Forward path multi-media management system with end user feedback to distributed content sources

• US 8,572,176 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Inventors: McKenna, Daniel Bernard, Graziano, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US12/675,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 463/42
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System architecture enables end user devices to share a common wireless forward path of a multicast communication architecture in which the forward path delivered content is dynamically changed or modified based on a real-time, near-real-time, or delay-time basis via aggregated reverse path feedback from at least one of a plurality of end user devices. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System periodically or continuously aggregates the feedback input received via the reverse path (having wired and/or wireless connectivity), modifies the forward path multi-media content, and delivers this dynamically modified multi-media content to the then connected population of end user devices via a wireless forward path multicast in a repetitive closed loop fashion.

Claims

1. A Forward Path Multi-Media Management System for wirelessly transmitting end user generated content from a plurality of wireless end user devices to selected ones of said wireless end user devices, comprising:

a content integrator for receiving multi-media content from at least one of a multi-media content source and wireless end user devices;

a unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path, connected to and shared by a plurality of wireless end user devices, for concurrently transmitting multi-media content from the content integrator to the plurality of wireless end user devices;

a plurality of wireless private reverse communication paths each separate from the unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path and unique to each of the plurality of wireless end user devices, and concurrently operational with said unidirectional forward broadcast path, for transmitting end user content modification data which is responsive to presently received end user generated content from each of the plurality of wireless end user devices to dynamically modify end user generated content transmitted to said selected ones of said wireless end user devices over said unidirectional forward broadcast path;

a feedback accumulator, responsive to receipt of said end user input data received from said selected wireless end user devices over said reverse path, for accumulating said end user input data; and

a content integrator for generating a modified multi-media content data stream by modifying multi-media content data stream based on said accumulated end user input data.

2. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

a content stream generator for transmitting said modified multi-media content data stream over said unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path to said selected wireless end user devices.

3. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 1 wherein said feedback accumulator comprises:

a content synchronizer for associating said end user input data received from said end users with a corresponding multi-media content data stream.

4. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 3 further comprising:

wherein said multi-media content data stream comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

wherein said feedback accumulator further comprises;

a buffer for accumulating end user input data received from said end users for a corresponding multi-media content data stream.

5. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 4 wherein said content integrator further comprises:

at least one end user integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, for revising said received end user generated content to produce a revised multi-media content data stream.

6. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 5 further comprising:

a private forward path that extends from said wireless communication network to said wireless end user device for transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding multi-media content data stream, to a wireless end user device.

7. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 6 further comprising:

an end user content control for transmitting data from a wireless end user device, via said private reverse path that extends from said wireless end user device to said wireless communication network to control operation of said end user integration application.

8. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 3:

wherein said multi-media content data stream comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

wherein said feedback accumulator further comprises;

a timer for defining a time period for use by said synchronization means during which time period said end user input data received from said end users is associated with said present frame.

9. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 8 wherein said feedback accumulator further comprises:

an accumulated data processor for processing said accumulated end user input data received from said end users to a composite content revision for a multi-media content data stream.

10. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 9 wherein said content integrator further comprises:

at least one end user integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, for revising said received multi-media content data stream to produce a revised multi-media content data stream.

11. The Forward Path Multi-media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

a private forward path that extends from said wireless communication network to said wireless end user device for transmitting end user input data, associated with a corresponding multi-media content data stream, to a wireless end user device.

12. A method of operating a Forward Path Multi-media Management System for wirelessly transmitting end user modified content from a content server to a plurality of wireless end user devices, comprising:

receiving multi-media content from at least one of a multi-media content source and wireless end user devices;

wirelessly transmitting a multi-media content data stream from the content server over a unidirectional forward broadcast path concurrently to selected ones of said wireless end user devices using a communication protocol with guaranteed delivery and guaranteed order of packet delivery;

transmitting, concurrently operational with wirelessly transmitting a multi-media content data stream on said unidirectional forward broadcast path, end user content modification data which is responsive to presently received end user generated content, on a plurality of wireless private reverse communication paths, each separate from the unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path and unique to each of the plurality of wireless end user devices, to the content server to dynamically modify said end user generated content transmitted to said selected wireless end user devices over said unidirectional forward broadcast path;

accumulating, in response to receipt of said end user content modification data received from said selected wireless end user devices over said plurality of wireless private reverse communication paths, said end user content modification data; and

generating a modified content by modifying the multi-media content data stream based on the accumulated end user content modification data received from said wireless end user devices.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting said modified multi-media content data stream to said wireless communication network for transmission over said unidirectional forward broadcast path to said selected wireless end user devices.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of accumulating comprises:

associating said end user content modification data received from said end users with a corresponding multi-media content data stream.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

wherein said multi-media content data stream comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

wherein said step of accumulating further comprises;

accumulating end user content modification data received from said end users for a corresponding multi-media content data stream.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

operating at least one end user integration application, responsive to receipt of said accumulated end user content modification data, for revising said received multi-media content data stream to produce a revised multi-media content data stream.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

transmitting end user content modification data, associated with a corresponding multi-media content data stream, to a wireless end user device that is generating said corresponding multi-media content data stream via a private forward path that extends from said wireless communication network to said wireless end user device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

transmitting data from a wireless end user device via said private reverse path that extends from said wireless end user device to said wireless communication network to control operation of said end user integration application.

19. The method of claim 14:

wherein said multi-media content data stream comprises a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to said selected wireless end user devices, wherein a past frame is a frame last delivered to said selected wireless end user devices and a present frame is a frame received from said end user content source but not yet delivered to said selected wireless end user devices; and

wherein said step of accumulating further comprises;

defining a time period for use by said step of associating during which time period said end user content modification data received from said end users is associated with said present frame.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of accumulating further comprises:

processing said accumulated end user content modification data received from said end users to a composite content revision for a multi-media content data stream.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

revising, in response to receipt of said accumulated end user input data, said received multi-media content data stream to produce a revised multi-media content data stream.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting end user content modification data, associated with a corresponding multi-media content data stream, to a wireless end user device via a private forward path that extends from said wireless communication network to said wireless end user device.