Content injection system and methodology

• US 8,381,244 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WideOrbit
• Original Assignee: Abacast Incorporated (WideOrbit)
• Inventors: King, Michael J., Bosworth, Brian S., Morris, John W. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/985,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/24 Arrangements for distribution of identical information via broadcast system and non-broadcast system
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/76 Arrangements characterised by transmission systems other than for broadcast, e.g. the Internet for broadcast H04H20/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A method, and an associated system, for sending to a first group of recipients only the content portions of a continuity source data-flow which takes the form of ordered, successive, alternating content and non-content segments. From a methodologic point of view, the invention involves, in a manner which utilizes content-segment material buffering, delivering fully, and in correct order, to the first recipient group the material in each content segment, via steps including (a) bridging each gap between next-adjacent content segments at least partially with transmitted injection material that differs from the non-content segment material in the gap, which injection material ends in time no sooner than the end of the gap, and (b) employing, as needed, and as a part of such full delivering of content-segment material, time-progressive, time-length-variable buffering, and subsequent, progressive buffer-delivering, of any content-segment material which overlaps in time with the transmission of injection material.

Claims

1. A method of operating a system including a processor and at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled with the processor, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast source data flow which is for broadcast to a broadcast audience of a plurality of broadcast receivers, and which comprises a plurality of content segments interspersed with a plurality of non-content segments, the content segments consisting of one or more sections of content material, and the non-content segments consisting of one or more sections of non-content material;

selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content material to replace one or more of the sections of non-content material of the non-content segments;

streaming as a stream the content segments of the broadcast and a plurality of replacement non-content segments interspersed with the content segments for an online audience of at least a plurality of streaming receivers;

when streaming the replacement non-content segments for the online audience, recognizing that a next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow;

in response to recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin, storing to a memory device any portions of the next one of the content segments of the broadcast source data flow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed for the online audience;

for each of the replacement non-content segments streamed, detecting an end of the replacement non-content segment; and

in response to both recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow and detecting the end of the replacement non-content segment, providing the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for streaming to the streaming audience,

wherein a duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for each of the non-content segments at least equals a duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and the duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for at least one of the non-content segments is greater than the duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and

wherein selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selecting at least one advertisement and at least one song which is not an advertisement as the replacement sections of non-content material to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for the streaming to the streaming audience occurs while storing further portions of the content segments to the memory device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selecting at least two advertisements to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the streaming of the replacement non-content material is started without an exact knowledge of the duration of the respective non-content segment which the one or more replacement sections of non-content material is replacing.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

terrestrially broadcasting the broadcast source data flow to the plurality of locally located broadcast receivers, and wherein the streaming includes streaming over at least one network to the plurality of streaming receivers at least some of which are remotely located.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a respective one of the non-content segments in the broadcast source data flow; and

detecting an end of a respective one of the non-content segments of the broadcast source data flow, and wherein;

the providing the selected replacement sections of non-content material for respective non-content segments for the streaming to the streaming audience is in response to detecting the start of the non-content segments, and

the storing to the memory device any portions of the content segments of the broadcast source dataflow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed is in response to detecting respective ones of the ends of the non-content segments.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled with the processor which stores processor executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the one processor to;

receive a broadcast source data flow which is for broadcast to a broadcast audience of a plurality of broadcast receivers, and which comprises a plurality of content segments interspersed with a plurality of non-content segments, the content segments consisting of one or more sections of content material, and the non-content segments consisting of one or more sections of non-content material;

select a plurality of replacement sections of non-content material to replace one or more of the sections of non-content material of the non-content segments;

stream as a stream the content segments of the broadcast and a plurality of replacement non-content segments interspersed with the content segments for an online audience of at least a plurality of streaming receivers;

recognize that a next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow while the replacement non-content segments are streamed for the online audience;

storing to a memory device any portions of the next one of the content segments of the broadcast source data flow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed for the online audience in response to recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin;

for each of the replacement content segments streamed, detect an end of the replacement content segment; and

in response to both recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow and detecting the end of the replacement non-content segment, providing the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for streaming to the streaming audience, wherein a duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for each of the non-content segments at least equals a duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and the duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for at least one of the non-content segments is greater than the duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and

wherein selection of a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selection of at least one advertisement and at least one song which is not an advertisement as the replacement sections of non-content material to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the provision of the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for the streaming to the streaming audience occurs while storing further portions of the content segments to the memory device.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein selection of a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selection of at least two advertisements to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the instructions cause the processor to start to stream the replacement non-content material without an exact knowledge of the duration of the respective non-content segment which the replacement sections of non-content material replaces.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a transmitter operable to terrestrially broadcast the broadcast source data flow to the plurality of locally located broadcast receivers, and wherein the streaming includes a transmission over at least one network to the plurality of streaming receivers at least some of which are remotely located.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

detect a respective one of the non-content segments in the broadcast source data flow;

detect an end of a respective one of the non-content segments of the broadcast source data flow, and wherein;

the selected replacement sections of non-content material for respective non-content segments are provided for the streaming to the streaming audience in response to detection of the start of the non-content segments, and

any portions of the content segments of the broadcast source dataflow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed are stored to the memory device in response to detection of respective ones of the ends of the non-content segments.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores processor executable instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to operate a system, by:

receiving a broadcast source data flow which is for broadcast to a broadcast audience of a plurality of broadcast receivers, and which comprises a plurality of content segments interspersed with a plurality of non-content segments, the content segments consisting of one or more sections of content material, and the non-content segments consisting of one or more sections of non-content material;

selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content material to replace one or more of the sections of non-content material of the non-content segments;

streaming as a stream the content segments of the broadcast and a plurality of replacement non-content segments interspersed with the content segments for an online audience of at least a plurality of streaming receivers;

when streaming the replacement non-content segments for the online audience, recognizing that a next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow;

in response to recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin, storing to a memory device any portions of the next one of the content segments of the broadcast source data flow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed for the online audience;

for each of the replacement non-content segments streamed, detecting an end of the replacement non-content segment; and

in response to both recognizing that the next one of the content segments is going to begin in the broadcast source data flow and detecting the end of the replacement non-content segment, providing the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for streaming to the streaming audience, and

wherein a duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for each of the non-content segments at least equals a duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and the duration of the replacement sections of non-content material for at least one of the non-content segments is greater than the duration of the respective non-content segment as reduced by any portion of the stored content segment provided into the respective non-content segment, and

wherein selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selecting at least one advertisement and at least one song which is not an advertisement as the replacement sections of non-content material to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

14. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the providing the stored portions of the content segments from the memory device for the streaming to the streaming audience occurs while storing further portions of the content segments to the memory device.

15. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein selecting a plurality of replacement sections of non-content materials to replace one or more of the sections of the non-content materials of the non-content segments includes selecting at least two advertisements to replace the sections of non-content material of one of the non-content segments.

16. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the streaming of the replacement non-content material is started without an exact knowledge of the duration of the respective non-content segment which the one or more replacement sections of non-content material is replacing.

17. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the instruction cause the processor to operate the system, further by:

terrestrially broadcasting the broadcast source data flow to the plurality of locally located broadcast receivers, and wherein the streaming includes streaming over at least one network to the plurality of streaming receivers at least some of which are remotely located.

18. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the instruction cause the processor to operate the system, further by:

detecting a start of a respective one of the non-content segments in the broadcast source data flow; and

detecting an end of a respective one of the non-content segments of the broadcast source data flow, and wherein;

the providing the selected replacement sections of non-content material for respective non-content segments for the streaming to the streaming audience is in response to detecting the start of the non-content segments, and

the storing to the memory device any portions of the content segments of the broadcast source dataflow which overlap with the replacement non-content segment still being streamed is in response to detecting respective ones of the ends of the non-content segments.