Method and system of providing a virtual community for participation in a remote event

• US 8,656,440 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US11/616,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,610 Days
• Field of Search: 725/100, 725 37- 61, 725105-142, 348/731, 348/61, 3482111-2113, 3482117-2118, 34821111-21114, 348 1401- 1416, 348143-160, 34820799-20711, 34821199-21114, 348/222.1, 705 50- 59, 709204-207, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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

An approach is provided for establishing a virtual community for remotely participating in an event. A remote camera set is controlled by a user equipment to view an event from a plurality of viewing perspectives. A virtual community is built to share viewing of the event by multiple participants.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing a ticket box office to purchase a ticket for a virtual seat at an event by providing information including financial information and credential information to the ticket box office, wherein a camera set is reserved by mapping the purchased ticket to the camera set and a ticket is generated at the ticket box office by signing a digital certification for the reserved camera set issued by and transmitted from an authenticating agent, which receives an identification of the reserved camera set via a secure channel;

receiving the ticket by a user, wherein the ticket is used to gain access to a secure website hosting one or more of a plurality of events;

selecting the event from the plurality of events, wherein the selected event is mapped to the camera set, the camera set comprising a remote camera and a microphone;

viewing the event from a plurality of viewing perspectives by controlling the remote camera;

providing audio input, via the microphone, associated with the viewing of the event; and

sharing the viewing of the event by participating in a virtual community, wherein members of the virtual community commonly experience the event via the remote camera and audio input, the members of the virtual community interacting with each other regarding the event through communication channels, wherein the communication channels comprise multi-channel phone conversations.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a new ticket for the event by revoking the digital certification, wherein the new ticket maps to another remote camera.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the virtual community by requesting, over a broadband data network, another user to join the user in viewing the event.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

establishing a communication session over the data network with the other user during the event.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the remote camera is configured to generate a video feed of the event, the method further comprising:

receiving the video feed at a set-top box.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the audio input among a plurality of audio inputs including a feed from a microphone coupled to the camera.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the remote camera is among a plurality of cameras installed within an arena hosting the event.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the remote camera is controlled indirectly.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing common reference to a geological location by projecting a virtual grid over a view field, the virtual grid being independent of the viewing perspectives.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store instructions to execute the method of claim 1.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

access a ticket box office to purchase a ticket for a virtual seat at an event by providing information including financial information and credential information to the ticket box office, wherein a camera set is reserved by mapping the purchased ticket to the camera set and a ticket is generated at the ticket box office by signing a digital certification for the reserved camera set issued by and transmitted from an authenticating agent, which receives an identification of the reserved camera set via a secure channel;

receive the ticket, wherein the ticket is used to gain access to a secure website hosting one or more of a plurality of events;

select the event from the plurality of events, wherein the event selected is mapped to the camera set, the camera set comprising a remote camera and a microphone;

view the event from a plurality of viewing perspectives by controlling the remote camera;

provide audio input, via the microphone, associated with the viewing of the event; and

share the viewing of the event by participating in a virtual community, wherein members of the virtual community commonly experience the event via the remote camera and audio input, the members of the virtual community interacting with each other regarding the event through communication channels, wherein the communication channels comprise multi-channel phone conversations.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to obtain a new ticket for the event by revoking the digital certification, wherein the new ticket maps to another remote camera.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to establish the virtual community by requesting, over a broadband data network, another user to join the user in viewing the event.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to establish a communication session over the data network with the other user during the event.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the remote camera is configured to generate a video feed of the event, and the apparatus is further caused to receive the video feed at a set-top box.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to select the audio input among a plurality of audio inputs including a feed from a microphone coupled to the camera.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the remote camera is among a plurality of cameras installed within an arena hosting the event.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to indirectly control the remote camera.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to establish common reference to a geological location by projecting a virtual grid over a view field, the virtual grid being independent of the viewing perspectives.

20. A method comprising:

accessing a ticket box office by a user from a control console at a user station to purchase a ticket for a virtual seat at an event by providing information including financial information and credential information to the ticket box office, wherein a camera set is reserved by mapping the purchased ticket to the camera set and a ticket is generated at the ticket box office by signing a digital certification for the reserved camera set issued by and transmitted from an authenticating agent, which receives an identification of the reserved camera set via a secure channel;

receiving the ticket from the ticket box office by the user, wherein the ticket is used to gain access to a secure website hosting a plurality of events;

selecting the event from the plurality of events, wherein the selected event is mapped to the camera set, the camera set comprising a remote camera and a microphone;

viewing the event from a plurality of viewing perspectives by controlling the remote camera;

providing audio input, via the microphone, associated with the viewing of the event; and

sharing the viewing of the event by participating in a virtual community, wherein members of the virtual community commonly experience the event via the remote camera and audio input, the members of the virtual community interacting with each other regarding the event through communication channels, wherein the communication channels comprise multi-channel phone conversations.