Multi-redundant digital signage

• US 9,753,804 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Sivertsen, Clas G., Scott, Craig Cameron, Sauvain, Renaud Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Elmira
• Application Number:
  US14/175,349
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 714 411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels

Abstract

Technologies are provided for multi-redundant digital signage. A video server computer connected to one or more digital displays is configured to receive one or more videos and content, such as an image or a video, from a content server. A video player application executes on the video server computer to display the video received from the content server on the digital displays. An operating system executing on the video server computer is also configured to present the content as a desktop background. If execution of the video player application fails, the desktop background is presented, thereby displaying the content received from the content server. Additionally, the content may be stored in a non-volatile memory of the one or more digital displays. If a video signal from the video server computer is lost, the digital displays may present the content automatically or in response to a manual user input.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for multi-redundant digital signage, the method comprising:

receiving, at a video server computer, at least one video and content from a content server;

configuring an operating system executing on the video server computer to present the content received from the content server as a desktop background for the video server computer;

executing a video player application on the video server computer to display the at least one video on one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer;

determining that execution of the video player application has failed; and

in response to determining that the execution of the video player application has failed, using the content displayed as the desktop background as the display on the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing the content in a non-volatile memory of the one or more digital displays, and wherein the one or more digital displays are configured to:

determine whether a video signal from the video server computer is present; and

in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present, to display the content stored in the non-volatile memory.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the content stored in the non-volatile memory is presented automatically in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the content stored in the non-volatile memory is presented in response to a manual user input following the determination that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the video server computer is configured to provide the content to the one or more digital displays for storage in the non-volatile memory.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more digital displays are configured to store the content in the non-volatile memory by capturing an image of a video provided by the video server computer in response to a manual user input.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the content received from the content server comprises an image.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the content received from the content server comprises a video.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computer to:

receive, at a video server computer, at least one video and content from a content server;

configure an operating system executing on the video server computer to present the content received from the content server as a desktop background for the video server computer;

execute a video player application on the video server computer to display the at least one video on one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer;

determine that execution of the video player application has failed;

in response to determining that the execution of the video player application has failed, cause the desktop background to be presented on the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer; and

store the content in a non-volatile memory of the one or more digital displays, and wherein the one or more digital displays are configured to determine whether a video signal from the video server computer is present and, in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present, to display the content stored in the non-volatile memory on the desktop background as the display on the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to present the content stored in the non-volatile memory automatically in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to present the content stored in the non-volatile memory in response to a manual user input following the determination that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to store the content in the non-volatile memory by capturing an image of a video provided by the video server computer in response to a manual user input.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the video server computer is configured to provide the content to the one or more digital displays for storage in the non-volatile memory.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the content received from the content server comprises an image.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the content received from the content server comprises a video.

16. A system comprising:

a video server computer configured to

receive video and content from a content server,

configure an operating system executing on the video server computer to present the content received from the content server as a desktop background for the video server computer,

execute a video player application on the video server computer to display the at least one video on one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer,

determine that execution of the video player application has failed, and

in response to determining that the execution of the video player application has failed, cause the desktop background to be presented on the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer; and

the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer, the one or more digital displays configured to

store the content in a non-volatile memory of the one or more digital displays,

determine whether a video signal from the video server computer is present, and

display the content stored in the non-volatile memory on the desktop background as the display on the one or more digital displays connected to the video server computer in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to present the content stored in the non-volatile memory automatically in response to determining that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to present the content stored in the non-volatile memory in response to a manual user input following the determination that the video signal from the video server computer is not present.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more digital displays are further configured to store the content in the non-volatile memory by capturing an image of a video provided by the video server computer in response to a manual user input.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the video server computer is further configured to provide the content to the one or more digital displays for storage in the non-volatile memory.