Segmented WANcasting

• US 9,781,576 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jellison, Jr., David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolchinsky, Gregory P
• Application Number:
  US13/857,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20140304364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A content item can be produced at a first system in segments, and some or all of the content item can be transferred to second systems, via transfer of produced segments of the content item. Transfer of produced segments of the content item to second systems, prior to completion of production of the content item at a first processing system, can enable utilization of at least some of the content item by the second systems before production of the content item at the first system is completed. Transfer can be performed in response to determining a correlation between the content item being produced at the first system and a criterion associated with second systems, which can be accessed in response to initiation of production of the content item. Transfer can involve transferring content segments to the remote systems substantially in the order that they are produced at the first system.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a computing device, the method comprising:

initiating a segmented content item build, the segmented content item build including production of a plurality of content segments of a content item at a first processing system within a first broadcast station, the production including sequentially producing, to include recording, the plurality of content segments that collectively comprise the content item, wherein each content segment includes a portion of the content item, the initiating a segmented content item build including comparing at least a first portion of metadata associated with the content item at the first processing system within a first broadcast station with content preferences of a second processing system within a second broadcast station;

establishing a WANcast connection between the first processing system and the second processing system within a second broadcast station, the second broadcasting station not producing the plurality of content segments of a content item;

transferring a produced one of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system via the WANcast connection substantially concurrently with the segmented content item build and prior to completion of the sequentially producing;

transferring remaining produced content segments of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system via the WANcast connection; and

closing, based on at least a second portion of metadata, the WANcast connection in response to a final produced content segment having been transferred.

2. The method of claim 1, the transferring the produced one of the plurality of content segments is in response to a determination of a correlation between the content item and a criterion associated with the second processing system, the criterion based on the at least a first portion of metadata.

3. The method of claim 2, the determination of a correlation between the content item and the criterion associated with the second processing system includes:

accessing criteria associated with the second processing system from a database; and

determining a correlation between at least one of the criteria and the at least a first portion of metadata associated with the content item, the at least one of the criteria is the criterion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the criteria further includes at least a third portion of metadata reflecting a content playback schedule associated with the second processing system;

the criterion includes a scheduled content item included in the content playback schedule; and

determining a correlation between the content item and the criterion includes determining that the content item is substantially similar to the scheduled content item.

5. The method of claim 3, the determination of a correlation between the content item and the criterion associated with the second processing system further includes:

accessing the criteria in response to initiating production of the content item at the first processing system.

6. The method of claim 2, the transferring comprises:

responding to a determination of a correlation between the content item and the criterion by;

establishing the WANcast connection, over a communications network, for transfer of at least part of the content item from the first processing system to the second processing system;

transferring the at least first portion of metadata associated with the content item to the second processing system; and

transferring the produced one of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, the transferring comprises:

transferring produced content segments of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system in a sequential order corresponding to a sequential order in which the produced content segments are produced at the first processing system.

8. A method, executable by a computing device, for enabling substantially concurrent production and playback of content at separate broadcast stations, the method comprising:

initiate ingestion of a content item;

during the ingestion, initiating a segmented content item build, the segmented content item build including production, to include recording, of the content item in a plurality of content segments at a first broadcast station, wherein each of the plurality of content segments is a produced content segment that includes a portion of the content item, the initiating a segmented content item build including comparing at least a portion of metadata associated with the content item at the first broadcast station with content preferences of a second broadcast station;

establishing a WANcast connection from the first broadcast station to the second broadcast station, the WANcast connection to transfer specific produced content segments of the content item without requiring the second broadcast station to produce the specific produced content segments;

transferring the specific produced content segments from the first broadcast station to the second broadcast station; and

prior to completion of the production at the first broadcast station, enabling playback of the content item at the second broadcast station by transferring produced content segments from the first broadcast station to the second broadcast station.

9. The method of claim 8, the method comprising:

prior to completion of the production, enabling substantially simultaneous playback of the content item at both the first broadcast station and the second broadcast station by broadcasting the produced content segments at the first broadcast station substantially concurrently with transferring the produced content segments from the first broadcast station to the second broadcast station.

10. The method of claim 8, the transferring comprises:

transferring produced content segments from the first broadcast station to the second broadcast station in a sequential order corresponding to a sequential order in which the produced content segments are produced at the first broadcast station.

11. The method of claim 8, the transferring is in response to a determination that the content item is scheduled for playback at the second broadcast station substantially concurrently with the production of the content item at the first broadcast station.

12. The method of claim 11, the determination includes:

accessing a content playback schedule associated with the second broadcast station; and

determining a correlation between data associated with the content item and data associated with a scheduled content item included in the content playback schedule.

13. The method of claim 12, the determination further includes:

accessing the content playback schedule associated with the second broadcast station in response to initiating the segmented content item build of the content item.

14. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to;

initiate ingestion of a content item;

initiate a segmented content item build, the segmented content item build including production, including recording, of the content item at a first processing system at a first broadcast station during the ingestion, the production including sequentially producing a plurality of content segments that collectively comprise the content item, each content segment includes a portion of the content item, the initiate a segmented content item build including comparing at least a portion of metadata associated with the content item at the first broadcast station with content preferences of a second broadcast station; and

initiate segmented WANcasting of the content item from the first processing system to a second processing system within the second broadcast station prior to completion of the segmented content item build, by transferring a produced one of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system over a network, the second processing system remotely-located from the first processing system and not initiating a separate segmented content item build including production.

15. The computing device of claim 14, the memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to:

transfer the produced one of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system in response to a determination of a correlation between the content item and at least one criterion associated with the second processing system.

16. The computing device of claim 15, the memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to:

access criteria associated with the second processing system from a database associated with the second processing system; and

determine a correlation between at least one of the criteria and the at least a portion of metadata associated with the content item, the at least one of the criteria is the criterion.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein:

the criteria includes a content playback schedule associated with the second processing system;

the criterion is a scheduled content item included in the content playback schedule; and

determining a correlation between the content item and the criterion includes determining that the content item is substantially similar to the scheduled content item.

18. The computing device of claim 16, the memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to:

access the criteria associated with the second processing system in response to initiating the segmented content item build of the content item at the first processing system.

19. The computing device of claim 15, the memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to:

responding to a determination of a correlation between the content item and the criterion by initiating segmented WANcasting of the content item from the first processing system to the second processing system, initiating segmented WANcasting includes;

establishing a connection, over a communications network, for transfer of at least part of the content item from the first processing system to the second processing system;

transferring the metadata associated with the content item to the second processing system; and

transferring the produced one of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system.

20. The computing device of claim 14, the memory element operably coupled to store a program of instructions that cause the processor to:

transfer produced content segments of the plurality of content segments from the first processing system to the second processing system in a sequential order corresponding to a sequential order in which the produced content segments are produced at the first processing system.