System and method for listening to teams in a race event

• US 7,162,532 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TAGI Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Eric K. Moe, Steven M. Koehler
• Inventors: Koehler, Steven M., MOE, ERIC K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reilly, Sean
• Application Number:
  US10/060,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/42, 463/58, 463/59, 709/204, 709/205, 709/219, 709206-207, 709230-232, 345753-758, 715753-758
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/04 from field pickup units [FPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system allows a remote computer user to listen to teams in a race event. The method includes receiving audio signals from a plurality of audio sources at the race event; transmitting at least some of the audio signals to a remote computer; and filtering the audio signals as a function of the source of at least some of the audio signals so that at least some of the audio signals are not played by the remote computer and heard by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to allow a remote computer user to listen to teams in a race event, the method comprising:

receiving audio signals at a server from a plurality of audio sources at the race event when audio signals from at least two different audio sources occur at the same time;

transmitting information related to at least some of the audio signals to a remote computer remote from the server via a network;

assigning different priority values to at least two different audio sources from the race event to be heard as selected from indications by remote computer user; and

playing the audio signals from the race event using the remote computer and the transmitted information as a function of the priority values when audio signals from at least two different audio sources occur at the same time, wherein the step of playing includes playing audio signals as a function of a position of a team in the race.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning includes assigning a priority value for audio signals from teams as a function of position in the race.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein a number of teams that are played as a function of position is selectable.

4. A computer-implemented method to allow a remote computer user to listen to teams in a race event, the method comprising:

receiving audio signals at a server from a plurality of audio sources at the race event when audio signals from at least two different audio sources occur at the same time;

transmitting at least some of the audio signals to a remote computer remote from the server via a network;

assigning different priority values to at least two different audio sources from the race event to be heard as selected from indications by the remote computer user; and

playing the audio signals from the race event using the remote computer as a function of the priority values when audio signals from at least two different audio sources occur at the sane time;

storing audio signals pertaining to a first audio source when the first audio source and a second source are simultaneously communicating, and wherein playing the audio signals from the race event using the remote computer includes playing the audio signals from the second audio source; and

playing the audio signals at the remote computer from the first audio source using the stored audio signals after the audio signals from the second audio source have been played.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the step of playing includes playing audio from a first audio source of said at least two different audio sources over a first speaker and playing audio from a second audio source of said at least two different audio sources over a second speaker.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the step of playing includes filtering the audio signals as a function of priority values, wherein the filtering is performed by the remote computer.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the step of playing includes filtering the audio signals as a function of priority values, wherein the filtering is performed by the server.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 and further comprising visually identifying to the user a team being heard over a speaker.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein each team comprises a plurality of team members, and wherein each of the steps of playing includes playing audio signals as a function of whether the team member has been selected.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 and further comprising storing information indicative of priority values of the teams and the selected team members at the remote computer.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 and further comprising storing information indicative of priority values of the teams and of the selected team members at the server remote from the remote computer.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the audio sources comprise teams, and the method further comprising:

displaying an identifier associated with at least one of the teams indicating that audio signals for said at least one of the teams are stored.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 and further comprising:

displaying identifiers for individual team members associated with each team in the race; and

selecting individual team members for listening based on the identifiers being displayed.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 4 and visually rendering to the user an indication that the stored communications exist between the first team.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein the step of playing includes playing the audio signals based on a position of a team in the race.

16. A computer-implemented method to allow a user to listen to teams in a race event using a remote computer being located remote from server, the method comprising:

receiving from the user an indication of at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams;

receiving at the server communications between a first team at the race event, the first team not being said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event;

transmitting information from the server to the remote computer indicative of the communications between the first team, the server and remote computer being in communication with each other over the computer network;

audibly rendering on the remote computer to the user the information indicative of the communications between the first team;

receiving at the server communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event while receiving communications between the first team;

transmitting information from the server to the remote computer indicative of the communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event;

storing information indicative of the communications between the first team;

audibly rendering on the remote computer to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event; and

audibly rendering on the remote computer to the user the information indicative of the stored communications between the first team after audibly rendering on the remote computer to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein each step comprising transmitting comprises transmitting information from the server to the remote computer over the Internet.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 16 and further comprising rendering to the remote computer user an identifier corresponding to said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event in accordance with audibly rendering on the remote computer to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the remote computer wants to hear over other teams at the race event.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein rendering to the remote computer user the identifier comprises visually rendering to the remote computer user the identifier.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the remote computer comprises a computing device, and wherein each of the steps of transmitting comprises transmitting over a phone communications network.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 wherein the computing device comprises a personal computer.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 16 and further comprising:

storing information indicative of the communications between other teams; and

visually rendering to the user indications that the stared information indicative of the communications exists for one or more of the other teams.

23. A computer-implemented method to allow a user to listen to teams in a race event, the method comprising:

receiving from the user an indication of at least one highest priority team that a user using a computing device wants to hear over other teams;

receiving at the computing device communications between a first team at the race event, the first team not being said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event;

audibly rendering on the computing device to the user the information indicative of the communications between the first team;

receiving at the computing device communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event while receiving communications between the first team;

storing information indicative of the communications between the first team;

audibly rendering on the computing device to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event; and

audibly rendering on the computing device to the user the information indicative of the stored communications between the first team after audibly rendering on the computing device to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 and further comprising visually rendering a first identifier for said at least one highest priority team while visually rendering a second identifier for the first team when the communications of the first team are being rendered.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the first identifier is rendered differently than the second identifier.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 and further comprising visually rendering an image of the race on the computing device while audibly rendering communications.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 and further comprising receiving an indication from the user as to which image of the race to visually render.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27 wherein visually rendering an image of the race comprises an image of the race pertaining to a view from a car.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 and further comprising receiving race statistics about the race at the computing device and visually rendering the race statistics.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 29 wherein visually rendering the race statistics comprises visually rendering information about a teams performance relative to a leader of the race.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 wherein each of the steps of receiving communications comprises receiving said communications from a server over a network.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 wherein receiving from the user an indication includes receiving from the user an indication that the first team is a priority team that the user wants to hear over other teams, the first team having a priority less than said at least one highest priority team.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 32 wherein receiving from the user an indication includes receiving from the user an indication that a third team is a priority team that the user wants to hear over other teams, the third team having a priority less than said at least one highest priority team and said first team.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 and further comprising visually rendering a list of priority teams that a user using a computing device wants to hear over other teams, while visually rendering an identifier for the corresponding team having communications being audibly rendered.

35. A system to allow a user to listen to audio sources in a race event, the system comprising:

a server configured to receive communications from audio sources at a race event, the communications comprising communications between teams in the race; and

a plurality of computing devices, each computing device configured to receive information from the server, the information comprising the communications from the audio sources, each computing device comprising;

a receiver module configured to receive the information from the server;

a user interface;

a storage device configured to store communications of teams;

a speaker; and

a processor operably coupled to the interface, the storage device, the receiver and the speaker, the processor configured to;

receive from the user an indication of at least one highest priority team that a user using a computing device wants to hear over other teams,

process communications between a first team at the race event, the first team not being said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event,

audibly render to the user the information indicative of the communications between the first team,

process communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event while receiving communications between the first team,

store information indicative of the communications between the first team,

audibly render to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event, and

audibly render to the user the information indicative of the stored communications between the first team after audibly rendering to the user the information indicative of communications between said at least one highest priority team that the user of the computing device wants to hear over other teams at the race event.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the interface of each computing device is configured to receive indications from the user pertaining to selecting stored communications to audibly render, and wherein the processor of each computing device is configured to cause the selected stored communications to be audibly rendered based on the indications received.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the interface of each computing device comprises a keyboard.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein each computing device further comprises a monitor operably coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor of each computing device is configured to visually render on the corresponding monitor a list of the priority teams selected by the user while visually rendering on the corresponding monitor an identifier for the corresponding team having communications being audibly rendered.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the module of each computing device is configured to visually render an image of the race on the corresponding monitor while audibly rendering communications.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the image of the race comprises an image of the race pertaining to a view from a car.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the processor of each computing device is further configured to visually render race statistics of the race.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the race statistics comprise information about a teams performance relative to a leader of the race.

43. The system of claim 35 wherein the processor of each computing device is configured to receive from the user an indication that the first team is a priority team that the user wants to hear over other teams, the first team having a priority less than said at least one highest priority team.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the processor of each computing device is configured to receive an indication from the user that a third team is a priority team that the user wants to hear over other teams, the third team having a priority less than said at least one highest priority team and said first team.

45. A computing device to allow a user to listen to teams in a race event, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

an interface operably coupled to the processor and configured to receive from the user an indication of priority teams having different priority that a user using a computing device wants to hear over other teams;

a speaker operably coupled to the processor; and

a module configured to be executed by the processor and configured to audibly render through the speaker communications of priority teams when received based on priority, and audibly render through the speaker communications of another team based on a position of said another team in the race.

46. The computing device of claim 45 wherein the module is configured to assign a priority value for teams as a function of position in the race and audibly render communications of said teams based on the priority value relative to the priority of the priority teams.

47. The computing device of claim 45 wherein the module is configured to adjust a number of teams that are played as a function of position.