Audio transfer, storage and playback system

• US 6,212,555 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William E. Brooks Jr, William G. Brooks
• Original Assignee: William E. Brooks Jr, William G. Brooks
• Inventors: Brooks, William G., Brooks, William E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/213,312
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/72, 455/345, 455/3.2, 455/12.1, 455/3.1, 455/6.3, 455/4.2, 709/219, 381/86
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/50 characterised by the use of watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for providing recorded audio programming in digital form, comprising a computer server capable of digitally recording, holding and uploading audio programming in either musical or voice formats and able to transmit such modulated digital data in a time-compressed, encrypted and encoded manner through a wireless transmission, where the data is received using RF electronics, then stored for transfer to a combination audio receiver/player/data storage device. This storage device comprises a readable/writable memory storage mechanism (e.g., disk drive, hard drive, memory or flash card system) and playback or player feature interfaced with a mobile or fixed site RF receiver capable of receiving wireless transmissions. As the transmissions are received, the programming data is demodulated and stored in digital form and then converted to “real time” audio one file at a time, utilizing a digital-to-analog converter, and played back to the listener.

Claims

1. A system for programming, broadcasting, selecting, manipulating and playback of audio works, the system comprising:

(A) a computer server, associated with production facilities, which stores audio programming in a digital file format as audio works files, said server including means to program and constantly broadcast said audio works files as time-compressed individual digital files to a plurality of wireless transmission means and to a plurality of audio receiver/player devices;

(B) each said plurality of wireless transmission means broadcasts said time-compressed audio works files constantly being supplied from said computer server to each of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices; and

(C) each said plurality of audio receiver/player devices having means for receiving said programmed time-compressed audio works files from said computer server through said wireless transmission means, data storage means and processing means for storing said time-compressed transmission as a plurality of said individual audio works files, and means to convert said stored time-compressed audio works files to a real-time user manipulatable audio output for playing back at least one of said plurality of said individual audio works files one file at a time, only once, without said user input or previous knowledge.

2. The system of claim 1, where said data storage means comprises a microprocessor memory system.

3. The system of claim 2, where said data storage means further comprises readable/writable memory storage whereby said individual file which has been converted to a real-time audio output is replaced by a new individual file containing a newly received audio work.

4. The system of claim 3, where said data storage means comprises one of the group consisting of a disk drive, a hard drive, a RAM memory or a flash memory.

5. The system of claim 1, where said wireless transmission means comprises satellite transmission means.

6. The system of claim 1, where said wireless transmission means comprises terrestrial RF transmission means.

7. The system of claim 1, where said computer server further comprises means to encode said audio works, said transmission means further comprises means to transmit said encoded audio works, and said audio receiver/player means further comprises means to decode said encoded audio works.

8. The system of claim 1, where said audio receiver/player device is portable.

9. The system of claim 1, where said audio receiver/player device is mounted in a vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, where said audio receiver/player device comprises means to select a particular individual file for conversion and audio play.

11. The system of claim 1, where said audio receiver/player device further comprises access to a modem, whereby specific audio works may be designated for transmission from said computer server to said audio receiver/player device.

12. The system of claim 1, whereby said audio works files are prioritized for playback, as well as replaced without user input.

13. The system of claim 1 whereby said audio works files are manipulated by said user by said devices to perform start, stop, skip, repeat, and save functions.

14. The system of claim 1 whereby a custom file is requested by said user via a modulator-demodulator and at least one of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein said data storage means is removable for transport.

16. The system of claim 3, wherein said data storage means is interchangeable with any of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices data storage means.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said data storage means defaults to automatically overwrite or replace said audio works file with a at least one new file of similar size if the file is not saved by the user.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said data storage means defaults to automatically replace a user-skipped audio works file with a new file or files of similar size.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein additional audio works files are continuously received and stored by said data storage means until said data storage means is filled to capacity, even as said user simultaneously listens to a previously received file.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless transmission means comprises direct physical connections.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices comprises a stand-alone unit.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices further comprises a standard AM/FM radio, cassette player or compact disc player.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein said audio receiver/player device activates a modulator-demodulator to access said time-compressed audio works by a verification process.

24. A system for transmission, storage, programming, broadcasting, selecting, manipulating and playback of audio works, the system comprising:

(A) a computer server, associated with production facilities, which stores audio programming in a digital file format as audio works files, said server including means to program and broadcast said audio works files as time-compressed individual digital files to a plurality of wireless transmission means and to a plurality of audio receiver/player devices;

(B) each said plurality of wireless transmission means broadcasts said time-compressed audio works from said computer server to each of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices; and

(C) each said plurality of audio receiver/player devices having means for receiving said programmed time-compressed audio works files in real-time from said computer server through said wireless transmission means, data storage means and processing means for storing said time-compressed transmission as a plurality of select individual audio works files, and means to convert said stored time-compressed audio works files to a real-time user manipulatable audio output; and

wherein said data storage means defaults to automatically overwrite or replace said audio works file with at least one new file of similar size as each file is played back if the file is not saved by the user until said data storage means is filled to capacity, even as said user listens to a previously received file.

25. A system for transmission, storage, programming, broadcasting, selecting, manipulating and playback of audio works, the system comprising:

(A) a computer server, associated with production facilities, which stores audio programming in a digital file format as audio works files, said server including means to program and broadcast said audio works as time-compressed individual digital files to a plurality of wireless transmission means and to a plurality of audio receiver/player devices;

(B) each said plurality of wireless transmission means broadcasts said time-compressed audio works from said computer server to each of said plurality of audio receiver/player devices;

(C) each said plurality of audio receiver/player devices having means for receiving said programmed time-compressed audio works files in real-time from said computer server through said wireless transmission means, data storage mean and processing means for storing said time-compressed transmission as a plurality of select individual audio works files, and means to convert said stored time-compressed audio works files to a real-time user manipulatable audio output; and

wherein additional audio works files are continuously received and stored by said data storage means until said data storage means is filled to capacity, even as said user simultaneously listens to a previously received file.