Forward path multi-media management system with end user feedback to central content sources

• US 9,355,416 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Inventors: Graziano, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong M
• Application Number:
  US12/675,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20110188415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,196 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/352, 455/508, 375/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6162 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System architecture enables end user devices to share a common wireless forward path of a multicast communication architecture in which the forward path delivered content is dynamically changed or modified based on a real-time, near-real-time, or delay-time basis via aggregated reverse path feedback from at least one of a plurality of end user devices. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System periodically or continuously aggregates the feedback input received via the reverse path (having wired and/or wireless connectivity), modifies the forward path multi-media content, and delivers this dynamically modified multi-media content to the then connected population of end user devices via a wireless forward path multicast in a repetitive closed loop fashion.

Claims

1. A Forward Path Multi-Media Management System, operational in a wireless communication network which serves a plurality of wireless end user devices comprising:

a content distribution server, connected to a multi-casting wireless network that serves a plurality of wireless end user devices, for simultaneously transmitting a stream of content frames received from a content source to a group of wireless end user devices, comprising a set of selected ones of wireless end user devices, over a single unidirectional forward broadcast path of the multi-casting network that extends from the content distribution server to the selected wireless end user devices, wherein the stream of content frames comprise a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to the selected wireless end user devices and stored in a buffer, wherein past frames are frames delivered to the selected wireless end user devices and present frames are frames received by the content distribution server from the content source, stored in the buffer, but not yet delivered to the selected wireless end user devices;

a private reverse path, concurrently operational with the unidirectional forward broadcast path, for transmitting end user input data which is responsive to receipt of past frames of the stream of content frames to dynamically modify at least one of the present frames of the stream of content frames stored in the buffer and to be transmitted to the selected ones of the wireless end user devices over the unidirectional forward broadcast path absent switching to other stream of content frames available on the unidirectional forward broadcast path;

a feedback aggregator, responsive to receipt of the end user input data received from at least one of the selected wireless end user devices over their private reverse path, for accumulating the end user input data to dynamically modify at least one of the present frames of the stream of content frames stored in the buffer and to be transmitted; and

a feedback integrator for generating a modified at least one present frame of the stream of content frames to be transmitted by modifying at least one of the present frames of the stream of content frames received from the content source based on the accumulated end user input data.

2. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

a content formatter for formatting the modified at least one present frame of the stream of content frames to be transmitted to a format consistent with a display of characteristics of the wireless end user devices, and

a content router for transmitting the modified at least one present frame of the stream of content frames to be transmitted to the wireless communication network for transmission over the unidirectional forward broadcast path to the selected wireless end user devices.

3. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 wherein the feedback aggregator comprises:

a feedback synchronizer for associating the end user input data received from the end users with corresponding stream of content frames.

4. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 3 wherein:

the feedback aggregator further comprises;

an updating processor for accumulating end user input data received from the end users for corresponding stream of content frames.

5. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 4 wherein the feedback integrator further comprises:

at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of the accumulated end user input data, for revising said received content to produce revised stream of content frames.

6. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 5 further comprising:

a content feedback generator for transmitting end user input data, associated with corresponding stream of content frames, to a central content source that is generating the corresponding stream of content frames via a path that extends from the communication network to the central content source.

7. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 6 further comprising:

a content controller for transmitting data from a central content source, that is generating the corresponding stream of content frames, via a path that extends from the central content source to the wireless communication network to control operation of the content integration application.

8. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 3 wherein:

the feedback aggregator further comprises;

a timing synchronizer for defining a time period for use by the feedback synchronizer during which time period the end user input data received from the end users is associated with at least one of the present frames of the stream of content frames stored in the buffer.

9. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 8 wherein the feedback aggregator further comprises:

an accumulated feedback data processor for processing the accumulated end user input data received from the end users to a composite content revision for stream of content frames.

10. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 9 wherein the feedback integrator further comprises:

at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of the accumulated end user input data, for revising the received stream of content frames to produce revised stream of content frames.

11. The Forward Path Multi-Media Management System of claim 1 further comprising:

a content feedback generator for transmitting end user input data, associated with corresponding stream of content frames, to a central content source that is generating the corresponding stream of content frames via a path that extends from the wireless communication network to the central content source.

12. A method of operating a Forward Path Multi-Media Management System, operational in a wireless communication network which serves a plurality of wireless end user devices comprising:

simultaneously transmitting from a content distribution server, connected to a multi-casting wireless network that serves a plurality of wireless end user devices, a stream of content frames received from a content source to a group of wireless end user devices, comprising a set of selected ones of wireless end user devices, over a single unidirectional forward broadcast path of the multi-casting network that extends from the content distribution server to the selected wireless end user devices, wherein the stream of content frames comprise a series of frames that are delivered in sequence to the selected wireless end user devices and stored in a buffer, wherein past frames are frames delivered to the selected wireless end user devices and present frames are frames received by the content distribution server from the content source, stored in the buffer, but not yet delivered to the selected wireless end user devices;

transmitting, on a private reverse path which is concurrently operational with the unidirectional forward broadcast path, end user input data which is responsive to presently received centrally generated content to dynamically modify content to be transmitted to the selected wireless end user devices over the unidirectional forward broadcast path;

accumulating, in response to receipt of the end user input data received from the selected wireless end user devices over the reverse path, the end user input data to dynamically modify the content; and

generating a modified centrally generated content by modifying centrally generated content received from content sources based on the accumulated end user input data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

formatting the modified at least one present frame of the stream of content frames to be transmitted to a format consistent with display characteristics of the wireless end user devices, and

transmitting the modified at least one present frame of the stream of content frames to be transmitted to the wireless communication network for transmission over the unidirectional forward broadcast path to the selected wireless end user devices.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of accumulating comprises:

associating the end user input data received from the end users with corresponding stream of content frames.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the step of accumulating further comprises;

accumulating end user input data received from the end users for a corresponding centrally generated content.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of generating further comprises:

operating at least one content integration application, responsive to receipt of the accumulated end user input data, for revising the received stream of content frames to produce revised stream of content frames.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

transmitting end user input data, associated with corresponding stream of content frames, to a central content source that is generating the corresponding stream of content frames via a path that extends from the communication network to the central content source.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

transmitting data from a central content source, which is generating the corresponding stream of content frames, via a path that extends from the central content source to the communication network to control operation of said content integration application.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the step of accumulating further comprises;

defining a time period for use by the step of associating during which time period the end user input data received from the end users is associated with at least one of the present frames of the stream of content frames stored in the buffer.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of accumulating further comprises:

processing the accumulated end user input data received from the end users to a composite content revision for stream of content frames.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of generating further comprises:

revising, in response to receipt of the accumulated end user input data, the received stream of content frames to produce revised stream of content frames.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting end user input data, associated with corresponding stream of content frames, to a central content source that is generating the corresponding stream of content frames via a path that extends from the wireless communication network to the central content source.