Inventory management method
First Claim
1. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances recorded on recording media in a system for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said system includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
- scheduling exhibitions of said performances to occur at predetermined times and on predetermined channels;
creating a master data structure with said controllers, which master data structure identifies, for each channel and each performance throughout a predetermined interval, specific media copies to be transmitted over specific channels at specific times;
calculating, for each of said performances, the number of media copies needed to accommodate said schedule; and
controlling a video server to play said specific media copies in accordance with said master data structure.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of managing information used and generated in the scheduling and exhibition of performances is disclosed. A video network includes a video server that operates several video recorders to simultaneously exhibit video performances or programs on a plurality of channels. The video server is controlled in real time in accordance with data presented to it in an exhibition plan. The exhibition plan is generated through the performance of an exhibition manager process which operates on a computer. The exhibition manager manages information related to the performances to be exhibited, schedules the performances in accordance with user-supplied timing data, prints reports, and maintains a personal information manager having a database describing studios, contacts, and other information related to licensing the performances for exhibition on the network. The information related to performances includes repeat factors and short titles which the exhibition manager calculates. The scheduling activities of the exhibition manager automatically schedule repeated exhibitions of a performance in accordance with the performance'"'"'s repeat factor. An inventory manager takes the exhibition manager'"'"'s schedule and automatically expands it to schedule individual media copies of performances. The inventory manager automatically prints purchase orders and tracks media copies after they are received. Unique codes are affixed to the media copies and to the places where the media copies might possibly reside. Portable scanners are used to associate an employee id, a media copy code, a location code, and a date and time stamp together to track inventory and to provide accountability for the media copies.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances recorded on recording media in a system for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said system includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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scheduling exhibitions of said performances to occur at predetermined times and on predetermined channels; creating a master data structure with said controllers, which master data structure identifies, for each channel and each performance throughout a predetermined interval, specific media copies to be transmitted over specific channels at specific times; calculating, for each of said performances, the number of media copies needed to accommodate said schedule; and controlling a video server to play said specific media copies in accordance with said master data structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances recorded on recording media in a system for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said system includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a schedule for exhibiting said performances at predetermined times and on a predetermined number of channels; expanding said schedule to assign specific media copies of said performances for exhibition on said channels at said times specified by said schedule; for each of said performances, calculating the number of media copies of said performance needed to accommodate said schedule; creating purchase order records, each of said purchase order records being associated with a single performance and each including data which describe the acquisition of said number of media copies needed for said single performance; forming inventory records, each of said inventory records describing a single media copy of said performances described by said purchase order records of said creating step; and controlling with said controller a video server to exhibit said media copies of said predetermined performances in accordance with said expanded schedule. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances recorded on recording media in a system for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said system includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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scheduling with said controller exhibitions of said performances to occur at predetermined times, on predetermined channels, and for playing predetermined media copies; for each of said performances, calculating the number of media copies of said performance needed to accommodate said exhibitions from said scheduling step; creating purchase order records wherein each of said purchase order records is associated with a single performance title; forming inventory records wherein each of said inventory records describes a single media copy of said performances described by said purchase order records of said creating step and each inventory record includes a performance title; physically affixing unique scannable media copy codes to each media copy received; and updating said inventory records to include data that describe said media copy codes when said media copies are received. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances stored on media in a network for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said network includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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scheduling exhibitions of said performances to occur at predetermined times and on predetermined channels; creating a master data structure with said controller, said structure comprising an association of related data bases which identifies, for each channel and each performance throughout a predetermined interval, specific media copies to be transmitted over specific channels at specific times; and controlling a video server to play said specific media copies in accordance with said master data structure.
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35. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances stored on media in a network for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said network includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a schedule for exhibiting said performances at predetermined times and on a predetermined number of channels; expanding said schedule to assign specific media copies of said performances for exhibition on said channels at said times specified by said schedule; creating purchase order records, each of said purchase order records being associated with a single performance and each including data which describe the acquisition of said media copies; forming inventory records, each of said inventory records describing a single media copy of said performances described by said purchase order records; and controlling with said controller a video server to exhibit said media copies of said predetermined performances in accordance with said expanded schedule.
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36. A method of managing exhibitions of predetermined performances stored on media in a network for exhibiting said predetermined performances, wherein said network includes a controller, said method comprising the steps of:
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scheduling with said controller exhibitions of said performances to occur at predetermined times, on predetermined channels, and for playing predetermined media copies; creating purchase order records wherein each of said purchase order records is associated with a single performance; forming inventory records wherein each of said inventory records describes a single media copy of said performances described by said purchase order records of said creating step; associating unique codes to locations where said media copies may potentially reside; associating a unique code to each media copy received; and updating said inventory records to include data that describe said media copy codes when said media copies are received.
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Specification