Methods and apparatus for creating, combining, distributing and reproducing program content for groups of participating users
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for delivering program content to and for concurrently enabling communication between a plurality of participating users comprising, in combination:
- a transmission station,one or more program transmission pathways for simultaneously sending said program content from said transmission station to each of a plurality of different program receivers each of which is operated by one of said plurality of participating users,one or more bidirectional communications pathways coupling said plurality of participating users to said transmission station during or immediately after the transmission of said program content for establishing a spoken conversation via said transmission station between said plurality of participating users, anda supervisory controller operable by a managing operator for selecting and transmitting said program content to said participating users from said transmission station and for granting access to the use of said one or more bidirectional communications pathways by each of said plurality of participating users.
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Abstract
A communications system for simulcasting audio or audiovisual program content to a plurality of participating system users via a communication network. Each user operates an access device that reproduces the received program content for the user and also accepts spoken comments from the user concurrently with or immediately following the reproduction of the program content. The spoken comments are transmitted to at least selected ones of the other users so that the selected users can engage in a conversation about the program content as it is simulcast.
56 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for delivering program content to and for concurrently enabling communication between a plurality of participating users comprising, in combination:
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a transmission station, one or more program transmission pathways for simultaneously sending said program content from said transmission station to each of a plurality of different program receivers each of which is operated by one of said plurality of participating users, one or more bidirectional communications pathways coupling said plurality of participating users to said transmission station during or immediately after the transmission of said program content for establishing a spoken conversation via said transmission station between said plurality of participating users, and a supervisory controller operable by a managing operator for selecting and transmitting said program content to said participating users from said transmission station and for granting access to the use of said one or more bidirectional communications pathways by each of said plurality of participating users. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A communications system for distributing audio recordings among a plurality of system subscriber stations located remotely from one another, said system comprising:
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a transmission-station, a communications network interconnecting said transmission station to said system system subscriber stations, and a subscriber access device connected to said network at each of said subscriber stations, said access device comprising; playback means for reproducing a selected audio recording received from said transmission station via said communications network in audible form perceptible to a listener, input means for accepting a spoken message from said listener concurrently with the reproduction of said selected audio recording, an outbound communications port for transmitting said subscriber generated message from said access device over said communications network via said transmission station to at least selected ones of said subscriber stations, and a control interface for transmitting requests to said transmitting station to receive said selected audio recording and to receive subscriber generated messages in real time from at least selected ones of said subscriber stations. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for distributing and reproducing program content to a plurality of participants comprising, in combination:
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a transmission station including a program transmitter for simulcasting a sequence of program segments to said plurality of participants via one or more communications networks, a plurality of receiving stations each operated by one of said participants at a location remote from said transmission station, each given one of said receiving stations being accessible to and operated by a given one of said participants and comprising, in combination; a program player for receiving said sequence of program segments from said transmission station via one of said communications networks and for reproducing said program segments in an audible form perceptible to said given one of said participants, a microphone for accepting spoken comments from said given one of said participants during or after each of said program segments, and a comment transmitter for transmitting said spoken comments to said transmission station via one of said communications networks, and said transmission station further including, in combination; a comment receiver for receiving comments transmitted from said receiving stations, and a program content controller for transmitting one or more of the comments received from individual ones of said receiving stations to all of stations either simultaneously with the simulcasting of one or more of said segments or during intervals between separate program segments in said sequence of program segments. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification