SIGNAL TRANSMISSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20110153733A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kianoush Namvar
• Original Assignee: Kianoush Namvar
• Inventors: Namvar, Kianoush
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 21/2543 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 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• 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

The present invention relates to transmission of signals (S) to a plurality of subscriber receivers (110), where each signal (S) represents a type of information which belongs to a particular contents category. A central management server (100) receives administrative instructions (I_adm1, I_adm2, I_adm3) pertaining to the transmission of the signals (S). In response to the administrative instructions (I_adm1, I_adm2, I_adm3), the central management server (100) organizes and synchronizes signals (s_1a, s_1b, s_2a, s_2b, s₁, s₂, s₃, s₄, C) originating from one or more signal sources (120, 141, 142, 143, 144, 151a-b, 152a-b) before these signals are transmitted to the subscriber receivers (110). At least one client computer (151, 152, 153) each has an interface towards the central management server (100). Thus, the client computer(s) (151, 152, 153) may produce administrative instructions (I_adm1, I_adm2, I_adm3) for organizing a sub-set of the signals (S) to be transmitted via the central management server (100).

Claims

1. A system for organization of signals for transmitting thereof to a plurality of subscriber receivers, wherein each signal represents a type of information belonging to a particular contents category, comprising:

a central management server adapted to receive administrative instructions pertaining to the transmission of the signals to the subscriber receivers, and in response to the administrative instructions organize signals from a number of signal sources before transmission thereof to the subscriber receivers,

at least one client computer each having an interface towards the central management server and being adapted to produce administrative instructions for organizing a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted under management of the central management server,

whereby the administrative instructions specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a number of transmission resources, a time instance and a contents category.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein an organisation scheme specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a transmission resource and a time instance.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the organisation scheme specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a contents category, wherein the contents category for at least one segment of the signal determines which sub-segment that will be presented in which subscriber receiver.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is adapted to receive the signals from the central management server and, in accordance with an organisation scheme produced by the central management server, transmit the signals via a central signal distribution system.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein each of the subscriber receivers comprises an interpreting unit having a user specific key representing a profile category of at least one user associated with the subscriber receiver, the interpreting unit being adapted to control the reception of a signal such that the key in combination with a piece of contents category information received with respect to a segment of the signal control the subscriber receiver to present a predetermined sub-segment transmitted via a particular transmission resource.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a return channel from at least one particular subscriber receiver of the subscriber receivers adapted to forward activity-monitoring information pertaining to signals having been presented in the particular subscriber receiver to the central management server, and the central management server is adapted to generate a compiled data set representing the activity-monitoring information, and at least one of the at least one client computer is adapted to receive the compiled data set from the central management server, and produce the administrative instructions on basis thereof.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one billing unit adapted to produce billing information pertaining to a respective utilization of the transmission resources administrated by the central management server.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one auxiliary distribution channel which includes at least one distribution resource in addition to the central signal distribution system adapted to transmit signals to the subscriber receivers outside the central management server.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the signals represent at least one of text information, acoustic information, image information and video information.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the subscriber receivers is represented by at least one of a TV-tuner, a satellite signal decoder, a computer and a broadband mobile communication terminal.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one client computer is represented by at least one of an advertiser operator, a satellite operator, a cable network operator, a TV operator or other distribution network operator.

12. A client computer for organization of signals for transmitting thereof to a plurality of subscriber receivers, wherein each signal represents a type of information belonging to a particular contents category, comprising:

a central management server adapted to receive administrative instructions pertaining to the transmission of the signals to the subscriber receivers, and in response to the administrative instructions organize signals from a number of signal sources before transmission thereof to the subscriber receivers,

at least one client computer each having an interface towards the central management server and being adapted to produce administrative instructions for organizing a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted under management of the central management server whereby the administrative instructions specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a number of transmission resources, a time instance and a contents category specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, a transmission resource, a time instance and a contents category, and

a graphical user interface adapted to present a time relationship between different signals to be transmitted on at least one channel over which the client computer has a management control.

13. A client computer according to claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a first graphical means adapted to, for each of the signals to be transmitted on the at least one channel, present the signal'"'"'s contents category, and a second graphical means adapted to, for at least a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted on the at least one channel, enable a user to manipulate segments of each signal such that a particular sub-segment will be presented in each subscriber receiver of the subscriber receivers which has a profile category matching a contents category associated with the particular sub-segment.

14. The client computer according to claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a second graphical means adapted to verify the content of the each of the signals to be transmitted with respect to the contents of any neighbouring signal segments.

15. A client computer according to claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a third graphical means adapted to, for at least a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted on the at least one channel, enable the user to select a suitable sub-segment for each of a number of profile categories for a segment of a signal.

16. A client computer according to claim 15, wherein the third graphical means comprises a selection means adapted to enable the user to, for each sub-segment select a profile category, wherein a default profile category is based on a compiled data set formed on basis of activity-monitoring information pertaining to signals having been presented in the subscriber receivers.

17. A client computer according to claim 15, wherein the third graphical means comprises a selection means adapted to allow the user to, for each sub-segment select a geographical area within which subscriber receivers will present the sub-segment, wherein a default geographical area is based on positional information pertaining to signals having been presented in the subscriber receivers.

18. A client computer according to claim 15, wherein the third graphical means comprises a selection means adapted to enable the user to, for each sub-segment select a priority level denoting a relative position of the sub-segment within a particular segment.

19. A client computer according to claim 12, comprising a compiler adapted to produce a preliminary organization of the signals on the at least one channel before transmitting corresponding administrative instructions to the central management server.

20. A client computer according to claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a fourth graphical means adapted to enable a user to manipulate the preliminary organization of the signals, and client computer comprises processing means adapted to, based on the user manipulations, produce administrative instructions to the central management server.

21. A computer program product comprising an electronic computer readable storage memory storing computer executable instructions for organization of signals for transmitting thereof to a plurality of subscriber receivers, wherein each signal represents a type of information belonging to a particular contents category, the executable instructions comprising:

first instructions for receiving administrative instructions pertaining to the transmission of the signals to the subscriber receivers, and in response to the administrative instructions organizing signals from a number of signal sources before transmission thereof to the subscriber receivers,

second computer instructions for producing administrative instructions for organizing a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted,

third computer instructions for receiving the signals and, in accordance with the administrative instructions, transmitting these signals to the subscriber receivers, the administrative instructions specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a number of transmission resources, a time instance and a contents category, and

fourth computer instructions for controlling a graphical user interface to present a time relationship between different signals to be transmitted on at least one channel over which the computer program has a management control.

22. An electronic computer readable storage medium, having a program recorded thereon, wherein said program is adapted to organize transmission of signals to a plurality of subscriber receivers, wherein each signal represents a type of information belonging to a particular contents category and comprises:

first instructions for receiving administrative instructions pertaining to the transmission of the signals to the subscriber receivers, and in response to the administrative instructions organizing signals from a number of signal sources before transmission thereof to the subscriber receivers,

second computer instructions for producing administrative instructions for organizing a sub-set of the signals to be transmitted,

third computer instructions for receiving the signals and, in accordance with the administrative instructions, transmitting these signals to the subscriber receivers, the administrative instructions specifies, for each signal to be transmitted, at least a number of transmission resource, a time instance and a contents category and

fourth computer instructions for controlling a graphical user interface to present a time relationship between different signals to be transmitted on at least one channel over which the computer program has a management control.