PEER-TO-PEER, REAL-TIME, DIGITAL MEDIA DISTRIBUTION

• US 20140101781A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sedrick Andrew Bouknight
• Original Assignee: Sedrick Andrew Bouknight
• Inventors: BOUKNIGHT, SEDRICK ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/035,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101781A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Systems are provided, including inventive servers configured to eliminate the traditional limitations on the distribution of real-time video/audio/images while at the same time making real-time broadcasting to millions of viewers accessible to anyone with a video/audio/image enabled mobile device and internet connection. At the same time, the same audience of millions can interact in real-time with fellow viewers as the broadcast occurs. This may be done in a secure/controlled way via, in some embodiments, DRM supports.

Claims

1. A system for managing and facilitating peer-to-peer, real-time, digital media distribution that is configured to permit a first user to seek out whether a second user is in a geographic position to record an event local to the second user and request that the second user record the event and transmit the recording in streaming format from the second user to the first user in real time, the system being configured to be a client-based downloadable application, an installable executable software program, or an on-line web-based service that users may access, the system comprising:

a central server configured to permit digital communications between a plurality of users, where the users employ a computerized device to access the central server with either a client-based application or program or via the web-based service, the central server comprising a database of information unique to individual users that enables the server to assess geographic location of the users based upon at least one mobile computerized device of the user, the server being configured to process a first user'"'"'s request for real-time digital media content where the request seeks real-time digital content about a remote event occurring or soon to occur from at least one second user who the system server has determined may be in geographic proximity to the event to obtain such real-time digital content about the event, where such digital content comprises a video recording, an audio recording, an image recording, and/or a text description about the event responsive to the first user'"'"'s request, the server configured to permit transmission of real-time digital media content about a requested event directly from at least one second user to the first user where the at least one second user has been notified of the request of the first user for such real-time digital media content about the event, the server further configured to permit the exchange of real-time digital content for later distribution to other users who submit the same or similar request for real-time digital media content about the event, where the transmission can be sent either from the at least one second user, a different second user, or from the first user once the first user has received the requested real-time digital media content, the server being further configured to store the real-time digital media content in encrypted form if any user transmitting such real-time digital media content elects to encrypt such real-time digital media content for transmission so that transmission and/or distribution of such real-time digital media content is limited to authorized users of the system, particularly where such real-time digital media content may be subject to digital media rights licensing restrictions, the server further configured to transmit a notice to users that real-time digital media content about an event is available where such users desire to access such real-time digital media content about the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to broadcast at least some of the real-time digital media content obtained by one or more users through the cloud accessible by other users where such users request such content or are notified by the server that such content is available.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to restrict user access to those who have subscribed to or enrolled with the system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to restrict user access to users based upon structured criteria such as geographic location or the number of permissible playbacks of the user generated real-time digital media content.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to permit the creation of a multi-level distribution network for the transmission of the real-time digital media content about an event to a plurality of users in an exponentially scaling fashion without overloading the transmission capability of any one user'"'"'s computerized device dependent upon the available bandwidth and/or other transmission restrictions of such computerized device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the system is configured to permit one user within the multi-level distribution network to be substituted with another user almost instantaneously as soon as the one user drops off of the distribution network, where the another user may be already within the multi-level distribution network but at a lower level or may be a new entrant into the multi-level distribution network.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the system is configured to permit peer-to-peer transmission of real-time digital media content about an event to an unlimited number of users within the multi-level distribution network.

8. A system for managing and facilitating peer-to-peer, real-time, digital media distribution that is configured to function as a user request clearinghouse for on-demand user-originating content that is brokered and routed to capable candidates based on structured criteria, where such structured criteria is inclusive of subject matter content, geographic location, date/time, and other applicable discriminating criteria, including the number of permissible playbacks of the user generated real-time digital media content, the system comprising:

a central server configured to permit digital communications between a plurality of users, where the users employ a computerized device to access the central server, the server being configured to process a first user'"'"'s submission of real-time digital media content about an event occurring in which other users may be interested, where such digital content comprises a video recording, an audio recording, an image recording, and/or a text description about the event, the server configured to permit transmission of real-time digital media content about an event directly from the first user to at least one second user where the at least one second user has been notified of the availability of such real-time digital media content about the event, where the transmission can be sent from the first user to either one second user or a plurality of other users, or from the one second user or one of the plurality of other users to yet additional users in an exponentially scaling fashion, the server further configured to transmit a notice to users that real-time digital media content about an event is available where such users desire to access such real-time digital media content about the event.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is configured to be either a client-based downloadable application, an installable executable software program, or an on-line web-based service that users may access.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is configured to permit the first user to restrict access by other users based upon the structured criteria.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is further configured to store real-time digital media content at external locations and devices not under the full control of the content originator or content consumer, including cloud-based storage provider repositories.