Audio and video transmission and receiving system

• US 7,818,773 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2002
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Acacia Media Technologies Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Acacia Media Technologies Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Browne, H. Lee, Yurt, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US10/292,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,899 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725/105, 725/87, 725 92- 94, 725/109, 725/110, 725/115, 725/116
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/95 characterised by a specific format, e.g. an encoded audio stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23473 by pre-encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• 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 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 : by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 : for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6583 : Acknowledgement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/54 : the signals being synchronous H04N21/23602, H04N21/23614, H04N21/2365, H04N21/2368, H04N21/4341, H04N21/4342, H04N21/4347, H04N21/4348 take precedence

Abstract

A system of distributing video and/or audio information employs digital signal processing to achieve high rates of data compression. The compressed and encoded audio and/or video information is sent over standard telephone, cable or satellite broadcast channels to a receiver specified by a subscriber of the service, preferably in less than real time, for later playback and optional recording on standard audio and/or video tape.

Claims

1. A method of providing items of audiovisual information from a transmitter to a receiving system remote from the transmitter, the method comprising:

time encoding video digital data blocks by assigning first relative time markers to the video digital data blocks, the video digital data blocks including video information from an audiovisual item;

time encoding audio digital data blocks by assigning second relative time markers to the audio digital data blocks, the audio digital data blocks including audio information from the audiovisual item;

wherein the first relative time markers and the second relative time markers allow for realignment of the video digital data blocks and the audio digital data blocks for the audiovisual item;

compressing the video digital data blocks assigned the first relative time markers using a compression method;

wherein the compression method includes use of a discrete cosine transformation and motion compensation;

compressing the audio digital data blocks assigned the second relative time markers;

placing the compressed video digital data blocks, the compressed audio digital data blocks, the first relative time markers, and the second relative time markers into a file for the audiovisual item;

storing the file for the audiovisual item on a storage device;

wherein the storage device stores a file containing compressed video digital data blocks, compressed audio digital data blocks, first relative time markers and second relative time markers for each of a plurality of audiovisual items, the plurality of items including the audiovisual item;

receiving a request for one of the plurality of items;

wherein the request is received from the receiving system over a communication channel;

wherein the request is generated using a user terminal interface;

wherein the request includes an address of the receiving system;

wherein the request additionally includes an address associated with the requested audiovisual item; and

transmitting to the receiving system, over the communication channel, the file for the requested audiovisual item.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing facts about the plurality of items in an item database.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein copies of the item database reside on multiple database servers.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising updating the copies of the item database at periodic intervals.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising making a copy of the item database available to a user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a customer identification in addition to receiving the address of the receiving system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining if the customer is in good standing.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage device is a network of storage devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the network of storage devices is connected by a controller.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the controller is a parallel interface controller.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the location and tracking of the compressed data library using database management software.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the user terminal interface is a personal computer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the user terminal interface is provided by the receiving system.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing, for each of the plurality of items, a plurality of facts about the audiovisual item in the file for the audiovisual item.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication channel is a metropolitan area network.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising keeping track of a number of requests for a given audiovisual item.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising keeping track of a user channel type.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a unique identification code to each of the plurality of items.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, prior to time encoding the video digital data blocks and the audio data blocks, the audiovisual item is retained in a source material library as an item having information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein, prior to time encoding the video digital data blocks and the audio data blocks, the audiovisual item is retrieved from the item having information.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein, prior to time encoding the video digital data blocks and the audio data blocks, the audiovisual item that is retrieved from the item having information is placed into a predetermined format comprising the video digital data blocks and the audio digital data blocks.