Interactive audiovisual distribution system

• US 7,937,734 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anosole Pass Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Anosole Pass Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Haddad, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, JONATHAN V
• Application Number:
  US10/931,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 725/87
• US Class Current: 725/87
• 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

Abstract

A distribution center according to the present invention is capable of handling requests from a plurality of subscribers for accessing programs in a central audiovisual library. The subscriber requests may specify a variable time allowance interval within which a requested program may be delivered.

Claims

1. A method of interactive distribution of visual data segments from a distribution center computer system to a plurality of customers, each customer associated with a respective subscriber station, the method being executed by one or more computing devices of the distribution center computer system, the method comprising:

providing a library comprising a selection of visual data segments;

providing to customers visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments;

receiving requests from customers for selected visual data segments, each request associated with a selected time allowance interval for delivery of the selected visual data segments, the selected time allowance interval selected by the customer making the request from a menu displaying the provided visual data segments and the plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments, each associated time allowance interval specifying minimum and maximum amounts of time the customer will wait for delivery of the provided visual data segments to begin, wherein for an associated time allowance interval the maximum amount of time is greater than the minimum amount of time;

processing the requests;

accessing the selected visual data segments from the library; and

delivering, via the distribution center computer system, the selected visual data segments to respective subscriber stations, associated with the customers making the requests, within the selected time allowance interval associated with each of the selected visual data segments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing customers with a plurality of pre-defined time allowance intervals, each predefined time allowance interval associated with a respective maximum wait time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing multiple libraries, each library comprising one or more visual data segments.

4. A non-transitory program storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

providing a library comprising a selection of visual data segments;

providing to customers visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments;

receiving requests from subscriber stations for selected visual data segments from the provided visual data segments, each request associated with a selected time allowance interval indicating a minimum wait time specified by a customer associated with a subscriber station, wherein the minimum wait time is specified by the customer from a plurality of menu options for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments, displayed on a menu on a subscriber station monitor, and wherein the selected time allowance interval is defined by the minimum wait time and a maximum wait time, the maximum wait time being greater than the minimum wait time;

processing the requests;

accessing the selected visual data segments from the library; and

delivering the selected visual data segments to respective subscriber stations making the requests after the minimum wait time has elapsed.

5. The program storage device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

associating with each of the requests a maximum wait time, specified by the customer associated with the request, before which a respective selected visual data segment is to be delivered,

wherein said delivering comprises delivering the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations making the requests prior to the maximum wait time.

6. The program storage device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises accessing multiple libraries, each library comprising one or more visual data segments.

7. The program storage device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a customer request to modify the selected time allowance interval previously specified by the customer; and

delivering the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations associated with the customers making the requests within the modified time allowance interval.

8. The program storage device of claim 7, wherein receiving a customer request to modify the time allowance interval comprises waiving the minimum wait time whereby delivery of the selected visual data segments could begin immediately.

9. The program storage device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving on the computer a customer request to modify the selected time allowance interval previously specified by the customer; and

delivering the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations making the requests within the modified time allowance interval.

10. The program storage device of claim 9, wherein receiving a customer request to modify the time allowance interval further comprises waiving the minimum wait time whereby delivery of the selected visual data segments could begin immediately.

11. The program storage device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises providing, from the computer, customers with a plurality of pre-defined minimum wait intervals to choose from when making a request for a visual data segment.

12. A method of interactive distribution of visual data segments from a distribution center computer system to a plurality of subscriber stations, the method being executed by one or more computing devices of the distribution center computer system, the method comprising:

accessing a library comprised of a selection of visual data segments;

providing to subscriber stations visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments;

receiving requests from the subscriber stations for selected visual data segments, wherein each request is associated with a minimum wait time that a subscriber has entered using a displayed menu of a plurality of time allowance interval options for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments on a subscriber station, wherein the minimum wait time is an amount of time the subscriber will wait for the delivery of a requested selected visual data segment, and wherein the time allowance interval is defined by the minimum wait time and a maximum wait time, the maximum wait time being greater than the minimum wait time;

processing the requests;

accessing the selected visual data segments from the library; and

delivering, via the distribution center computer system, the selected visual data segments to respective subscriber stations making the requests for viewing after the minimum wait time has elapsed.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

associating with each of the requests a maximum wait time, specified by the respective subscriber stations, before which a respective selected visual data segment is to be delivered,

wherein delivering comprises delivering the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations making the requests prior to the associated maximum wait times.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising accessing multiple libraries, each of which is comprised of one or more visual data segments.

15. A program storage device having commands executable by a computer, which if executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform a method of interactive distribution of visual data segments from a distribution center to a plurality of subscriber stations, the method comprising:

accessing a library comprised of a selection of visual data segments;

providing to subscriber stations visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments;

receiving requests from the subscriber stations for selected visual data segments from the selection of visual data segments, wherein each request includes a specified minimum wait time that a subscriber has entered using a plurality of time allowance interval options for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments displayed on a menu on the subscriber station, wherein the minimum wait time is an amount of time the subscriber will wait for the delivery of a requested selected visual data segment, and wherein the time allowance interval is defined by the minimum wait time and a maximum wait time, the maximum wait time being greater than the minimum wait time;

processing the requests;

accessing the selected visual data segments from the library; and

delivering the selected visual data segments to respective subscriber stations making the requests for viewing after the specified minimum wait time has elapsed.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the method of interactive distribution of visual data segments further comprises:

associating with each of the requests a maximum wait time, specified by the respective subscriber stations, before which a respective selected visual data segment is to be delivered,

wherein delivering comprises delivering the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations making the requests prior to the associated maximum wait times.

17. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the method of interactive distribution of visual data segments further comprises accessing multiple libraries, each of which is comprised of one or more visual data segments.

18. A system for interactive distribution of visual data segments from a distribution center to subscriber stations, each subscriber station associated with a respective customer, the system comprising:

a distribution center comprising;

a library comprising a selection of visual data segments;

an order processing computer configured to provide to customers visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments, and receive, from one or more customers, one or more requests for a selected visual data segment from the selection of visual data segments, each request associated with a selected time allowance interval specified by the customer, from a menu displayed on a customer subscriber station for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments, the selected time allowance interval indicating a minimum amount of time the customer will wait for delivery of the selected visual data segments to begin, the order processing computer further configured to provide commands to allocate services for the one or more requests, and wherein the selected time allowance interval is defined by the minimum amount of time and a maximum amount of time, the maximum amount of time being greater than the minimum amount of time; and

a transmission control processor configured to receive the commands, retrieve the selected visual data segments from the library and transmit the selected visual data segments to each subscriber station associated with a customer requesting the selected visual data segment within the minimum amount of time.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the selected time allowance interval further indicates a maximum amount of time, specified by the customer, prior to which the respective selected visual data segment is to be delivered.

20. A method of interactive distribution of visual data segments from a distribution center computer system to a plurality of subscriber stations, the method being executed by one or more computing devices of the distribution center computer system, the method comprising:

accessing a library comprised of a selection of visual data segments;

providing to the subscriber stations visual data segments and a plurality of associated time allowance intervals for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments;

receiving requests from the subscriber stations for selected visual data segments from the selection of visual data segments, each of the requests associated with a maximum wait time that a subscriber has entered using a displayed menu of a plurality of time allowance interval options for delivery of each of the provided visual data segments on a subscriber station, wherein the maximum wait time is an amount of time the subscriber will wait for the delivery of a requested selected visual data segment, and wherein the time allowance interval is defined by a minimum wait time and the maximum wait time, the maximum wait time being greater than the minimum wait time;

processing the requests;

accessing the selected visual data segments from the library; and

delivering, via the distribution center computer system, the selected visual data segments to the respective subscriber stations making the requests for viewing before the maximum wait time has elapsed.