over-the-air coverage area.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing of said means of conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems comprises upconverting at least one of said composite data streams and uplinking said upconverted data streams to a satellite system, said method further comprising:

receiving said upconverted composite data streams from said satellite system;

downconverting said composite data streams;

combining said downconverted composite data streams into a single composite RF signal;

receiving said composite RF signal; and

selecting a portion of said composite RF signal for further processing.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said selected portion is upconverted and conveyed to one or more satellite radio receivers.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said upconverted portion is conveyed via a direct line connection to said satellite radio receivers.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said upconverted portion is conveyed via a low power transmitter to said satellite radio receivers.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising combining additional content signals with said downconverted composite data streams into said single composite RF signal.

27. A media content distribution system, comprising:

an interface which receives media content from a plurality of media content providers, said interface arranged to form one or more composite data streams from the media content received from said plurality of content providers;

a means for conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems; and

a user interface for said receiver systems, said user interface arranged to display content provider information and to allow a user to select one of said content providers for playing of the selected provider'"'"'s media content.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said interface comprises a computer server system arranged to receive said media content at one or more inputs and to provide said composite data streams at one or more outputs.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising a data communications network coupled between at least one of said media content providers and at least one of said computer server system'"'"'s inputs for conveying media content from at least one of said providers to said computer server system.

30. The system of claim 28, further comprising a converter which receives content from at least one of said media content providers and formats it into data packets which are conveyed to said at least one of said computer server system'"'"'s inputs via said data communications network.

31. The system of claim 29, further comprising a means for converting media content conveyed over-the-air to a digital data streaming format and conveying said streaming data to said computer server system via said data communications network.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer server system includes a database which stores media content source data, said computer server system arranged to include said media content source data as part of said one or more composite data streams.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said computer server system is further arranged to store user interface data within said database and to include said user interface data as part of said one or more composite data streams.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said user interface data includes graphical user interface (GUI) data for use by said user interfaces when displaying content provider information and which allows for the selection of one of the content providers for playing of the selected provider'"'"'s media content.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein said interface is arranged to form said composite data streams using time division multiplexing (TDM).

36. The system of claim 27, wherein said means for conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems comprises upconverting at least one of said composite data streams and uplinking said upconverted data streams to a satellite system.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein at least one of said receiver systems is a satellite radio receiver.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein said receiver systems comprise one or more intermediary service providers, at least one of which includes a satellite radio receiver and is arranged to receive said upconverted composite data streams and format them as needed for use by one or more associated end-user devices.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein said receiver systems comprise one or more intermediary service providers, at least one of which is arranged to receive said composite data streams via respective land-based communications lines and to format them as needed for use by one or more associated end-user devices.

40. The system of claim 27, wherein said interface is arranged to convey user interface data and content source data via said composite data streams, said content source data including geographic territory data that indicates the geographic areas in which specific content is to be available;

at least one of said receiver systems arranged to receive the user interface data and content source data and to display only the content source data associated with the geographic territory in which the receiver system is located.

41. The system of claim 27, wherein said means for conveying said composite data streams to a plurality of receiver systems comprises circuitry arranged to upconvert at least one of said composite data streams and uplink said upconverted data streams to a satellite system, said system further comprising:

circuitry arranged to;

receive and downconvert said upconverted composite data streams from said satellite system; and

combine said downconverted composite data streams into a single composite RF signal.

42. The system of claim 41, further comprising a system arranged to:

receive said composite RF signal; and

select a portion of said composite RF signal for further processing.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising an upconverter arranged to receive and upconvert said selected portion.

44. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

one or more satellite radio receivers; and

a direct line connection between said upconverter and said satellite radio receivers which conveys said upconverted portion to said satellite radio receivers.

45. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

one or more satellite radio receivers; and

a low power transmitter which conveys said upconverted portion to said satellite radio receivers.