Videocast service architecture

• US 9,071,726 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mclaughlin, Ann V., Vitolo, Theodore C. Jr., Fish, William Andrew, Carr, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/930,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/343, 370/352, 709/204, 725/25, 725/61, 725/80, 725/87, 725/95, 725/114, 725/115, 725/39, 725/109, 348/14.03, 348/469, 455/450, 705/35, 715/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A videocast service may include at least one computing device configured to provide operations including: receiving an indication, from a videocast subscriber device connected to a communications network of network service provider, to begin providing a videocast from the videocast subscriber device according to selection of a videocast control from a user interface of the videocast subscriber device; validating the subscriber device as having opted into use of the videocast service by way of the network service provider; and if the subscriber device is opted in, initiating the videocast without requiring further user interface interaction from the videocast subscriber device.

Claims

1. A videocast service including at least one computing device configured to provide operations comprising:

receiving an indication, from a videocast subscriber device connected to a communications network of network service provider, to begin providing a live videocast broadcast from the videocast subscriber device according to selection of a videocast control from a user interface of the videocast subscriber device;

validating the subscriber device as having opted into use of the videocast service by way of the network service provider; and

if the subscriber device is opted in, initiating the videocast without requiring further user interface interaction from the videocast subscriber device.

2. The videocast service of claim 1, further configured to provide operations comprising:

providing notifications of the videocast to target videocast viewer devices; and

providing videocast data received from the subscriber device to target videocast viewer devices that have joined the videocast responsive to the notifications.

3. The videocast service of claim 2, wherein the notifications include at least one of:

(i) a uniform resource locator referencing a network location of the videocast service at which the videocast is made available, (ii) an indication of a subscriber for whom new content may be available, and (iii) an indication of an identifier of the videocast.

4. The videocast service of claim 2, further configured to perform operations comprising at least one of:

determining target videocast viewer devices according to subscribers that have previously accessed public videocasts of the videocast subscriber device; and

determining viewers according to receiving a selection of target videocast viewer devices.

5. The videocast service of claim 1, further configured to perform operations comprising:

acquiring a single sign on token from the videocast subscriber device;

providing the single sign on token to the network service provider; and

receiving a feature code status from the network service provider responsive to the providing of the single sign on token, the feature status code indicative of whether the subscriber device is configured to utilize the videocast service and is opted into use of videocast services.

6. The videocast service of claim 1, further configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving an incoming request from another videocast viewer device to join the videocast;

notifying the videocast subscriber device of the other videocast viewer device requesting to join the videocast; and

providing videocast data received from the videocast subscriber device to the other videocast viewer device upon joining the other videocast viewer device to the videocast.

7. The videocast service of claim 1, further configured to perform operations comprising:

if the videocast subscriber device is not opted in, requesting an opt-in from the videocast subscriber device; and

receiving confirmation of the opt-in request before allowing the videocast subscriber device to begin the videocast.

8. The videocast service of claim 2, wherein the notifications are in the form of at least one of SMS and email.

9. The videocast service of claim 2, wherein the notifications include an invitation to the target videocast viewer devices to join the videocast.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication, from a videocast subscriber device connected to a communications network of network service provider, to begin providing a live videocast broadcast from the videocast subscriber device according to selection of a videocast control from a user interface of the videocast subscriber device;

validating the subscriber device as having opted into use of the videocast service by way of the network service provider; and

if the subscriber device is opted in, initiating the videocast without requiring further user interface interaction from the videocast subscriber device.

11. The method of claim 10, further configured to provide operations comprising:

providing notifications of the videocast to videocast viewer devices; and

providing videocast data received from the subscriber device to target videocast viewer devices that have joined the videocast responsive to the notifications.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the notifications include at least one of:

(i) a uniform resource locator referencing a network location of the videocast service at which the videocast is made available, (ii) an indication of a subscriber for whom new content may be available, and (iii) an indication of an identifier of the videocast.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising at least one of:

determining target videocast viewer devices according to subscribers that have previously accessed public videocasts of the videocast subscriber device; and

determining viewers according to receiving a selection of target videocast viewer devices.

14. The method of claim 10, further configured to perform operations comprising:

acquiring a single sign on token from the videocast subscriber device;

providing the single sign on token to the network service provider; and

receiving a feature code status from the network service provider responsive to the providing of the single sign on token, the feature status code indicative of whether the subscriber device is configured to utilize the videocast service and is opted into use of videocast services.

15. The method of claim 10, further configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving an incoming request from another videocast subscriber device to join the videocast;

notifying the videocast subscriber device of the other videocast subscriber device requesting to join the videocast; and

providing videocast data received from the subscriber device to the other videocast subscriber device upon joining the other videocast subscriber device to the videocast.

16. The method of claim 10, further configured to perform operations comprising:

if the videocast subscriber device is not opted in, requesting an opt-in from the videocast subscriber device; and

receiving confirmation of the opt-in request before allowing the videocast subscriber device to begin the videocast.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a videocast client application software program, the videocast client application being executable by a videocast subscriber device to provide operations comprising:

receiving an indication to begin providing a live videocast broadcast from the videocast subscriber device according to selection of a videocast control from a user interface of the videocast subscriber device;

providing a single sign on token from the videocast subscriber device to the videocast service to validate the videocast subscriber device with the videocast service; and

initiating the videocast without requiring further user interface interaction from the videocast subscriber device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further providing for operations comprising providing a confirmation of an opt-in request to allow the videocast subscriber device to utilize the videocast service.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further providing for operations comprising

determining target videocast viewer devices according to subscribers that have previously accessed public videocasts of the videocast viewer device;

and

determining viewers according to receiving a selection of target videocast viewer devices.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further providing for operations comprising receiving a notification indicative of a target videocast viewer device joining the videocast.