METHOD, SYSTEM AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR BROADCAST OPERATIONS UTILIZING INTERNET PROTOCOL AND DIGITAL ARTIFACTS

• US 20070130590A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Forefront Assets Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Nash-Putnam, Jon
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

An affiliate site commands the central site to construct a unique broadcast event log through the affiliate site'"'"'s command browser. The sequenced data stream of broadcast content is combined with a digital artifact inserted into the digitized broadcast video and/or audio content immediately prior to the data transmission process. Transmission to the affiliate site is accomplished utilizing Internet Protocol. Upon reception at the destination, the commercial advertising or prepared program content is input to the affiliate site'"'"'s system, routed to the broadcast production system, and in turn, processed by the broadcast transmission site, where it is converted from a digital to an analog signal, and transmitted electromagnetically in the radio frequency spectrum by the broadcast transmitter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a digital data stream in accordance with Internet Protocol from a central site server, wherein the digital data stream contains digitized broadcast content combined with a digital identifier inserted into the digitized broadcast content, and further wherein the digital identifier identifies at least the digitized broadcast content;

extracting the digital identifier from the digital data stream.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a command through an Internet browser to the central site server scheduling a broadcast event to be transmitted back to an affiliate site.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing an event data record at the central site server to receive information about the commercial content of the digital data stream based on an association with the extracted identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an analog version of the digital data stream in the radio frequency spectrum by a broadcast transmitter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising uploading the digital data stream via the Internet to at an affiliate site and storing the digital data stream in a storage device, and further accessing the digital data stream in the storage device for subsequent broadcast transmission.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the digital identifier and the date and time of transmission of the digital data stream in an event log database.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing an invoice for the broadcast transmission of the digital data stream, wherein the invoice includes the identifier and date and time stored in the event log database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the digital data stream, uploading an event sequence request to the central site server indicating the content of the digital data stream.

9. A system comprising:

one or more data processing systems configured to perform;

receiving a digital data stream in accordance with Internet Protocol from a central site server, wherein the digital data stream contains digitized broadcast content combined with a digital identifier inserted into the digitized broadcast content, and further wherein the digital identifier identifies at least the digitized broadcast content;

extracting the digital identifier from the digital data stream.

10. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

transmitting a command through an Internet browser to the central site server scheduling a broadcast event to be transmitted back to an affiliate site.

11. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

accessing an event data record at the central site server to receive information about the commercial content of the digital data stream based on an association with the extracted identifier.

12. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

transmitting an analog version of the digital data stream in the radio frequency spectrum by a broadcast transmitter.

13. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

uploading the digital data stream via the Internet to at an affiliate site and storing the digital data stream in a storage device, and further accessing the digital data stream in the storage device for subsequent broadcast transmission.

14. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

storing the digital identifier and the date and time of transmission of the digital data stream in an event log database.

15. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

providing an invoice for the broadcast transmission of the digital data stream, wherein the invoice includes the identifier and date and time stored in the event log database.

16. The system of claim 9, further configured to perform:

prior to receiving the digital data stream, uploading an event sequence request to the central site server indicating the content of the digital data stream.

17. A program product comprising a machine-readable medium including program logic embedded therein for causing an apparatus to perform the steps of:

receiving a digital data stream in accordance with Internet Protocol from a central site server, wherein the digital data stream contains digitized broadcast content combined with a digital identifier inserted into the digitized broadcast content, and further wherein the digital identifier identifies at least the digitized broadcast content;

extracting the digital identifier from the digital data stream.

18. A program product according to claim 17, further comprising transmitting a command through an Internet browser to the central site server scheduling a broadcast event to be transmitted back to an affiliate site.

19. A program product according to claim 17, further comprising accessing an event data record at the central site server to receive information about the commercial content of the digital data stream based on an association with the extracted identifier.

20. A program product according to claim 17, further comprising providing an invoice for the broadcast transmission of the digital data stream, wherein the invoice includes the identifier and date and time stored in the event log database.