Method and apparatus for an interchangeable wireless media streaming device

• US 9,826,013 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Action Streamer, LLC
• Original Assignee: Action Streamer, LLC
• Inventors: McLennan, Christopher S., Harnish, II, Edward Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US15/474,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/646 for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters

Abstract

It is possible to capture video information using one or more body mounted cameras, to transmit that information over a wireless communication channel, and to process that information, such as by using angular momentum information captured by gyroscopes, to obtain an image which is suitable for viewing in real time. This technology can be applied in a variety of contexts, such as sporting events, and can also be applied to information which is captured and stored for later use, either in addition to, or as an alternative to, streaming that information for real time viewing. Such video information can be captured by components fully enclosed within a hat clip enclosure that is mountable on a brim of a hat.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(a) a self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video;

(b) a set of wireless access points;

(c) one or more portable video capture and transmission devices;

(d) one or more devices located remotely from the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video and configured to process video data received by access points from the set of wireless access points;

(e) a command and control computer configured with instructions operable to, when executed, cause the command and control computer to perform a set of steps comprising;

i) generating commands to control processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system; and

ii) detecting a current or incipient problem in processing or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system;

wherein;

A) the one or more devices located remotely from the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video comprises;

I) a first communication server configured to receive and process video data from a first set of devices, wherein the first set of devices comprises;

1) at least one portable video capture and transmission device from the one or more portable video capture and transmission devices; and

/or

2) the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video;

II) a second communication server configured to receive and process video data from a second set of devices, wherein the second set of devices is disjoint with respect to the first set of devices and comprises;

1) at least one portable video capture and transmission device from the one or more portable video capture and transmission devices; and

/or

2) the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video;

B) detecting the current or incipient problem comprises determining that a change in parameters used for streaming video data by an upgrading device from the first set of devices would, if made, result in the first communication server'"'"'s processing capacity being insufficient to process video data from the first set of devices;

C) the set of steps the command and control computer would be caused to perform based on execution of instructions with which it is configured comprises generating one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem, wherein the one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem comprise commands instructing;

I) the first communication server that it will no longer receive or process video data from one or more reallocated devices, wherein each of the reallocated devices is a device from the first set of devices;

II) the second communication server that it will receive and process video data from the one or more reallocated devices;

III) the one or more reallocated devices to wirelessly stream video data with data for routing it to the second communication server;

D) the set of steps the command and control computer would be caused to perform based on execution of instructions with which it is configured comprises instructing the upgrading device to implement the change in parameters.

2. A system comprising:

(a) a self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video;

(b) a set of wireless access points;

(c) one or more portable video capture and transmission devices;

(d) one or more devices located remotely from the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video and configured to process video data received by access points from the set of wireless access points;

(e) a command and control computer configured with instructions operable to, when executed, cause the command and control computer to perform a set of steps comprising;

i) generating commands to control processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system; and

ii) detecting a current or incipient problem in processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system;

wherein;

A) the commands to control processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system comprise one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem;

B) detecting the current or incipient problem comprises determining, based on log files generated by access points from the set of wireless access points, that a wireless channel then in use is unusable; and

C) the one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem comprise one or more commands instructing a set of devices comprising;

I) the one or more portable video capture and transmission devices; and

II) the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video to use a failover channel for subsequent wireless streaming of video data.

3. A system comprising:

(a) a self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video;

(b) a set of wireless access points;

(c) one or more portable video capture and transmission devices;

(d) one or more devices located remotely from the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video and configured to process video data received by access points from the set of wireless access points;

(e) a command and control computer configured with instructions operable to, when executed, cause the command and control computer to perform a set of steps comprising;

i) generating commands to control processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system; and

ii) detecting a current or incipient problem in processing or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system;

wherein;

A) the commands to control processing and/or wireless streaming of video data by other devices comprised by the system comprise one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem;

B) the step of detecting the current or incipient problem comprises determining that an available wireless bandwidth amount is insufficient to accommodate a required bandwidth amount for wirelessly streaming video data; and

C) at least one of the one or more commands for addressing the detected current or incipient problem instructs a target device from a set of devices comprising;

I) the one or more portable video capture and transmission devices; and

II) the self-contained means for capture and wireless transmission of video to stream video data using a second set of parameters which requires less bandwidth than a first set of parameters which the target device was configured to use at the time the current or incipient problem is detected.