AUDIO-VIDEO DATA SWITCHING AND VIEWING SYSTEM

• US 20120150953A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Antonio Rossi, Filippo Costanzo, Saverio Roncolini
• Original Assignee: Antonio Rossi, Filippo Costanzo, Saverio Roncolini
• Inventors: Costanzo, Filippo, Roncolini, Saverio, Rossi, Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• 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 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A computer system and method providing for viewing and switching of audio-video data. The system comprises: a plurality of audio/video sources containing information referring to an event; a streaming server, streaming the contents of a first audio signal and a first video signal from the audio and video sources to a user; a feed distributor controllably feeding the first audio signal and first video signal to the streaming server; and a user-operated control unit communicating with the feed distributor and controlling operation of the feed distributor, so as to instruct the feed distributor to switch between audio or video. Switching between audio signals occurs without altering the video signals and switching between video signals occurs without altering the audio signals.

Claims

1. A method for encoding documents in a format that is machine-readable using a set of rules, the method comprising the steps of:

a) a client requesting an encoded document, where the encoded document contains information comprising;

1) a unique global session identifier identifying an associative map for a set of elements;

2) the set of elements comprising audio and video digitally encoded files related to an event; and

3) the audio and video digitally encode files comprising a storage location and a unique logic identifier for the storage location;

b) a server side response delivering to the client the encoded document;

c) the client communicating with the server side over a network;

d) the server the having means to stream the audio and video files to the client;

e) the client encapsulating an associative map in a software object for retrieval of the audio and video digitally encoded file;

the audio and video digitally encoded files comprising samples, wherein the samples comprise a sample stream id, a sample time, a sample duration, and a sample size information;

g) the client comprising a software object for smoothly switching the video files;

h) the client comprising an event manager for providing a switching request; and

i) the client initially playing a first audio video digitally encoded file to smoothly switch to at least a different video file in the associative map of the encoded document upon a switch request of the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio and video files comprise differential compressed video frames.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the smooth switching of a second video file occurs when a keyframe of the video files is encounterd.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one instance of the software object for smoothly switching different video files has a persistent streaming session bandwidth that is substantially the same of a single video file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event manager is operable by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio and video files comprise a single audio source and a plurality of video sources, where each video source corresponding to a different point of view of an event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more server side objects comprise an infrastructure of a plurality of machines.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a remote procedure call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request comprises parameters marshalling to a client proxy.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client is communicating over the network with the server side using a TCP protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the document encoding is in an XML format.