System, device and method for combining streaming video with e-mail

• US 6,795,863 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intline. Com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intline. Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Doty, Thomas R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/635,562
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/231, 709/219, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and system for providing video streaming with e-mail on the Internet by distributing multiple bit-rate audio/video streams across the Internet via a combination of network architecture, hardware and software. Data is digitized, compressed, encoded, and then stored and/or transmitted in or through a video server. The processed data is then distributed by satellite, terrestrial methods, or wireless technology around the world by a smart server that recognizes the recipient computer'"'"'s client player/decoder. The data is encoded into a form that can be viewed by multiple client players capable of viewing streaming video over the Internet. This method disseminates streaming video from a live source or an archive. The video screen for viewing the streaming video is embedded on the e-mail web site so that the person using the e-mail can view the streaming video while using the e-mail. The e-mail system also includes digital calendar data and simultaneously distributing the calendar data with the video data streams, thereby enabling the calendar data to be displayed simultaneously with the video data stream on the client recipient computers.

Claims

1. E-mail system for simultaneously distributing a plurality of different video data streams with different formats across a network to a plurality of client recipient computers, comprising:

encoder for encoding digitized data into a plurality of different video data stream formats;

a smart server determining, when a client recipient computer accesses the e-mail system;

a video player type residing on the client recipient computer and an optimum video data stream format for the video player of the client recipient computer and thereafter distributing the optimum video data stream format according to the determination; and

an e-mail web page provided to the client recipient computer, the e-mail web page including e-mail text messages and a streaming video screen adapted to display the optimum video data stream format.

2. The e-mail system of claim 1, further including a digitizer for digitizing video data streams.

3. The e-mail system of claim 1, further including a means for compressing the digitized data.

4. The e-mail system of claim 1, which can simultaneously transmit a plurality of different video data stream formats to a plurality of client recipient computers at the optimum video data stream format for the video player of each of the client recipient computers.

5. The e-mail system of claim 4, further comprising a process residing on the smart server, the process including instructions to test the bandwidth on each of the plurality of client recipient computers at the time of a video e-mail request to ensure that the optimum bit stream is served to each of the plurality of client recipient computers, utilizing maximum available bandwidth.

6. The e-mail system of claim 5, wherein the instructions to test the bandwidth further comprise:

sending a fixed size of data to each of the plurality of client recipient computers;

recording the time each of the plurality of client recipient computers takes to download the fixed size of data; and

based on a ratio of the data versus time, delivering a bits per second asset.

7. The e-mail system of claim 5, wherein the instructions to test the bandwidth further comprise testing the multicast capability of each of the plurality of client recipient computers.

8. The e-mail system of claim 1, wherein the distributing occurs by storing at least one of the different video streams in a memory device and transmits the plurality of various video data streams to video players in the client recipient computers.

9. The e-mail system of claim 1, further including receiving the data in analog form from a device that captures the data in a live event and then digitizing.

10. The e-mail system of claim 1, further including receiving the data in analog form from a device that captures the data from a storage device and then digitizing.

11. The e-mail system of claim 1, further including digital calender data and simultaneously distributing the calender data with the video data streams, thereby enabling the calender data to be displayed simultaneously with the video data stream on the client recipient computers.

12. The e-mail system of claim 1, which includes distributing a plurality of multiple bit-rate video data streams which contain an audio component.

13. An e-mail web page residing on a client computer for displaying e-mail message and streaming video, comprising:

a text section displaying e-mail message status; and

a streaming video screen displaying video stream data that has been optimized by a smart server process for providing optimum video data stream format for a video player residing on the client computer when the client computer accesses an e-mail system, the process including instruction to;

test the optimum bandwidth of the client computer; and

determine if the client computer is multicast capable;

wherein the e-mail system distributed simultaneously to a plurality of client computers e-mail web pages with optimum video streams matching the capabilities of the players of the plurality of client computers.

14. The web page as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a control panel.

15. The web page as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a web page address line.

16. The web page as claimed in claim 13, further comprising video control selector icons.