Video and music distribution system

• US 20020056118A1
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ochoa Optics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ochoa Optics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hunter, Charles Eric, Sparks, Kelly C., Hebrank, John H., Ballou, Bernard L. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/737,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20020056118A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2529 Mini-discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/22 per use
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 : involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 : OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 : involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 : by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 : involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

The invention relates to video and music distribution systems and, more particularly, to a system that blanket transmits video/audio content such as movies (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer'"'"'s recording, storage and playback system. Customers may preselect from a list of available movies or other content in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay for the video/audio content that is actually viewed.

Claims

1. A method of distributing movies to customer households comprising the steps of:

blanket transmitting a plurality of movies to customer households in compressed digital form at faster than real time transmission rates;

permitting a plurality of customer households to record desired transmitted movies in compressed digital form on a high capacity storage medium;

permitting a plurality of customer households to play back for viewing from the high capacity storage medium a recorded movie;

communicating movie playback information from customer households to a central controller system with respect to movies that are actually played back from the high capacity storage medium for viewing;

billing customer households for those recorded movies that are actually played back from the high capacity storage medium for viewing;

permitting customer households to create copies of movies recorded on the high capacity storage medium on removable media to serve as library or remote play copies; and

billing customer households for the privilege of playing back for viewing movies that have been recorded on the removable media.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the removable media on which library or remote play copies are made are selected from the group consisting of CD'"'"'s and DVD'"'"'s.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the removable media on which library or remote play copies are made are selected from the group consisting of multilevel (ML) CD'"'"'s and multilevel (ML) DVD'"'"'S.

4. The method of claim 3 including the step of enhancing security of the recorded movies by utilizing a reader that requires a proprietary ASIC chipset that is specifically redesigned to convert the analog photodetector output of the reader to a binary bit stream.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating copies of movies recorded on the high capacity storage medium on removable media is carried out in a companion set-top box that is connected to a satellite or cable TV receiver box.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of blanket transmitting is carried out by direct broadcast satellite transmission.

7. A system for distributing movies to customer households comprising:

a data transmission system blanket transmitting a plurality of movies to customer households in compressed digital form at faster than real time transmission rates;

a user station at each of a plurality of customer households, the user station including;

means permitting the customer household to preselect desired transmitted movies for recording;

a receiver and associated high capacity storage medium for recording movies in compressed digital form;

a playback device for playing back from the high capacity storage medium those recorded movies that the customer household desires to view;

a central controller system having a database for storing therein an address corresponding to each customer household;

a communications link between customer households and the central controller system to verify to the central controller system that a recorded movie has been played back from the high capacity storage medium for viewing;

a removable media read/write device for creating copies of movies recorded on the hard drive on removable media to serve as library or remote play copies;

a billing system associated with the central controller system to bill customer households for those recorded movies that are played back from the high capacity storage medium for viewing and for billing customer households for the privilege of playing back movies that have been recorded on the removable media.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the removable media read/write device is a multilevel (ML) CD read/write device.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the removable media read/write device is a multilevel (ML) DVD read/write device.