Assignable director authority for control of streaming digital content

• US 7,305,482 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bodin, William Kress, Thorson, Derral Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HARESH N
• Application Number:
  US09/882,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,364 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-235, 709201-205, 709200-203, 715/513, 715/752, 725/112, 718/100, 719310-318, 719/330, 717100-104, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Assigning director authority in a system that streams digital content from a multiplicity of sources of digital information to a multiplicity of client devices under control of a multiplicity of directors, the method implemented in conjunction with a network of digital computers, at least one of the digital computers comprising a content server upon which the steps of the method are implemented in computer memory and upon at least one computer processor, each director having director attributes, the content server including a store of director instruction records wherein each director instruction record represents one director instruction, including extracting for a director, in dependence upon the director'"'"'s attributes, director instructions from the store of director instruction records and downloading the extracted director instructions to the director.

Claims

1. A method of assigning director authority in a system that streams digital content from a multiplicity of sources of digital information to a multiplicity of client devices under control of a multiplicity of directors, the method implemented in conjunction with a network of digital computers, at least one of the digital computers comprising a content server upon which the steps of the method are implemented in computer memory and upon at least one computer processor, each said director having director attributes, the director attributes comprising a director authority, the content server including a store of director instruction records wherein each said director instruction record represents one director instruction, the director instruction records comprising a director instruction authority, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting for a director, in dependence upon the director'"'"'s attributes, director instructions from the store of director instruction records; and

downloading the extracted director instructions to the director.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising logging in a director to the content server and determining the director'"'"'s attributes, determining the director'"'"'s attributes further comprising reading a store of director records wherein each director record represents one director, each director record comprising a director identification.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each director record further comprises a director authority.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the director attributes include director authority,

at least one director has administrative director authority, and

administrative director authority includes authority to edit the director instruction records.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the director attributes include director authority, the method further comprising editing the director instruction records, wherein the editing is carried out through a director having administrative director authority.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the director attributes comprise a director identity, wherein the director instruction records comprise a director instruction identity, and wherein extracting director instructions comprises the further steps of:

determining a director identity; and

extracting from the store of director instructions director instructions having director instruction identities equal to the director identity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs and anchors.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising encoding the extracted director instructions into hyperlinks in an HTML document.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein downloading the extracted director instructions to the director comprises downloading an HTML document to the director.

11. A system for assigning director authority for streaming digital content from a multiplicity of sources of digital information to a multiplicity of client devices under control of a multiplicity of directors, the system implemented in conjunction with a network of digital computers, at least one of the digital computers comprising a content server upon which the system is implemented in computer memory and upon at least one computer processor, each said director having director attributes, the director attributes comprising a director authority, the content server including a store of director instruction records wherein each said director instruction record represents one director instruction, the director instruction records comprising a director instruction authority, the system comprising:

means for extracting for a director, in dependence upon the director'"'"'s attributes, director instructions from the store of director instruction records; and

means for downloading the extracted director instructions to the director.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for logging in a director to the content server and means for determining the director'"'"'s attributes, means for determining the director'"'"'s attributes further comprising means for reading a store of director records wherein each director record represents one director, each director record comprising a director identification.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein each director record further comprises a director authority.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the director attributes include director authority,

at least one director has administrative director authority, and

administrative director authority includes authority to edit the director instruction records.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the director attributes include director authority, the system further comprising means for editing the director instruction records, wherein the means for editing is utilized through a director having administrative director authority.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the director attributes comprise a director identity, wherein the director instruction records comprise a director instruction identity, and wherein means for extracting director instructions further comprises:

means for determining a director identity; and

means for extracting from the store of director instructions director instructions having director instruction identities equal to the director identity.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs and anchors.

19. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for encoding the extracted director instructions into hyperlinks in an HTML document.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein means for downloading the extracted director instructions to the director comprises means for downloading an HTML document to the director.

21. A computer program product for assigning director authority for streaming digital content from a multiplicity of sources of digital information to a multiplicity of client devices under control of a multiplicity of directors, the system implemented in conjunction with a network of digital computers, at least one of the digital computers comprising a content server upon which the system is implemented in computer memory and upon at least one computer processor, each said director having director attributes, the director attributes comprising a director authority, the content server including a store of director instruction records wherein each said director instruction record represents one director instruction, the director instruction records comprising a director instruction authority, the system comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for extracting for a director, in dependence upon the director'"'"'s attributes, director instructions from the store of director instruction records; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the extracted director instructions to the director.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for logging in a director to the content server and means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining the director'"'"'s attributes, means for determining the director'"'"'s attributes further comprising means for reading a store of director records wherein each director record represents one director, each director record comprising a director identification.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein each director record further comprises a director authority.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein:

the director attributes include director authority,

at least one director has administrative director authority, and

administrative director authority includes authority to edit the director instruction records.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the director attributes include director authority, the computer program product further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for editing the director instruction records, wherein the means for editing is utilized through a director having administrative director authority.

26. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the director attributes comprise a director identity, wherein the director instruction records comprise a director instruction identity, and wherein means for extracting director instructions further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a director identity; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for extracting from the store of director instructions director instructions having director instruction identities equal to the director identity.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the director instructions comprise URLs and anchors.

29. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for encoding the extracted director instructions into hyperlinks in an HTML document.

30. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means for downloading the extracted director instructions to the director comprises means for downloading an HTML document to the director.