FORWARD PATH MULTI-MEDIA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH END USER FEEDBACK TO CENTRAL CONTENT SOURCES

• US 20110188415A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Inventors: Graziano, James Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6162 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System architecture enables end user devices to share a common wireless forward path of a multicast communication architecture in which the forward path delivered content is dynamically changed or modified based on a real-time, near-real-time, or delay-time basis via aggregated reverse path feedback from at least one of a plurality of end user devices. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System periodically or continuously aggregates the feedback input received via the reverse path (having wired and/or wireless connectivity), modifies the forward path multi-media content, and delivers this dynamically modified multi-media content to the then connected population of end user devices via a wireless forward path multicast in a repetitive closed loop fashion.

Claims

1. A Forward Path Multi-Media Management System, operational in a wireless communication network which serves a plurality of wireless end user devices, for wirelessly transmitting centrally generated content from a plurality of central content sources connected to said wireless communication network to selected ones of said wireless end user devices over a unidirectional forward broadcast path that extends from said wireless communication network to said wireless end user devices, comprising:

private reverse path means, concurrently operational with said unidirectional forward broadcast path, for transmitting end user input data which is responsive to presently received centrally generated content to dynamically modify centrally generated content transmitted to said selected ones of said wireless end user devices over said unidirectional forward broadcast path;

feedback aggregation means, responsive to receipt of said end user input data received from said selected wireless end user devices over said reverse path, for accumulating said end user input data to dynamically modify said centrally generated content; and

feedback integration means for generating a modified centrally generated content by modifying centrally generated content received from said central content sources based on said accumulated end user input data.

2. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

content formatting means for formatting said modified centrally generated content to a format consistent with the display characteristics of said wireless end user devices, and

content routing means for transmitting said modified centrally generated content to said wireless communication network for transmission over said unidirectional forward broadcast path to said selected wireless end user devices.

3. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 wherein said feedback aggregation means comprises:

synchronization means for associating said end user input data received from said end users with a corresponding centrally generated content.

4. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 3 wherein:

said centrally generated content comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

said feedback aggregation means further comprises;

updating means for accumulating end user input data received from said end users for a corresponding centrally generated content.

5. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 4 wherein said feedback integration means further comprises:

at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, for revising said received centrally generated content to produce a revised centrally generated content.

6. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 5 further comprising:

content generator feedback means for transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding centrally generated content, to a central content source that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content via a path that extends from said communication network to said central content source.

7. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 6 further comprising:

content control means for transmitting data from a central content source, that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content, via a path that extends from said central content source to said wireless communication network to control operation of said content integration application.

8. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 3 wherein:

said centrally generated content comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said central content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

said feedback aggregation means further comprises;

timing means for defining a time period for use by said synchronization means during which time period said end user input data received from said end users is associated with said present frame.

9. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 8 wherein said feedback aggregation means further comprises:

accumulated data processing means for processing said accumulated end user input data received from said end users to a composite content revision for a centrally generated content.

10. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 9 wherein said feedback integration means further comprises:

at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, for revising said received centrally generated content to produce a revised centrally generated content.

11. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

content generator feedback means for transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding centrally generated content, to a central content source that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content via a path that extends from said wireless communication network to said central content source.

12. A method of operating a Forward Path Multi-Media Management System, operational in a wireless communication network which serves a plurality of wireless end user devices, for wirelessly transmitting centrally generated content from a plurality of central content sources connected to said wireless communication network to selected ones of said wireless end user devices, comprising:

transmitting, concurrently operational with said unidirectional forward broadcast path, end user input data which is responsive to presently received centrally generated content to dynamically modify said centrally generated content transmitted to said selected wireless end user devices over said unidirectional forward broadcast path;

accumulating, in response to receipt of said end user input data received from said selected wireless end user devices over said reverse path, said end user input data to dynamically modify said centrally generated content; and

generating a modified centrally generated content by modifying centrally generated content received from said central content sources based on said accumulated end user input data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

formatting said modified centrally generated content to a format consistent with the display characteristics of said wireless end user devices, and

transmitting said modified centrally generated content to said wireless communication network for transmission over said unidirectional forward broadcast path to said selected wireless end user devices.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of accumulating comprises:

associating said end user input data received from said end users with a corresponding centrally generated content.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

said centrally generated content comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

said step of accumulating further comprises;

accumulating end user input data received from said end users for a corresponding centrally generated content.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

operating at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, for revising said received centrally generated content to produce a revised centrally generated content.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding centrally generated content, to a central content source that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content via a path that extends from said communication network to said central content source.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

transmitting data from a central content source, that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content, via a path that extends from said central content source to said communication network to control operation of said content integration application.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein:

said centrally generated content comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said central content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

said step of accumulating further comprises;

defining a time period for use by said step of associating during which time period said end user input data received from said end users is associated with said present frame.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of accumulating further comprises:

processing said accumulated end user input data received from said end users to a composite content revision for a centrally generated content.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

revising, in response to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, said received centrally generated content to produce a revised centrally generated content.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding centrally generated content, to a central content source that is generating said corresponding centrally generated content via a path that extends from said wireless communication network to said central content source.