System for enabling a virtual theater

• US 9,832,500 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tilted Globe, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Tilted Globe, LLC.
• Inventors: Tremols, Jose Guillermo, Tremols, Natalie Sigillito, McArdle, Jr., George E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TELAN, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/790,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file

Abstract

The disclosed virtual theater system includes capture devices for capturing video and audio of a live event and converting the video and audio into a data stream. The system also includes a production center for receiving the data stream and compressing the data stream to generate a compressed data stream, for determining the number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view the live event, and for determining data bandwidth consumption characteristics of the one or more viewing devices. Also included is a server for receiving the compressed data stream, the number of one or more viewing devices, and the data bandwidth consumption characteristics from the production center over a network. The server also duplicates and divides the compressed data stream out to the one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved (cyberseats reserved) to view the live event.

Claims

1. An online virtual theatre system comprising:

at least one capture device for capturing video and audio of a live event and converting said video and audio into a data stream;

a production center

for receiving said data stream and compressing said data stream to generate a compressed data stream,

for determining a number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event, and

for determining data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices;

wherein the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event is selectable based on a maximum number of viewing devices determined based on an estimated duration of said live event and a streaming rate associated with each viewing device;

a server

for receiving said compressed data stream, said number of subscribed or reserved one or more viewing devices, and said data bandwidth consumption characteristics from the production center over a network, and

for duplicating and dividing the compressed data stream out to said one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a number of capture devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more viewing devices can view the live event through use of a Native app.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more viewing devices can view the live event through a website associated with the production center.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a compression rate corresponding to the compressed data stream.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices correspond to tracked historical bandwidth consumption of said one or more viewing devices and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said tracked historical bandwidth consumption.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said production center transmits an estimated duration of said live event to said server and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said estimated duration.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the server calculates a base ticket price corresponding to access by said one or more viewing devices to a live event by multiplying a streaming rate by said estimated duration of said live event by said number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved.

9. An online virtual theatre system comprising:

a production center for

receiving a data stream sent by at least one capture device, wherein said at least one capture device captures video and audio of a live event and converts said video and audio into said data stream;

compressing said data stream to generate a compressed data stream;

determining a number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

determining data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices, wherein the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event is selectable based on a maximum number of viewing devices determined based on an estimated duration of said live event and a streaming rate associated with each viewing device; and

transmitting to a server over a network said compressed data stream, said number of subscribed or reserved one or more viewing devices, and said data bandwidth consumption characteristics;

wherein said server duplicates and divides the compressed data stream out to said one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a number of capture devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said production center transmits an estimated duration of said live event to said server and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said estimated duration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the server calculates a base ticket price corresponding to access by said one or more viewing devices to a live event by multiplying a streaming rate by said estimated duration of said live event by said number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved.

12. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium containing a production center application, which when executed on a processor is configured to perform an operation enabling a virtual theater system, the operation comprising:

receiving, at a production center, a data stream sent by at least one capture device, wherein said at least one capture device captures video and audio of a live event and converts said video and audio into said data stream;

compressing said data stream to generate a compressed data stream;

determining a number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

determining data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices, wherein the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event is selectable based on a maximum number of viewing devices determined based on an estimated duration of said live event and a streaming rate associated with each viewing device; and

transmitting to a server over a network said compressed data stream, said number of subscribed or reserved one or more viewing devices, and said data bandwidth consumption characteristics;

wherein said server duplicates and divides the compressed data stream out to said one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a number of capture devices.

13. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein said production center transmits an estimated duration of said live event to said server and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said estimated duration.

14. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 13, wherein the server calculates a base ticket price corresponding to access by said one or more viewing devices to a live event by multiplying a streaming rate by said estimated duration of said live event by said number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved.

15. An online virtual theatre system comprising:

a server for

receiving from a production center, over a network, a compressed data stream, a number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view a live event, and data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices, wherein the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event is selectable based on a maximum number of viewing devices determined based on an estimated duration of said live event and a streaming rate associated with each viewing device;

wherein the compressed data stream is generated by said production center based on a data stream received from at least one capture device, wherein said at least one capture device captures video and audio of said live event and converts said video and audio into said data stream; and

for duplicating and dividing the compressed data stream out to said one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a number of capture devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said production center transmits an estimated duration of said live event to said server and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said estimated duration.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server calculates a base ticket price corresponding to access by said one or more viewing devices to a live event by multiplying a streaming rate by said estimated duration of said live event by said number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved.

18. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium containing a data server application, which when executed on a processor is configured to perform an operation enabling a virtual theater system, the operation comprising:

receiving from a production center, over a network, a compressed data stream, a number of one or more viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view a live event, and data bandwidth consumption characteristics of said one or more viewing devices, wherein the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event is selectable based on a maximum number of viewing devices determined based on an estimated duration of said live event and a streaming rate associated with each viewing device;

wherein the compressed data stream is generated by said production center based on a data stream received from at least one capture device, wherein said at least one capture device captures video and audio of said live event and converts said video and audio into said data stream; and

for duplicating and dividing the compressed data stream out to said one or more viewing devices depending on the number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved to view said live event;

wherein said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on a number of capture devices.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 18, wherein said production center transmits an estimated duration of said live event to said server and said server reserves bandwidth for streaming out the compressed data stream to the one or more viewing devices based on said estimated duration.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 19, wherein the server application calculates a base ticket price corresponding to access by said one or more viewing devices to a live event by multiplying a streaming rate by said estimated duration of said live event by said number of viewing devices subscribed or reserved.