System for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability

• US 6,546,555 B1
• Filed: 07/23/1998
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hjelsvold, Rune, Léauté, Yves, Gunaseelan, Kangesh, Depommier, Remi
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/121,267
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 725/1, 725/5, 725/112, 725/115, 725/111
• US Class Current: 725/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware

Abstract

A system for selling digital video information over a communications network such as the Internet basically includes a filtering server and a service administration system. The filtering server includes a commerce server, a streaming server and a world-wide web information server. The world-wide web information server provides customers with a list of available videos, the possibility to customize specific versions and a method for calculating the price for a specific version. The service administration system includes a management tool for the merchant to define price classes and payment schemes and a meta-data editing tool for the merchant to prepare the content for the filtering. The system will connect to external systems to have the payment information verified. If the payment transaction is accepted the system will pass the selected video through a sequence of service filters to generate the edition that the customer selected.

Claims

1. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability comprising:

a filter server for interfacing with a client; and

a service administration system connected to said filter server, wherein said filter server comprises;

a www server for interfacing with said client;

a commerce server connected to said www server;

a transaction server connected to said commerce server;

a database server connected between said www server and said service administration system;

a filtering meta-data database connected to said database server;

a media data server connected to said www server;

an archiving system connected to said media data server and said database server; and

a streaming server connected to said media data server.

2. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 1, wherein said service administration system comprises:

management tools connected to said filter server; and

a meta-data editing tool connected to said filter server.

3. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 1 wherein said service administration system comprises:

a media file generator connected to said media data server and said database server; and

a filtering process connected to said commerce server and said database server.

4. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 1 wherein said archiving system comprises:

a meta-data database connected to said database server; and

a media data repository connected to said media data server.

5. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 1 wherein said SET server connects to a clearing house comprising:

a payment gateway.

6. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability comprising:

a filter server for interfacing with a client;

a service administration system connected to said filter server; and

an archiving system connected to said filter server, wherein said filter server comprises;

a www server for interfacing with said client;

a commerce server connected to said www server;

a transaction server connected to said commerce server;

a database server connected between said www server and said service administration system;

a filtering meta-data database connected to said database server;

a media data server connected to said www server; and

a streaming server connected to said media data server.

7. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 6, wherein said service administration system comprises:

management tools connected to said filter server; and

a meta-data editing tool connected to said filter server.

8. A system for hyprvideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 6, wherein said archiving system comprises:

a meta-data database connected to said filter server; and

a media data repository connected to said filter server.

9. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 6 wherein said www server comprises:

a media file generator connected to said media data server and said database server; and

a filtering process connected to said commerce server and said database server.

10. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability as claimed in claim 6 wherein said transaction server connects to a clearing house.

11. A method for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability comprising the steps of:

digitizing a video tape into raw video data;

determining video shots, scenes and NSSs;

generating meta-data to define NSS sequencing, to identify AIUs and to add hyperlinks between said AIUs; and

filtering said meta-data, wherein filtering said meta-data comprises the steps of;

narrative scenes filtering; and

hyperlink filtering, and wherein narrative scenes filtering comprises the steps of;

basic sequence filtering;

hierarchical filtering; and

parallel track filtering.

12. A method for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability comprising the steps of:

digitizing a video tape into raw video data;

determining video shots, scenes and NSSs;

generating meta-data to define NSS sequencing, to identify AIUs and to add hyperlinks between said AIUs; and

filtering said meta-data, wherein filtering said meta-data comprises the steps of;

narrative scenes filtering; and

hyperlink filtering comprises the steps of;

automatic filtering;

AIU parameter filtering;

link parameter filtering;

multidimensional hyperlinking using said AIUs; and

version branching using said AIUs.

13. A system for hypervideo filtering based on end-user payment interest and capability comprising:

a filter server for interfacing with a client; and

a service administration system connected to said filter server;

wherein said filter server comprises;

a www server for interfacing with said client;

a commerce server connected between said www server and said client;

a transaction server connected to said commerce server;

a database server connected to said www server;

a media data server connected to said www server;

a data database connected to said database server and said media data server; and

a streaming server connected between said media data server and said client.