System and method for routing media

• US 8,554,940 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SITO Mobile R&D IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Single Touch Interactive Incorporated (SITO Mobile, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bate, Donald, Jennings, Chuck
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US11/680,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20070169149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• 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 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• 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 21/262 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 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 : Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The system and method for streaming media to a viewer and managing the media comprises an enhanced service routing processor (ESRP), a real time switch management system (RTSMS), a name routing processor (NRP), and a managed media switch (MMS). The RTSMS has a reservation system. The ESRP receives media from an owner, manages the media according to media rules and order rules defined by the owner, and distributes the media to one or more switches, such as the MMS, according to the media rules and the order rules. The RTSMS is configured to receive the media rules and to receive a viewer'"'"'s media request via the reservation server. The reservation system of the RTSMS processes the media request according to the media rules and builds a reservation for the requested media. The RTSMS generates the reservation to the viewer and to the NRP. The NRP receives the reservation data from the viewer and from the RTSMS. The NRP processes the reservation data and locates an MMS that can stream the media to the viewer. The NRP transmits the IP address of the MMS to the viewer and transmits the reservation data to the MMS. The viewer initiates a session or connection with the MMS using the reservation number. If the reservation data from the viewer matches the reservation data from the NRP, the MMS streams the media to the viewer.

Claims

1. A method for routing media to a viewer for a request comprising:

processing the request at a reservation system to identify at least one program comprising at least one program routing rule and a list of media from which at least a portion of the media is identified;

processing the request with the at least one program routing rule and the list of media of the program to generate a presentation identifying the at least the portion of the media, the presentation being in a format receivable by the viewer;

generating and transmitting a reservation associated with the presentation from the reservation system;

receiving the reservation at a routing processor and, at the routing processor;

determining a priority for a plurality of media switches available to stream the at least the portion of the media identified in the presentation based on the at least one program routing rule; and

selecting at least one of the plurality of media switches to stream the at least the portion of the media identified in the presentation based on the priority; and

generating an address of the selected at least one of the plurality of media switches in a format receivable by the viewer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the presentation identifying the at least the portion of the media further comprises generating in the presentation an identification of the at least the portion of the media to be streamed and an identification of the routing processor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the presentation further comprises generating in the presentation at least one member of a group consisting of a media sequence instruction, a binding media instruction, and a special routing instruction.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a reservation identification as an identifier for the request.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the request with the at least one program routing rule further comprises processing the request for a time period in which the reservation will be valid for the viewer to receive the media.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein processing the request for the time period further comprises setting the time period between a starting time and an ending time.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the request transmitted from the viewer at a portal and transmitting the request from the portal to the reservation system.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the request at a management system;

providing the request to the reservation system;

identifying and at least temporarily reserving the selected at least one of the plurality of media switches for streaming the at least the portion of the media; and

identifying the routing processor as managing the selected at least one of the plurality of media switches.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

generating from the reservation system a reservation identification for the reservation; and

generating a play script from the management system, the play script comprising at least one reference for the at least the portion of the media, the reservation identification, and a routing processor identification corresponding to the routing processor.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising configuring the reservation system as a subsystem of the management system.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising using as the selected at least one of the plurality of media switches at least one member of a group consisting of a switch, a media server software of the switch, and a stream caster of the switch.

12. A system for routing media to a viewer for a request comprising:

a reservation system to process the request, to identify at least one program comprising at least one program routing rule and a list of media from which at least a portion of the media is identified, to process the request with the at least one program routing rule and the list of media of the program to generate a presentation identifying the at least the portion of the media, the presentation in a format receivable by the viewer, and to generate and transmit a reservation for at least one of a plurality of media switches associated with the presentation and available to stream the at least the portion of the media identified in the presentation; and

a routing processor to receive the reservation transmitted from the reservation system and to determine a priority for the plurality of media switches based on the at least one program routing rule, to select a particular one of the plurality of media switches based on the priority to stream the at least the portion of the media identified in the presentation to the viewer, and to generate an address of the particular one of the plurality of media switches in a format receivable by the viewer.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the presentation comprises an identity of the media to be streamed and an identification of the routing processor.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the presentation comprises at least one member of a group comprising a media sequence instruction, a binding media instruction, and a special routing instruction.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the reservation system further is configured to generate an identifier for the reservation, wherein the identifier is generated as a reservation identification.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one program routing rule comprises a time period in which the reservation will be valid for the viewer to receive the media.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the time period comprises a period between a starting time and an ending time.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising a portal configured to receive the request and to transmit the request to the reservation system.

19. The system of claim 12 further comprising a management system configured to receive the request, to provide the request to the reservation system, to identify and temporarily reserve the particular one of the plurality of media switches for streaming the at least the portion of the media, to identify the routing processor as managing the particular one of the plurality of media switches, and to transmit the reservation to the routing processor.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the reservation system further is configured to generate a reservation identification for the reservation and wherein the management system further is configured to generate a play script, the play script comprising at least one reference for the at least the portion of the media, the reservation identification, and a routing processor identification corresponding to the routing processor.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the reservation system is configured as a subsystem of the management system.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the particular one of the plurality of media switches comprises at least one member of a group comprising a switch, a media server software of the switch, and a stream caster of the switch.