System and method for listening to teams in a race event

• US 9,560,419 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TAGI Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: TAGI Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Koehler, Steven M., Moe, Eric K.
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US15/058,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/04 from field pickup units [FPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system allows a remote computer user to listen to teams in a race event. The method includes receiving audio signals from a plurality of audio sources at the race event; transmitting at least some of the audio signals to a remote computer; and filtering the audio signals as a function of the source of at least some of the audio signals so that at least some of the audio signals are not played by the remote computer and heard by the user.

Claims

1. A method to provide audio and video from a televised vehicle race event using a computer network to a plurality of remote computing devices remote from the vehicle race event, each remote computing device having a data packet receiver module operable with a processor, the method comprising:

providing a server having a processing module operable to enable the server to communicate via the computer network to each of the remote computing devices;

providing software configured to enable each of the remote computing devices to;

receive through the computer network data packets containing data representing audio from one or more audio sources and video of one more views from cameras at the vehicle race event; and

at least during portions of the vehicle race event as the vehicle race event is occurring live;

render a plurality of team identifiers on a single monitor of the remote computing device, each team identifier corresponding to a different audio source;

receive through a user interface of the remote computing device an input indicative of a desired audio source to render when audio of another audio source occurs at the same time;

render on the single monitor visual indications of audio sources not selected different than the desired audio source selected;

receive inputs from a user of the remote computing device to selectively render on the single monitor either only one view from any one of the cameras or render on the single monitor a first plurality of views from the cameras at the same time; and

when visually rendering on the single monitor one or more views also audibly render through a speaker the audio from the desired audio source, wherein the desired audio source is not associated with at least one view from the first plurality of views being rendered at the same time; and

transmitting with the server to each of the remote computing devices through the computer network the data representing audio from the one or more audio sources wherein audio sources are associated with different teams competing in the vehicle race event, and data representing video from the one or more views from the cameras at the vehicle race event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to visually render performance of a team relative to a leader of the vehicle race event.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to render camera views of different sizes when the first plurality of views are rendered at the same time on the single monitor.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to receive an additional input from the user of the computing device during the vehicle race indicative of selecting a different audio source as the desired audio source to render.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the additional input is separate from inputs from the user of the remote computing device to selectively render on the single monitor either only one view from any one of the cameras or render on the single monitor the first plurality of views at the same time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired audio source is not associated with at least two views from the first plurality of views being rendered at the same time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to receive inputs corresponding to individual selections by the user of each remote computing device of which views comprise each respective first plurality of views that are rendered at the same time on each respective single monitor.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired audio source comprises commentary of the vehicle race event.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired audio source comprises audio of track officials of the vehicle race event.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired audio source comprises audio communications of a driver of a team during the vehicle race event.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more views include a plurality of car views from a camera in each of a plurality of vehicles, and wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to expand the only one view from any one of the car views over the single monitor.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to render a second plurality of team identifiers on the single monitor, each team identifier of the second plurality of team identifiers corresponding to a camera in a team vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the remote computing devices is configured to receive additional inputs from the user of the computing device to selectively render on the single monitor a second plurality of views from the cameras at the vehicle race event at the same time, the first plurality views being different the second plurality of views.

14. A computing device for rendering audio and video of a vehicle race event, the computing device comprising:

a speaker;

a single monitor;

a user interface; and

a processor operably coupled to the speaker, the single monitor and the user interface, the processor configured to;

receive through a computer network data packets containing data representing audio from one or more audio sources and video of one or more views from cameras at the vehicle race event; and

at least during portions of the vehicle race event as the vehicle race event is occurring live;

render a plurality of team identifiers on the single monitor, each team identifier corresponding to a camera in a team vehicle;

receive inputs from a user of the computing device to selectively render on the single monitor either only one view from any one of the views or render on the single monitor views from a first plurality of cameras at the same time; and

when visually rendering on the single monitor one or more views also audibly render through the speaker an audio source associated with a team, wherein the team is not associated with at least one view from the first plurality of cameras being rendered at the same time.

15. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the audio source associated with the team being rendered is not associated with at least two views from the first plurality of cameras being rendered at the same time.

16. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an indication of a selected audio source that the user of the computing device wants to hear, the indication of the selected audio source being separate from inputs from the user of the computing device to selectively render on the single monitor either only one view from any one of the cameras in the team vehicles or render on the single monitor views from the first plurality of cameras at the same time, wherein the selected audio source comprises one of commentary of the vehicle race event, track officials of the vehicle race event and communications of a team during the vehicle race event; and

render the selected audio source.

17. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to selectively render views of different sizes when views from the first plurality of cameras are rendered at the same time on the single monitor and wherein the processor is configured to expand the only one view from any one of the cameras over the single monitor.

18. A computing device for rendering audio and video of a vehicle race event, the computing device comprising:

a speaker;

a single monitor;

a user interface; and

a processor operably coupled to the speaker, the single monitor and the user interface, the processor configured to;

receive through a computer network data packets containing data representing audio from a plurality of audio sources and video from a plurality of cameras at the vehicle race event; and

at least during portions of the vehicle race event as the vehicle race event is occurring live;

receive through the user interface inputs from a user of the computing device to selectively render on the single monitor only one view of any of the plurality of cameras and to selectively render on the single monitor a first plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event; and

when visually rendering the first plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event also audibly render through the speaker only one audio source from the plurality of audio sources.

19. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the first plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event comprise at least two camera views that do not correspond to a view of the vehicle race event as seen by a camera in a vehicle corresponding to the only one audio source.

20. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to receive through the user interface an indication of a selected audio source that the user of the computing device wants to hear over any other audio source at the vehicle race event, the selected audio source being the only one audio source being rendered when visually rendering the first plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event.

21. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive through the user interface a second indication of a different audio source that is to be the selected audio source that a user of the computing device wants to hear over any other audio source at the vehicle race event; and

receive through the user interface a third indication of a different view to render, the third indication being separate from the second indication.

22. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to receive through the user interface an indication to enlarge on the single monitor a view of the vehicle race event as seen by a camera in a vehicle in the vehicle race event so as to be the only one view on the single monitor and then visually render the only one view on the single monitor.

23. A computer implemented method for rendering audio and video of a vehicle race event, the method comprising:

receiving with a computing device through a computer network data packets containing data representing audio from one or more audio sources and video of one or more views from cameras at the vehicle race event, the computing device comprising a processor, a single monitor and a speaker operably coupled together; and

at least during portions of the vehicle race event as the vehicle race event is occurring live;

rendering a plurality of team identifiers on the single monitor, each team identifier corresponding to a different audio source;

receiving an input indicative of a selected audio source to render;

rendering on the single monitor a visual indication of the audio source selected different than other audio sources not selected;

rendering audio through the speaker of the selected audio source; and

receiving inputs to selectively render on the single monitor a first plurality of views from the cameras at the vehicle race event at the same time comprising a first view from a first camera in a first vehicle or a second plurality of views from the cameras at the vehicle race event at the same time comprising a second view from a second camera in a second vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23 receiving an additional input to selectively render on the single monitor only one view from any one of the cameras.

25. The method of claim 24 and further comprising:

receiving a first input indicative of the first view from the first camera in the first vehicle in the vehicle race event, wherein the selected audio source is not associated with a team of the first vehicle; and

rendering the first view and the selected audio source at the same time.

26. The method of claim 25 and further comprising selectively rendering the first plurality of views with views of different sizes, and selectively expanding one view from any one of the cameras over the single monitor.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the selected audio source comprises one of commentary of the vehicle race event, track officials of the vehicle race event and communications of a team during the vehicle race event and wherein receiving the input indicative of the selected audio source to render is separate from inputs to selectively render on the single monitor either the first plurality of views at the same time or the second plurality of views at the same time.

28. The method of claim 23 and further comprising receiving an additional input during the vehicle race event indicative of selecting a different audio source as the selected audio source.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the selected audio source comprises communications of a team during the vehicle race event.

30. The method of claim 23 and further comprising rendering a second plurality of team identifiers on the single monitor, each team identifier of the second plurality of team identifiers corresponding to a camera in a team vehicle, wherein the first view from the first camera in the first vehicle and the second view from the second camera in the second vehicle is selected from the second plurality of team identifiers.