Audio and video transmission and receiving system

• US 6,002,720 A
• Filed: 04/10/1996
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acacia Media Technologies Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: D/B/A Greenwich Information Technologies Llc H. Lee Browne
• Inventors: Browne, H. Lee, Yurt, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Amanda T.
• Application Number:
  US08/630,590
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 375/259, 375/295, 375/316, 375/377, 348/1, 348/6-8, 348/10, 348/12-14, 348/17, 348/384, 348/385, 348/387, 348/470, 348/473, 348/906, 379/90.1, 379/93.08, 379/93.1, 379/101.1, 379/102.1-102.3, 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 375/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 : for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system of distributing video and/or audio information employs digital signal processing to achieve high rates of data compression. The compressed and encoded audio and/or video information is sent over standard telephone, cable or satellite broadcast channels to a receiver specified by a subscriber of the service, preferably in less than real time, for later playback and optional recording on standard audio and/or video tape.

Claims

1. A transmission system responsive to input from a user positioned at an accessing location for transmitting information to a premises selected by the user, the transmission system comprising:

a plurality of libraries for storing items containing information;

identification encoding means for retrieving the information in the items from the plurality of libraries and for assigning a unique identification code to the retrieved information;

conversion means, coupled to the identification encoding means, for placing the retrieved information into a predetermined format as formatted data; and

transmitter means, coupled to the conversion means, for transmitting the formatted data to the premises selected by the user, wherein the premises selected by the user is not limited to a predetermined user premises.

2. A transmission system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of libraries are geographically separated.

3. A transmission system as recited in claim 1, wherein the premises selected by the user is geographically separated from the accessing location.

4. A digital audio/video communication network comprising:

a reception system in data communication with a plurality of subscriber selectable receiving stations, the reception system comprising,

means for receiving compressed, digitized data representing at least one item of audio/video information at a non-real time rate,

means for storing a complete copy of the received compressed, digitized data, and

means, responsive to the stored compressed, digitized data, for transmitting a representation of the at least one item of audio/video information at a real-time rate to at least one of the plurality of subscriber selectable receiving stations, wherein said means for receiving, said means for storing, and said means for transmitting are positioned at the same location, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of subscriber selectable stations is located at a premises geographically separated from the location of the reception system.

5. A digital audio/video communication network as recited in claim 4, wherein the means for transmitting comprises a converter for decompressing the compressed digitized data representing the at least one item of audio/video information.

6. A digital audio/video communication network as recited in claim 4, further comprising a processing station for formatting items of audio/video information as compressed, digitized data and transmitting the compressed, digitized data representing at least one item of audio/video information at the non-real time rate to the means for receiving.

7. A digital audio/video communication network as recited in claim 6, wherein the processing station comprises:

means for inputting items of audio/video information;

conversion means for placing each input item of audio/video information into a predetermined format as formatted data;

compression means for compressing the formatted data; and

transmitter means for sending compressed formatted data for the at least one item of audio/video information at the non-real time rate to the reception system.

8. A method of distributing audio/video information comprising:

transmitting compressed, digitized data representing a complete copy of at least one item of audio/video information at a non-real time rate from a central processing location to a local distribution system remote from the central processing location;

receiving, into a receiving means, the transmitted compressed, digitized data representing a complete copy of the at least one item;

storing, in a storing means, the received compressed, digitized data representing the complete copy of the at least one item at the local distribution system; and

in response to the stored compressed, digitized data, transmitting, using a transmitting means, a representation of the at least one item at a real-time rate to at least one of a plurality of subscriber selectable receiving stations coupled to the local distribution system, wherein the receiving means, the storing means, and the transmitting means are positioned at the same location, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of subscriber selectable stations is located at a premises geographically separated from the local distribution system.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the step of decompressing the compressed, digitized data representing the complete copy of the at least one item of audio/video information before the transmitting step.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the decompressing step is performed in the local distribution system to produce the representation of the at least one item for transmission to the at least one of the plurality of subscriber selectable receiving stations.

11. A method of distributing audio/video information comprising:

formatting items of audio/video information as compressed digitized data at a central processing location;

transmitting compressed, digitized data representing a complete copy of at least one item of audio/video information from the central processing location;

receiving, into a receiving means, the transmitted compressed, digitized data representing a complete copy of the at least one item of audio/video information at a local distribution system;

storing, in a storing means, the received compressed, digitized data representing the complete copy of the at least one item at the local distribution system; and

using the stored compressed, digitized data to transmit using a transmitting means a representation of the at least one item to at least one of a plurality of subscriber selectable receiving stations coupled to the local distribution system, wherein the receiving means, the storing means, and the transmitting means are positioned at the same location, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of subscriber selectable stations is located at a premises geographically separated from the location of the local distribution system.