Personal broadcasting and viewing method of audio and video data using a wide area network

• US 7,069,573 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adaptive Streaming Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vidiator Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Brooks, Roger K., Ma, Yanda, Singhal, Dave M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nalevanko, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US09/539,492
• Time in Patent Office: 2,280 Days
• Field of Search: 725/59, 725/62, 725/86, 725/91, 725/94, 725/98, 725/109, 725/112, 725/95, 725/96, 37524001-24009, 370319-321, 370/395.5, 370/64, 370/401, 709/200, 709/231, 709/823, 455/3.06, 455/426.1
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method for transmitting audio/video data from a web site to viewing devices, e.g., personal digital assistant, cellular phone. The method includes prompting at least two selections on a viewing device, which is coupled to a worldwide network of computers through a wireless connection. The two selections comprises a first selection for an automatic set up (441) and a second selection for a manual set up. The method includes selecting either the first selection or the second selection and transmitting the selection to a web site, which is coupled to a source of audio/video data, e.g., camera. If the first selection is entered, a web page based upon a viewer'"'"'s profile of the viewing device is formed and transmitted to the viewing device. Alternatively, if the second selection is entered, a form page of selectable parameters is formed and transmitted from the web site to the viewing device. Next, audio/video data from the web site is transmitted to the viewing device based upon the first selection or the second selection.

Claims

1. A method for digital audio/video transmission to mobile computing devices including registering a client device with a server for receiving audio/video data in a useable format, the method comprising:

obtaining profile information associated with a selected format of a mobile client device at a server, the mobile client device receiving audio/video data from at least one of a plurality of source devices, the mobile client device being one of a plurality of mobile client devices, each of the mobile client devices being capable of receiving audio/video data in one of a plurality of selected formats;

at the server, determining a processing program for the selected format from one of a plurality of processing programs, each of the plurality of processing programs being stored in a the server and each processing program being usable to convert the audio/video data to a format that is different from each other'"'"'s formats;

connecting at least one of the plurality of source devices of audio/video data to the server, each of the source devices being capable of outputting audio/video data in one or more formats; and

at the server, converting the audio/video data from its format to the selected format through the processing program in the server based at least in part on the profile information;

transferring audio/video data in the selected format from the server to the mobile client device in a streaming session;

at the server, determining dynamically changing channel characteristics, including computing channel bandwidth;

at the server, updating the profile information during the streaming session, including updating the profile information based on dynamically changing channel characteristics and dynamically changing characteristics of the mobile client device; and

at the server, adjusting the audio/video data being transferred to the mobile client device during the session and in response to the updated profile information, including server determination of appropriate audio/video data to send to the mobile client device based at least in part on the computed channel bandwidth and other channel characteristics that were determined by the server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio/video data from the source device is compressed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile client device comprises a browsing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile client device is selected from one of a plurality of devices including a portable computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, an Internet appliance, and a work station.

5. The method claim 1 wherein the format from the source device is different in type from the selected format.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected format is selected from the group consisting of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, M-JPEG, M-GIF, ACELP, MP1, MP2, MP3, and G.723.1.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the format from the source device is selected from the group consisting of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, M-JPEG, M-GIF, ACELP, MP1, MP2, MP3, and G.723.1.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the profile information includes a user name and a bandwidth requirement.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the profile information includes a name for the mobile client device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of processing programs is coupled to a lookup table.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewer'"'"'s profile comprises bandwidth information and processing information of the viewing device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the dynamically changing stream characteristics are associated with at least one of bandwidth usage, frame rate, resolution, color depth, contrast, brightness, source of the audio/video data, streaming protocol, and stream content, and wherein the dynamically changing characteristics of the mobile device are associated with any combination of:

processing capacity, memory usage, network connection, and user demographics including device location.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein converting the audio/video data includes converting a single input audio/video signal into a plurality of output audio/video signals having different formats:

wherein any of the output audio/video signals having their respective format can be selected for the client device; and

wherein a same output audio/video signal can be selected for multiple client devices.

11. A method for transmitting audio/video data to viewing devices, the method comprising:

prompting at least two selections on a viewing device, the viewing device being coupled to a world wide network of computers, the two selections comprising a first selection for an automatic set up and a second selection for a manual set up;

selecting either the first selection or the second selection and transmitting the selection to a server, the server being coupled to a source of audio/video data;

if the first selection is entered, transforming at the server input audio/video data based upon a profile associated with the viewing device;

if the second selection is entered, transforming at the server the input audio/video data based on selectable parameters;

transmitting the transformed audio/video data from the server to the viewing device in a session based upon the first selection and in accordance with the profile, or based upon the second selection;

at the server, updating the profile during the session based at least in part on characteristics of the viewing device that dynamically change during the session and on dynamically changing characteristics of a connection that carries the session;

at the server, determining the dynamically changing connection characteristics including computing channel bandwidth; and

at the server, adjusting the audio/video data being transmitted to the viewing device based on the updated profile during the session, including server determination of appropriate audio/video data to send to the viewing device based at least in part on the computed channel bandwidth and other connection characteristics that were determined by the server.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the viewing device is selected from a mobile computer, a pager, a personal digital assistant, an Internet appliance, and a cellular phone.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the viewing device is coupled to the worldwide network of computers through a wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the viewing device is coupled to a browsing device.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the parameters comprise bandwidth information and processing information of the viewing device.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting the audio/video data in the session includes transmitting a plurality of output audio/video data signals having different formats, the plurality of output audio/video data signals being derived from a same single input audio/video data signal:

wherein any of the output audio/video signals having their respective format can be selected for the viewing device; and

wherein a same output audio/video signal can be selected for multiple viewing devices.

18. A system for transmission of audio/video data to a wireless display device, the system comprising:

a means for obtaining profile information associated with the wireless display device, the profile information including statistics associated with dynamically changing characteristics of the wireless display device and dynamically changing characteristics of a communication link to the wireless display device the means for obtaining the profile information including a server-side means for determining the characteristics of the communication link, including computing channel bandwidth;

a server means for formatting the audio/video data based on the profile information;

a means for sending the formatted audio/video data to the wireless display device in a session;

a server means for logging the statistics during the session and using the statistics to update the profile information during the session;

a server means for determining which particular audio/video data, from a plurality of available audio/video data, to send to respective wireless display devices, based at least in part on the computed channel bandwidth and other connection characteristics that were determined by the server-side means.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the means for formatting the audio/video data includes a means for converting a single input audio/video signal into a plurality of output audio/video signals having different formats,

wherein any of the output audio/video signals having their respective format can be selected for the display device;

and

wherein a same output audio/video signal can be selected for multiple display devices.