Network audio distribution system and method

• US 9,020,469 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telegraph Peak Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rangecast Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Sullivan, Terence Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US13/941,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20140357234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/3.06, 455/166.1, 700/94, 709/219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• 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: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A network based system for distributing audio recordings of discrete transmissions from land mobile radio systems received by plural radio terminals having scanning receivers to plural client terminals, including methods of selecting the best available recordings and selectively storing content both locally in the radio terminals and at network based storage locations.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a preferred audio recording of a discrete radio transmission, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by plural radio terminals, a discrete transmission of audio content from a radio channel having a channel identity;

recording, and storing at a network address, an audio file of the discrete transmission, correspondingly, by each of the plural radio terminals;

sending a transmission report that includes the channel identity, a transmission time, and the network address, correspondingly, from each of the plural radio terminals to a channel manager;

selecting, by the channel manager, a preferred audio file of the discrete radio transmission by comparing the contents of transmission reports sent from the plural radio terminals, and

communicating the network address of the preferred audio file to a network destination.

2. The method of claim 1, and wherein:

at least a portion of the plural radio terminals comprise a land mobile radio scanning receiver, and

the radio channel is land mobile radio channel.

3. The method of claim 2, and wherein:

the radio channel is a logical channel that is partially specified a talk group code.

4. The method of claim 1, and wherein:

at least a portion of the radio terminals includes a memory, and wherein

said storing step includes storing the corresponding audio file in the memory.

5. The method of claim 4, and wherein the network is the Internet and the at least a portion of the radio terminals includes an Internet web server, and wherein:

said storing step further includes specifying an Internet uniform resource locator as the network address, and wherein

the Internet web server is responsive to a transmission control protocol of the Internet protocol suite request that contains the Internet uniform resource locator, to serve the audio file contents stored in the corresponding memory location.

6. The method of claim 1, and wherein said discrete transmission of audio content is a single discrete transmission amongst an intermittent series of discrete transmissions of audio content, and further comprising the step of:

isolating the single discrete transmission of audio content using a squelch circuit in a first radio terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, and wherein:

an initial detection of the single discrete transmission of audio content by the squelch circuit defines the transmission time, which is correspondingly included in the transmission report.

8. The method of claim 7, and wherein:

the transmission time further includes a duration of the single discrete transmission of audio content, and wherein

said selecting step is accomplished by comparing the transmission time and duration of transmission portions of the transmission reports.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining a quality factor of the audio file by at least a first radio receiver;

incorporating the quality factor into at least a first transmission report, and wherein

said selecting step is accomplished by comparing the quality factor.

10. The method of claim 9, and wherein:

the quality factor includes at least one of;

signal strength, radio birdie detection, and inadequate audio level factors.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

upon selecting a preferred audio file, sending an upload command, including the channel identity and transmission time, to a first radio terminal, which generated the preferred audio file;

in response to receipt of the upload command by the first radio terminal, uploading the preferred audio file to a predetermined address in a network cloud storage server, and

sending a subsequent transmission report to a cascade server, which includes the subsequent network address of the preferred audio content, thereby enabling the cascade server to notify requesting network terminals of the predetermined address in the network cloud storage server of the preferred audio content.

12. A system of selecting a preferred audio recording of a discrete radio transmission, comprising:

plural radio terminals, each configured to receive a discrete transmission of audio content from a radio channel having a channel identity, and wherein

each of said plural radio terminals correspondingly records and stores an audio file of said discrete transmission of audio content at a network address, and wherein

each of said plural radio terminals correspondingly sends a transmission report that includes said channel identity, a transmission time, and said corresponding network address, to a channel manager, and wherein

said channel manager selects a preferred audio file of said discrete radio transmission by comparison of said transmission reports contents received from said plural radio terminals, and wherein

said channel manager communicates a network address corresponding to a preferred audio file to a network destination.

13. The system of claim 12, and wherein:

at least a portion of said plural radio terminals comprise a land mobile radio scanning receiver, and wherein

said radio channel is land mobile radio channel.

14. The system of claim 13, and wherein:

said radio channel is a logical channel that is partially specified a talk group code.

15. The system of claim 12, and wherein:

at least a portion of said radio terminals includes a memory, and wherein

said portion of said radio terminals store said corresponding audio file in said corresponding memory.

16. The system of claim 15, and wherein said network addresses are on the Internet, and said at least a portion of said radio terminals include an Internet web server, and wherein:

said at least a portion of said radio terminals specify and Internet uniform resource locator as said network address, and wherein

said corresponding Internet web servers are responsive to a transmission control protocol of the Internet protocol suite requests that contain said Internet uniform resource locator, to serve the audio file contents stored in said corresponding memory locations.

17. The system of claim 12, and wherein said discrete transmission of audio content is a single discrete transmission amongst an intermittent series of discrete transmissions of audio content, and wherein:

at least a first one of said plural radio terminals isolate said single discrete transmission of audio content with a squelch circuit.

18. The system of claim 17, and wherein:

an initial detection of the single discrete transmission of audio content by the squelch circuit defines the transmission time, which is correspondingly included in the transmission report.

19. The system of claim 18, and wherein:

said transmission time further includes a duration of said single discrete transmission of audio content, and wherein

said channel managers selects said preferred audio file by comparison of said transmission time and said duration of transmission portions of said transmission reports.

20. The system of claim 12, and wherein:

at least a first one of said plural radio receivers determines a quality factor of said corresponding file, and wherein

said at least a first one of said plural radio receivers incorporates said quality factor into at least a first transmission report, and wherein

said channel manager selects said preferred audio file by comparison of said quality factor.

21. The system of claim 20, and wherein:

said quality factor includes at least one of;

signal strength, radio birdie detection, and inadequate audio level factors.