System for managing content delivered over a network

• US 20020152278A1
• Filed: 02/06/2001
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viacom International Incorporated (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Viacom International Incorporated (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Schwegel, Jason R., Pontenzone, Casey S., Manning, Damian Franken
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/46 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53-H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/25891 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 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• 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

Abstract

A system is provided for managing the delivery of content over a network, particularly songs or music over the Internet. A station and playlist module manages the content delivered by a number of stations over the network, the type of content that may be delivered by each of the stations being specified by a playlist for that station. Preferably, at least one station includes two or more playlists and only one of those playlists specifies the content that may be delivered by that station at any one time. A database that stores information describing the content or songs that stations can deliver may be searched by users who may also request new content when a particular song is not found. Also, preferably there are at least two categories of system users including a first user category having full access privileges and a second user category having less than full access privileges but having access privileges to create and edit at least one station playlist.

Claims

1. A system for managing the delivery of content over a network comprising:

a station and playlist module for managing the content delivered by one or more stations over the network, the type of content that may be delivered by each of the stations being specified by a playlist for that station, wherein at least one of said stations includes two or more playlists and only one of said two or more playlists specifies the content that may be delivered by that station at any one time.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the station and playlist module manages the content delivered by a plurality of stations.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the content is audio-based and each playlist includes a number of songs that may be delivered by the station associated with that playlist.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the system further comprises a playlist validation module for verifying that a playlist contains at least one combination of songs that are in compliance with a set of licensing rules.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the content is multimedia-based and each playlist includes a number of music videos that may be delivered by the station associated with that playlist.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a promotions module for managing promotional content to be included in the playlists.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an advertisement module for managing advertising content to be included in the playlists.

9. A system for managing the delivery of content over a network comprising:

a database for storing information describing the content able to be delivered by one or more stations over the network, and a request module for allowing a user of the system to request new content, not described by information stored in the database.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the request module further allows the user to track the status of a request for new content.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the content is at least partly audio-based, the information stored in the database describes songs that may be delivered, and the new content is a song.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a user search module permitting a user of the system to search the information stored in the database by a song name, artist name, or recording name.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising a station and playlist module for managing songs delivered by a station over the network, the songs that may be delivered by the station being specified by a playlist for that station, and wherein the system enables a song described by a user'"'"'s new content request to be automatically added to a playlist.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the network is the Internet.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the user module permits a user in the first user category to create a profile for a user in the second category and does not permit a user in the second user category to create a profile for a user in the first category.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a user activity log module for maintaining a record of user management activities carried out by all users of the system.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein content is categorized into supergenre and genre categories and wherein the user module permits a user in the first user category, but does not permit a user in the second user category, to create a supergenre or a genre category.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the network is the Internet.

15. A system for managing the delivery of content over a network comprising:

a station module for managing the content delivered by one or more stations over the network, the type of content that may be delivered by each of the stations being specified by a playlist for that station; and

a user module for managing the operational access granted to users of the system, the user module classifying users into at least two categories including a first user category having full access privileges to the system and a second user category having less than full access privileges to the system, wherein a user in the second user category is provided with access privileges to create and edit at least one playlist for a station.

20. A system for managing the delivery of song content over a network comprising:

a content categorization module allowing a user to assign song content, based on an artist of each song, into supergenre and genre categories, each genre category being assigned to only one supergenre category and each artist being assignable to any number of genres; and

a station module for managing the content delivery by one or more stations over the network;

wherein each station is also assignable to any number of genres.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the network is the Internet.

22. A system for managing the delivery of song content over a network comprising:

a station and playlist module for managing the content delivered by one or more stations over the network, and a reporting module for compiling data based on the content broadcast by each of the one or more stations including data relating to the popularity of specific content with listeners of the stations.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein each song is associated with an artist and a recording, and wherein the reporting module further compiles data relating to the artists or recordings of the songs delivered by each of the one or more stations.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising a categorization module for allowing a user to assign song content, based on the artist of each song, into supergenre and genre categories, and wherein the reporting module further compiles data relating to the supergenres or genres of the songs delivered by each of the one or more stations.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the network is the Internet.