System and method for distributing and broadcasting multimedia

• US 6,526,575 B1
• Filed: 01/07/1997
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Berezowski, David M., McCoy, Robert H., Demers, Timothy B., Blackwell, Bruce A., Kern, Donald C., Reiser, Steven P., Naufel, Douglas E., Buckley, James T., Russell, Ronald R., Andes, Edward R., Cockrell, Eric, Braunsma, Jon R., Lievsay, Randall C., Wallis, Robert A., Ford, Harlan, Kroh, Terry J., Roper, Alan K., Klich, Pamela S., Boyer, Franklin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US08/779,713
• Time in Patent Office: 2,240 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.716, H04/N.7173, 725/37, 725/38, 725/114, 725/115, 725/116, 725/117, 725/119, 725/92, 725/93, 725/95, 725/97, 725/49, 725/53, 725/32, 725/48, 725/109, 725/36, 348/564, 348/565, 348/566, 348/567
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Multimedia distribution and broadcast systems and related processes are provided for transmitting multimedia contents and control information from a central uplink facility to a remote downlink via a satellite. The system is preferably implemented in order to generate sequences of multimedia that are broadcast from the remote downlink facility to viewers. The display arrangements of the multimedia sequences are varied and customized by each downlink facility using the control information in order to better inform and entertain viewers.

Claims

1. A multimedia management system for use in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising:

a central database at said central multimedia provider for storing multimedia and control information, said control information facilitating a plurality of display arrangements for multimedia sequences from a set of multimedia;

a transmitter at said central multimedia provider for distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite;

a receiver at each of said remote stations for selectively receiving said multimedia and control information that are particular to said remote station;

a remote database at each of said remote stations for storing said multimedia and said control information;

a remote control unit at each of said remote stations for selecting one of said display arrangements for each of said multimedia sequences based on said control information and said multimedia;

said control information containing a plurality of prioritized schedules to be combined by each of said remote stations to construct an implicit schedule; and

wherein said control information further includes a set of queries and multimedia properties, each of said remote stations processing said queries to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule by selecting said multimedia for use in said multimedia sequences based on said multimedia properties.

2. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

3. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

4. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display multimedia elements of said multimedia.

5. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

6. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.

7. The multimedia management system of claim 6, wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, a font size, and a color.

8. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said remote control unit sends a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully transmitted by said transmitter at said central multimedia provider to said remote station.

9. The multimedia management system of claim 8, wherein said remote control unit sends said confirmation message over a public telephone network.

10. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said transmitter at said central multimedia provider retransmits said multimedia and said control information to said remote station after said receiver does not receive said multimedia and said control information transmitted by said transmitter.

11. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.

12. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.

13. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein said central multimedia provider assigns said multimedia properties to said multimedia.

14. The multimedia management system of claim 1, wherein one or more of said remote stations is a remote station at which local multimedia and local control information is provided.

15. The multimedia management system of claim 1, further comprising a broadcasting transmitter at each of said remote stations to broadcast said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers.

16. A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of:

providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information;

distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite;

receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information;

storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information;

processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule;

selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule;

selecting said display arrangements;

generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and

broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers;

wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, font size, and color.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending with one or more of said remote stations a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully received by said one or more of said remote stations.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said sending said confirmation message comprises sending said confirmation message over a public telephone network.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising redistributing said multimedia and said control information to one or more of said remote stations after said multimedia and said control information are not received by said one or more of said remote stations.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein said providing at said central multimedia provider said multimedia and said control information comprises assigning by said central multimedia provider said multimedia properties to said multimedia.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing at each of said remote stations local multimedia and local control information.

30. A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of:

providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information;

distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite;

receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information;

storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information;

processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule;

selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule;

selecting said display arrangements;

generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and

broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers;

wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences; and

wherein the selecting step includes the step of processing said queries.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, font size, and color.

37. The method of claim 30, further comprising sending with one or more of said remote stations a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully received by said one or more of said remote stations.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said sending said confirmation message comprises sending said confirmation message over a public telephone network.

39. The method of claim 30, further comprising redistributing said multimedia and said control information to one or more of said remote stations after said multimedia and said control information are not received by said one or more of said remote stations.

40. The method of claim 30, wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.

41. The method of claim 30, wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.

42. The method of claim 30, wherein said providing at said central multimedia provider said multimedia and said control information comprises assigning by said central multimedia provider said multimedia properties to said multimedia.

43. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing at each of said remote stations local multimedia and local control information.