Systems and methods for autonomous broadcasting

• US 9,167,275 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BoxCast, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Boxcast, LLC (BoxCast, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daily, Gordon R., Hartman, Justin R., Helbling, Joel S., Hopper, Ronald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US13/045,719
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 725/92, 725/93, 725/97, 725/133, 725/146
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63 Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing real-time session protocols H04L65/1101; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64746 Control signals issued by the network directed to the server or the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

Computer-implemented systems and methods provide for the autonomous broadcasting of video data, audio data, or video and audio data during an event, wherein the broadcasting can be schedule in advance and from a remote location (i.e., over a network).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a. situating an autonomous broadcast device (ABD) behind a preexisting firewall;

b. activating the ABD and establishing an Internet connection for the ABD behind the firewall, wherein the firewall prevents remote access to the ABD from outside the firewall;

c. with the ABD, autonomously performing the following steps without any user intervention required at the location of the ABD and without any modification to or circumvention of the firewall;

i. via the Internet connection, autonomously issuing a request to a scheduler web site situated outside the firewall and downloading schedule data for the ABD;

ii. determining a start time for an event from the schedule data downloaded from the scheduler web site;

iii. receiving digital content of the event at the start time from a digital recording device proximate to the event;

iv. via the Internet connection, using a first protocol to transmit streaming parameters to the scheduler web site; and

v. via the Internet connection, using a second protocol to transport the digital content to at least one server contemporaneously with the event, the digital content having a first quality;

d. prior to processing the digital content, the at least one server receives the streaming parameters from the scheduler web site; and

e. contemporaneously with the event, streaming from the at least one server the digital content having the first quality to a plurality of users,

wherein all communications between the ABD and the scheduler web site are initiated by the ABD over the Internet connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, contemporaneously with the event, storing at the location of the ABD a version of the digital content having a second quality that is of higher quality than the first quality.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the event, via the Internet connection, uploading to the at least one server the digital content having the second quality over a period of time longer than the length of the event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising in accordance with the start time for the event determined from the schedule data, automatically powering on the digital recording device before the start time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting a user to alter a schedule and interrupt an upload only via the scheduler web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ABD lacks a user interface permitting a user to alter a schedule and interrupt an upload via the ABD.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically scaling overall capacity represented by the at least one server based on demand for the digital content having the first quality by the users.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the Internet connection to autonomously issue a request to a pre-determined registration web site situated outside the firewall to register the ABD.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an end time for the event from the schedule data downloaded from the scheduler web site,

wherein at the end time, ceasing reception of the digital content from the digital recording device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, at the end time, automatically powering off the digital recording device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content comprises at least one of video data and audio data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content consists of video data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content consists of audio data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content comprises video data,

wherein the ABD transmits the video data to the at least one server in a first video resolution and a second video resolution, and

wherein the first video resolution is lower than the second video resolution.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the video data having the first video resolution is streamed from the at least one server to the users contemporaneously with the event.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the video data having the second video resolution is stored on the at least one server for subsequent retrieval by a user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically scaling the at least one server based on demand for the digital content being streamed to the users.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the start time:

calculating an estimated bandwidth on the at least one server for the event, and

reserving the estimated bandwidth on the at least one server.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital recording device is a digital camera.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP).

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the second protocol is Session Description Protocol (SDP).

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), and

wherein the second protocol is Session Description Protocol (SDP).

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content is encrypted prior to streaming to the plurality of users.