Live Uplink Transmissions And Broadcasting Management System And Method

• US 20100299703A1
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveU Ltd. (LiveU, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LiveU Ltd. (LiveU, Inc.)
• Inventors: Altman, Baruch Yosef
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/04 from field pickup units [FPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• 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 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6371 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system and method for managing a plurality of live uplink transmissions and broadcasting events, the system comprising: (i) a publication portal for publishing transmissions of live events; (ii) a database for storing metadata, system data, broadcast data and user data; (iii) a broadcast manager adapted for receiving and processing in real-time metadata information related to a plurality of live uplink transmission events wherein each live uplink transmission event transmits in a plurality of uplink channels, wherein processed metadata information generate data elements adapted for being used in telecom and datacom real time management applications, said broadcast manager also adapted for updating the publication portal with live event information and (iv) a set of Quality of Service (QoS) management methods to coordinate the usage of Uplink transmissions based on the received metadata and their processing in the broadcast manager

Claims

1. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method for managing a plurality of live uplink transmissions and broadcasting events, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving metadata information originated from multiple broadcasters and related to a plurality of live uplink transmission events wherein each live uplink transmission event transmits in a plurality of uplink channels;

(ii) processing in real-time the received metadata information;

(iii) generating from the processed metadata information data elements adapted for being used in telecom and datacom real time management applications; and

(iv) generating from the processed metadata information data elements adapted for being used in content management applications.

2. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, wherein the metadata information comprises one or more of the following fields:

user password, promotional or other code, unit/client unique ID, uplink transmission unique ID, service type, modem IDs, ESN'"'"'s, SIM numbers, date and time, reporter name, one or more keywords describing the uplink transmission, camera/unit location, cellular and wireless network identifications and/or status and/or parameters, performance data, quality (QoS) data, video related parameters, geo-location information, referral to broadcaster web, referral to a reporter web site, referral to content owner, or referral to an advertisement.

3. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, wherein the telecom management applications comprise:

billing applications, Service Level Agreement (SLA), performance statistics, content statistics, or Quality of Service applications.

4. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting method according to claim 3, wherein the Quality of Service of each of the live uplink transmission events is adjusted and managed according one or more of the following parameters:

the System Level Agreement (SLA) of each client or unit;

the real time or near real time conditions of the plurality of channels that each unit uses or may use;

the real time or near real time conditions of all units in an area or sharing part or all of the same uplink resources;

historical QoS data and performance behavior and patterns of plurality of live broadcast transmissions previously processed and learnt by the method;

the content metadata;

the policies imposed by the management method;

manual intervention by an operator of the management system;

or any combination thereof.

5. A live broadcasting management and broadcasting method according to claim 1, wherein the content management applications comprise a programming guide of the plurality of live uplink transmissions and broadcasting events based on metadata sent from the units, information received from a content owner, information received from a reporter, information received from a broadcaster or any combination thereof.

6. A live broadcasting management and broadcasting method according to claim 5, wherein the programming guide is a TV guide or an Internet broadcasting guide, or an IPTV guide.

7. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 5, wherein an end-user can query the programming guide or subscribe to receiving alerts from the programming guide or both.

8. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, adapted for transmitting metadata and/or data elements to a plurality of third-party servers or portals.

9. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, adapted for transmitting metadata and/or data elements to a uplink transmission server, said uplink transmission server adapted for receiving, decoding and/or distributing live uplink transmission.

10. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, wherein real time or near real time communications are sent to a reporter or to a transmitting client/unit itself.

11. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 10, wherein the real time or near real time communications are sent by an end-user or a third party.

12. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of authenticating uplink transmission events.

13. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system for managing a plurality of live uplink transmissions and broadcasting events, the system comprising:

(i) a publication portal for publishing transmissions of live events;

(ii) a database for storing metadata, system data, broadcast data and user data;

(iii) a broadcast manager adapted for receiving and processing in real-time metadata information originated from multiple broadcasters and related to a plurality of live uplink transmission events wherein each live uplink transmission event transmits in a plurality of uplink channels, wherein processed metadata information generate data elements adapted for being used in telecom and datacom real time management applications, said broadcast manager also adapted for updating the publication portal with live event information; and

(iv) a set of QoS management methods to coordinate the usage of Uplink transmissions based on the received metadata and their processing in the broadcast manager.

14. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, wherein the metadata information comprises one or more of the following fields:

user password, promotional or other code, unit/client unique ID, uplink transmission unique ID, service type, modem IDs, ESN'"'"'s, SIM numbers, date and time, reporter name, one or more keywords describing the uplink transmission, camera/unit location, cellular and wireless network identifications and/or status and/or parameters, performance data, quality (QoS) data, video related parameters, geo-location information, referral to broadcaster web, referral to a reporter web site, referral to content owner, or referral to an advertisement.

15. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, wherein the telecom management applications comprise:

billing applications, Service Level Agreement (SLA), performance statistics, content statistics, or Quality of Service applications.

16. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting system according to claim 15, wherein the Quality of Service of each of the live uplink transmission events is adjusted and managed according one or more of the following parameters:

the System Level Agreement (SLA) of each client or unit;

the real time or near real time conditions of the plurality of channels that each unit uses or may use;

the real time or near real time conditions of all units in an area or sharing part or all of the same uplink resources;

historical QoS data and performance behavior and patterns of plurality of live broadcast transmissions previously processed and learnt by the method;

the content metadata;

the policies imposed by the management method;

manual intervention by the management system operator;

or any combination thereof.

17. A live broadcasting management and broadcasting system according to claim 13, wherein the content management applications comprise a programming guide of the plurality of live uplink transmissions and broadcasting events based on metadata sent from the units, information received from the content owner, information received from the reporter, information received from the broadcaster or any combination thereof.

18. A live broadcasting management and broadcasting system according to claim 17, wherein the programming guide is a TV guide or an Internet broadcasting guide, or an IPTV guide.

19. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 17, wherein an end-user can query the programming guide or subscribe to receiving alerts from the programming guide or both.

20. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, adapted for transmitting metadata and/or data elements to a plurality of third-party servers or portals.

21. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, adapted for transmitting metadata and/or data elements to a uplink transmission server, said uplink transmission server adapted for receiving, decoding and/or distributing live uplink transmission.

22. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, wherein real time or near real time communications are sent to a reporter or to a transmitting client/unit itself.

23. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 22, wherein the real time or near real time communications are sent by an end-user or a third party.

24. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, wherein uplink transmission events are authenticated.

25. A live uplink transmission and broadcasting management system according to claim 13, wherein said set of QoS management methods coordinate the usage of Uplink transmissions based also on optimization rules, SLAs, policies or any, combination thereof.