System and method for implementing a subscription-based social media platform

• US 9,729,497 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SGPH LLC
• Original Assignee: Remote Media LLC (Vertigo Media, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Ray, King, Jeffrey Shaun, Tuscano, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): WHIPPLE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US15/048,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• 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 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing a subscription-based social media or fan club platform are provided. A content creator generates live content on a mobile device and sends requests to a server for initializing a live stream from the mobile device. The server sends requests to encoding service providers. The encoded live content is send to a content storage server. Subscribers of the social media or fan club platform can access the live content on their mobile devices from the content storage server.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a subscription-based social media platform comprising the steps of:

a server receiving from at least one of a computer and a mobile device of a content creator, a first REpresentational State Transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) request for initializing a live stream from the mobile device, the first REST API request generated by an application running on the mobile device;

the server storing metadata information of the received first REST API request in a database coupled to the server;

the server sending a second REST request to an encoding service provider, the second REST request comprising a request for a plurality of bitrate Real Time Messaging Protocol (“

RTMP”

) stream configurations;

the server receiving an RTMP protocol location from the encoding service provider;

the server storing RTMP stream information in the database;

the server sending the RTMP protocol location to the mobile device;

the server receiving a first notification from the mobile device that the mobile device has initiated the live stream; and

the server sending a second notification to the database that the mobile device has initiated the live stream.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server determining a plurality of subscribers from users of the social media platform; and

the server sending notifications about the live stream to the plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the live stream.

3. A method for implementing a subscription-based social media platform comprising the steps of:

a mobile device sending to a server a first REST API request for initializing a live stream, the first REST API request generated by an application running on the mobile device, the first REST API request having metadata information configured to be stored to a database;

the mobile device receiving a second REST protocol location by the server, in response to a request for a plurality of bitrate Real Time Messaging Protocol (“

RTMP”

) stream configurations;

the mobile device sending a first notification to the server that the mobile device has initiated the live stream;

the mobile device encoding the live stream;

the mobile device generating packets of encoded live stream data from the encoded live stream; and

the mobile device sending the encoded live stream packets to an encoding service provider.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

the encoding service provider encoding the encoded live stream packets into at least one encoded stream;

the encoding service provider sending the at least one encoded stream to at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server;

the server determining a plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the at least one encoded stream;

the server sending notifications about the at least one encoded stream to the plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the at least one encoded stream; and

receiving by at least one subscriber mobile device the at least one encoded stream from the at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the notifications about the at least one encoded stream are PUSH notifications.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

the encoding service provider encoding the encoded live stream packets into at least one encoded stream;

the encoding service provider sending the at least one encoded stream to at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server;

the server receiving a plurality of requests to receive live stream information from a plurality of subscribers;

the server collecting the live stream information from the database, in response to the received plurality of requests;

the server sending the live stream information to the plurality of subscribers; and

enabling access to the plurality of subscribers to the live stream based on the live stream information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the notifications about the at least one encoded stream are PUSH notifications.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the live stream information includes at least one of a stream RTMP Universal Resource Location (“

URL”

) and a m3u8 location.

9. A method for implementing a subscription-based social media platform comprising the steps of:

a server receiving from at least one of a computer and a mobile device of a content creator, a first REpresentational State Transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) request for initializing a live stream from the mobile device, the first REST API request generated by an application running on the mobile device;

the server storing metadata information of the received first REST API request in a database coupled to the server;

the server sending a request for a plurality of bitrate Real Time Messaging Protocol (“

RTMP”

) stream configurations;

the server receiving an RTMP protocol location from an encoding service provider;

the server storing RTMP stream information in the database;

the server sending the RTMP protocol location to the mobile device;

the server receiving a first notification from the mobile device that the mobile device has initiated the live stream; and

the server sending a second notification to the database that the mobile device has initiated the live stream.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the server determining a plurality of subscribers from users of the social media platform; and

the server sending notifications about the live stream to the plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the live stream.

11. A method for implementing a subscription-based social media platform comprising the steps of:

a mobile device sending to a server a first REST API request for initializing a live stream, the first REST API request generated by an application running on the mobile device, the first REST API request having metadata information configured to be stored to a database;

the mobile device sending a first notification to the server that the mobile device has initiated the live stream;

the mobile device encoding the live stream;

the mobile device generating packets of encoded live stream data from the encoded live stream; and

the mobile device sending the encoded live stream packets to an encoding service provider.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the encoding service provider encoding the encoded live stream packets into at least one encoded stream;

the encoding service provider sending the at least one encoded stream to at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server;

the server determining a plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the at least one encoded stream;

the server sending notifications about the at least one encoded stream to the plurality of subscribers with privileges to receive the at least one encoded stream; and

receiving by at least one subscriber mobile device the at least one encoded stream from the at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the notifications about the at least one encoded stream are PUSH notifications.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the encoding service provider encoding the encoded live stream packets into at least one encoded stream;

the encoding service provider sending the at least one encoded stream to at least one of a content delivery network and an RTMP server;

the server receiving a plurality of requests to receive live stream information from a plurality of subscribers;

the server collecting the live stream information from the database, in response to the received plurality of requests;

the server sending the live stream information to the plurality of subscribers; and

enabling access to the plurality of subscribers to the live stream based on the live stream information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the notifications about the at least one encoded stream are PUSH notifications.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the live stream information includes at least one of a stream RTMP Universal Resource Location (“

URL”

) and a m3u8 location.