Method for scheduling distribution of content to a plurality of media devices

• US 8,719,328 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Giacalone, Louis Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US12/424,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709217-228, 709/231, 709/244
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Abstract

Methods of electronic scheduling for playback of media contents. Discrete items of content are scheduled for play back based upon a schedule created by the integration of five standard scheduling methods into a single scheduling algorithm. In the first scheduling method, a discrete item of content is assigned a frequency rating relative to other items of content. A second way to schedule is repeating a content item at specific intervals of time. A third scheduling method allows the content to be played at a specific date and time. The fourth scheduling method includes playing a content item upon receipt of a trigger event which is received from a source external to the scheduling system. And lastly, means are provided for selectively determining whether or not particular content is available for play in a particular venue or during a particular period of time.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling distribution of advertising content to a plurality of media devices, the method comprising:

generating, by a hardware processor, a scheduling data structure from a database including schedule data, wherein the schedule data is based on frequency of play, predetermined time intervals, time of play, trigger events, or category filtering;

selecting and distributing standard content via a network to the media devices located in gaming devices based on the scheduling data structure;

determining whether there is non-standard non-interrupting content to be played in a priority queue that takes priority over the standard content;

determining whether there is non-standard interrupting content to be played that takes priority over the standard content and the non-standard non-interrupting content;

dynamically presenting the non-standard non-interrupting content in the priority queue before the standard content without interrupting the standard content and removing the non-standard non-interrupting content from the priority queue after being presented when it is determined that there is no non-standard interrupting content to be played;

dynamically presenting the non-standard interrupting content before starting or finishing presentation of standard content or non-standard non-interrupting content when it is determined that there is non-standard interrupting content to be played;

dynamically presenting the standard content when it is determined that there is no non-standard non-interrupting content and non-standard interrupting content to be played; and

updating the scheduling data structure in response to updates to the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each media device includes a display and a media controller for receiving content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is dynamically presented on display screens.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the scheduling data structure on a first memory device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

replicating the scheduling data structure; and

saving the scheduling data structure on a second memory device that is separate and distinct from the first memory device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising integrating data streams of content of corporate information or internet data from disparate sources into standard content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-interrupting content in the priority queue is advertising content.

8. A method for managing media content presented on plurality of networked devices, the method comprising:

generating, by a hardware processor, a database of media content including standard items and interrupting items;

generating a schedule for presenting the standard items, the schedule being based on based on frequency of play, interval, time of play, trigger events, or category filtering;

processing external scheduling input in view of the schedule;

distributing the media content via a network to the plurality of networked devices wherein non-standard non-interrupting content takes priority over standard content, and wherein non-standard interrupting content takes priority over standard content and non-standard non-interrupting content;

dynamically presenting non-standard non-interrupting content in a priority queue before standard content without interrupting the standard content when it is determined that there is no non-standard interrupting content to be played;

dynamically presenting the non-standard interrupting content before starting or finishing presentation of standard content or non-standard non-interrupting content when it is determined that there is non-standard interrupting content to be played; and

dynamically presenting the standard content when it is determined that there is no non-standard non-interrupting content and non-standard interrupting content to be played.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the items are dynamically presented on display screens.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising saving the schedule on a first memory device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

replicating the schedule; and

saving the schedule on a second memory device that is separate and distinct from the first memory device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the database of media content further comprises integrating data streams of content of corporate information or internet data from disparate sources into media content.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the scheduling data structure in response to updates to the database.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising distributing the schedule via the network to the plurality of networked device.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the interrupting items are advertising content.

15. A system for dynamically presenting content to a plurality of devices, comprising:

at least one hardware processor;

a plurality of media players in communication with a network;

a data network for receiving media content from one or more sources including a wide area network, a scheduler workstation, or a web gateway;

a schedule database for storing scheduling data, wherein the scheduling data is based on frequency of play, interval, time of play, trigger events, or category filtering; and

a server for executing a schedule for dynamically presenting the media content, wherein the schedule is based on the scheduling data, wherein the media content includes standard content, non-standard non-interrupting content that takes priority over standard content, and non-standard interrupting content that takes priority over standard content and non-standard non-interrupting content;

wherein non-standard non-interrupting content in a priority queue is dynamically presented before standard content without interrupting the standard content, wherein non-standard interrupting content is dynamically presented before starting or finishing presentation of standard content or non-standard non-interrupting content, and wherein standard content is then dynamically presented.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote media players comprise a display and a controller.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote media players are located in gaming devices.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the server includes an arbiter to identify scheduling conflicts and prioritize scheduling of media content.