Remote video transmission system

• US 5,684,716 A
• Filed: 07/21/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitchael C. Freeman
• Inventors: Freeman, Mitchael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASSOUAD, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US08/505,454
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 364/514 A, 364/514 C, 455/3.1, 455/33.1, 348/14, 348/15, 358/311, 358/335, 379/90, 386/46, 386/109
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence

Abstract

A remote video transmission system for digitizing and compressing an audio/visual signal, transmitting that signal over low band width lines, such as land telephone lines, cellular telephone lines, or radio frequencies, decompressing the digitized data and converting it to an audio/visual signal for broadcast. Components of this system include: A remote unit, a host unit, and a playback unit. The remote unit is capable of digitizing and compressing the audio/visual signal as well as transmitting the compressed, digitized data. Data may be divided and sent to multiple ports for output. Data may also be edited prior to transmission. The host unit is automated to receive data transmitted from the remote unit and reassemble the data if it has been divided. The playback unit stores and automatically catalogs transmitted data files. The player unit also decompresses the digitized data files and converts them to an audio/visual signal which may then be broadcast. The audio/visual signal can either be NTSC, PAL, or Y/C video.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a data file from a remote location to a host location, comprising:

splitting the data file into at least two components at the remote location in real time;

sequentially tagging each of said components;

transmitting said components over at least one telephone line, cellular, radio and other telemetric frequency;

receiving said transmitted components at the host location;

sequentially recombining said data file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said data file is split into components of equal size.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said data file is split into 10K components.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially tagging said components further comprises the step of storing said components sequentially by alpha numeric.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said pieces are sequentially recombined at the host location according to their sequential ordering.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a bit flag is set to coordinate program flow.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein said data file is compressed before it is split.

31. The method of claim 1 further including downloading said data file from the host unit to at least one playback unit.

7. A method of transmitting a data file from a remote unit with a plurality of communications ports to a host unit with a plurality of communications ports, comprising:

splitting the data file into a plurality of components, the number of said components being greater than the number of communications ports in said remote unit;

sequentially tagging each of said components;

executing the transmission of said components through the available communication ports of the remote unit to the available communication ports of the host unit via a transmission medium electronically linking each available communications port in said remote unit to a corresponding available communications port of said host unit;

recombining said data file.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said data file is split into components of equal size.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein sequentially tagging said components further comprises the step of storing said components sequentially by alpha numerics.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said pieces are sequentially recombined at the host location according to their sequential ordering.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing said components of said data file prior to transmission;

setting a marker for each of said components as the data is stored;

selecting said pieces based on their marker settings and transmitting said components;

removing said marker prior to transmission.

12. The method of claim 11, including means for resetting said bit flag in the event said host unit fails to receive said transmitted component.

13. The method of claim 12 including inactivating any of said communication ports of said host unit in the event it loses connection with said host unit.

14. The method of claim 13 including transmitting the remaining components of said data file using the remaining communications ports of said remote unit in the event one is inactivated.

15. A method of claim 11 wherein the marker set on each component is a bit flag.

30. The method of claim 7 wherein said data file is compressed before it is split.

32. The method of claim 7 further including downloading said data file from the host unit to at least one playback unit.

34. The method of claim 7 wherein said transmission medium is a telephone line, cellular, or other telemetric frequency.

16. A method of transmission of a composite signal from a first location to a second location, comprising the steps of:

capturing said composite signal at the first location;

compressing said composite signal in real time;

transmitting said compressed composite signal oven a cellular frequency from said first location;

receiving said compressed composite signal at said second location.

17. The method according to claim 16 including the additional step of storing said composite signal at said first location prior to transmission.

18. The method according to claim 16 including the additional step of splitting the compressed composite signal into at least two components prior to transmission.

19. The method according to claim 18 further including the step of sequentially tagging each of said components prior to transmission.

20. The method according to claim 19 further including the step of storing said sequentially tagged components at said first location.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said components are tagged by alpha numeric designations.

22. The method according to claim 19 wherein sequentially tagging each of said components includes placing a marker on each of said components.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein said marker is a bit flag placed on each said component.

24. The method according to claim 18 wherein said compressed composite signal is split into components of approximately equal size.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein said compressed composite signal is split into 10K components.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein one of said components is smaller than 10K.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein said compressed composite signal is recombined at said second location.

28. The method of claim 19 wherein said tagged components are recombined in sequential order at said second location.

33. The method of claim 16 further including downloading said data file from the second location to a third location.