Archiving and viewing sports events via Internet

• US 20060023117A1
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprt LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert H. Feldmeier
• Inventors: Feldmeier, Robert H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Self-help or do-it-yourself productions of collegiate athletic contests are generated by the originating institution, and the recorded production is sent by overnight courier to a central digital clearing house. Alternatively, the production can be live and transmitted as streamlined video data to the clearing house. At the clearing house the contents of the recording are loaded onto a computer processor and the video and audio channels are digitally processing to prepare the program for digital storage and retransmission. The content is stored in a digital memory arrangement with capacity sufficient for storing a multiplicity of these video recordings. A web transmitter processor transmits the video recordings of these events to subscribers on demand over wide-band, high-speed Internet connections. The content may be edited at the clearing house. The clearing house provides a custom video player or viewer for each recorded production. The games or meets can be selected by the subscriber, which are indexed in categories including originating institution, type of event, and date of event. The events may also be webcast live or near-real-time, as well as archived.

Claims

1. A process for self-help video production of events of interest to groups of interested persons at each of a plurality of originating institutions, and of recording or storing, and processing and transmitting on demand the video recorded events to subscribers among said groups of interested persons, the events being produced by respective ones of said originating institutions, and each event being categorized in an identifiable category of events, comprising:

obtaining a video production of each of said events, by self-help, in-house capturing the event at said originating institution using at least one video camera and at least one microphone, such that the video productions each including at least one video channel and an audio channel;

transmitting said video production to a central digital clearing house, the clearing house having a computer processor for digitally processing each said video production to prepare the video channel and audio channel thereof for digital storage and retransmission, a digital memory arrangement with capacity sufficient for storing a multiplicity of said video productions; and

a web transmitter for transmitting the stored video productions of said events to said subscribers on demand;

converting at said clearing house said video and audio channels of said video productions to a digital format suitable for webcasting, and storing same at storage locations on the associated digital memory arrangement;

the step of converting including editing the content of said video production at said clearing house to render it suitable for transmission to a subscriber;

said clearing house creating a subscriber accessible index of the video productions stored in the memory arrangement at said clearing house, the index having categories including originating institution, type of event, and date of event;

providing to a plurality of subscribers digital access, via a global computer network, to the video recordings of the events as stored on the memory arrangement at said clearing house, including providing each said subscriber access via said global computer network to said index, permitting the subscriber to select one or more categories of said index, and permitting the subscriber to select a desired video production within the selected one or more categories; and

transmitting to said subscriber the selected video production over said global computer network.

2. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 1 wherein step of obtaining a video production includes recording the captured event on a portable physical video recording medium, and said step of transmitting includes physically transporting said portable recording medium via a public express service to said clearing house.

3. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 2 wherein said portable physical video record medium includes a video tape cassette.

4. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 2 wherein said portable physical video record medium includes a digital optical disk.

5. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 1 wherein said originating institutions include academic institutions having athletic programs, and said categories include sports events at said academic institutions.

6. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting includes supplying, via a video channel, the video and audio channels in real time to said clearing house;

and said clearing house providing to subscribers with access authorization the video and audio channels in real time to said clearing house, and said clearing house providing to subscribers with access authorization said video and audio channels in real time as a live web video presentation, and also recording said event for digital storage and retransmission in said digital memory arrangement.

7. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining a video production of said events includes obtaining images from two cameras, feeding both said images to a control module having two video screens, and employing a control means to select one or the other of said images.

8. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 1 further comprising, prior to transmitting, verifying access authorization for any said subscriber that is seeking access to said stored video recordings for viewing same.

9. The process of producing and transmitting of video events according to claim 5, wherein said subscribers include institutional subscribers each of which has an internal Local Area Network, allowing individuals at said institutional subscriber to plug into the Local Area Network and view archived ones of said video productions.

10. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 7, wherein said step of obtaining a video production includes employing a portable video production module which includes feeds from said cameras and said microphones, a housing, a panel in said housing holding first and second screens on which the video output images of said two cameras are displayed, respectively, and a control panel that is slidably removable from said housing, and which includes a camera selection toggle serving as said means to select one or the others of said images.

11. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 1, further including inserting titling and graphics concerning the event onto the stored video programs.

12. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 10, in which said control panel further includes means permitting an operator to select audio balance between said microphones.

13. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 1, the process further comprising creating at said clearing house a custom video player for each said video production to be transmitted to the subscriber when the subscriber selects said video production.

14. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 13, further comprising including on said video player indicia identifying the subject of said video production.

15. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 14, wherein said indicia include a logo of said institution.

16. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 13, further comprising creating at said clearing house a preview window containing modules for identifying segments of said video production;

and presenting to the subscriber the segment identified in said module of the selected video production when the subscriber selects a given one of said modules.

17. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 1, wherein said step of editing includes dividing said video production into segments, and providing indicia for selecting desired ones of said segments.

18. The process of producing and transmitting video events according to claim 1, wherein said step of editing at said clearing house includes trimming unwanted portions of the video production.