MULTIMEDIA SCHEDULER

• US 20090175591A1
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tarquin Consulting Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Loomis, Stephen, Prakash, Shailesh, Gondhalekar, Mangesh Madhukar, Viswanathan, Rajesh, Carlson, Cameo Dawn, Van Huysse, James Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

A song and ad scheduler supporting clip-based and stream-based scheduling of multimedia items generates several hours of schedule in advance. Having multiple channel capability, the scheduler uses as inputs: the channel, associated playlists, rotation pattern for the channel, and associated programming rules to produce a schedule of multimedia items for the channel. Initially, the scheduler produces a schedule for each channel of predetermined length; then it periodically revisits the channel to add more songs, keeping the schedule to the desired length. Length of the initial playlist is configurable. The scheduler uses a producer-consumer model for distributing work. Producer threads periodically scan the system for work to be done. When a producer thread encounters work to be done, e.g. adding to the schedule of a channel, the producer thread places a work request into a queue. Worker threads consume the work requests by fulfilling the requested work.

Claims

1. A job scheduling apparatus comprising:

at least one processor programmed for;

providing a work manager, said work manager comprising at least one producer thread, a task queue and at least one worker thread; and

providing one or more scheduler objects associated with each producer thread;

wherein said work manager and associated scheduler objects are configured for creating and maintaining a job schedule according to predefined criteria, and wherein said at least one producer thread is configured for generating work requests and placing them in said task queue; and

wherein said worker threads are configured for executing said work requests.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said work manager comprises:

at least one producer thread, a task queue and at least one worker thread; and

wherein one or more scheduler objects are associated with each producer thread;

wherein said work manager and associated scheduler objects create and maintain a broadcast schedule for each channel according to predefined criteria; and

wherein said at least one producer thread is configured for checking a channel at configurable intervals and incrementing said channel'"'"'s schedule by generating a work request and placing it in said task queue and wherein said worker threads are configured for executing said work requests.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said predefined criteria comprise any of programming rules, a rotation pattern for each channel, and rotation codes assigned to individual media items.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein scheduler objects comprise work creator objects and wherein associating a scheduler object with a producer thread comprises wrapping a work creator object with a producer thread.

2. A multimedia scheduling apparatus for scheduling media items for a plurality of network broadcast channels;

comprising;

at least one processor programmed for providing;

at least one main application thread configured for initializing main components within the multimedia scheduling apparatus

at least one work manager for each channel serviced;

a property manager that provides access to application properties stored in any of properties or configuration files;

at least one communication module for accepting requests on a server socket and calling appropriate routines to fulfill the requests;

at least one scheduler for scheduling media objects;

a database connection manager that serves as an access point to connect to a database;

one or more utility threads; and

a rules factory configured for caching a plurality of rules representing constraints on media item selection.

3. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 2, further comprising at least one processor programmed for providing:

at least one logging system, wherein said logging system records transactions and activities; and

at least one work creator factory, wherein said work creator factory is created during initialization of said work manager; and

at least one data cache, wherein said data cache caches data common to all scheduler objects and data that change infrequently, and wherein a static data cache object contains a concrete data cache instance for each data source defined on a system.

4. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 2, wherein said work manager said comprises:

at least one producer thread, a task queue and at least one worker thread; and

wherein one or more scheduler objects are associated with each producer thread;

wherein said work manager and associated scheduler objects create and maintain a broadcast schedule for each channel according to predefined criteria; and

wherein said at least one producer thread is configured for checking a channel at configurable intervals and incrementing said channel'"'"'s schedule by generating a work request and placing it in said task queue and wherein said worker threads are configured for executing said work requests.

5. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 4, wherein said predefined criteria comprise any of programming rules, a rotation pattern for each channel, and rotation codes assigned to individual media items.

6. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 4, wherein scheduler objects comprise work creator objects and wherein associating a scheduler object with a producer thread comprises wrapping a work creator object with a producer thread.

7. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 2, wherein said main application thread is configured for:

waiting for a ‘

stop’

or ‘

abort’

request after initializing said main components;

including a monitor, wherein a socket listener thread notifies said monitor when a request is received by a server socket.

8. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 2, wherein said properties file controls behavior of said scheduler and specifies parameters to tune said scheduler and wherein said properties file specifies at least one of:

work manager properties;

scheduler object properties;

scheduler-wide properties;

rules module properties;

property manager properties; and

database connection pool properties;

9. The scheduler of claim 2, wherein said database comprises a plurality of tables, wherein said plurality of tables includes at least one table for any of:

current state of scheduler wherein said state is persistently saved;

an exception log for recording events, wherein events include rule violations;

enumeration of log messages;

associating rotation patterns to a channel;

rotation patterns created by DJ'"'"'s;

rule definitions;

associating rules to a channel;

defining channel specific rule values; and

channel configset;

channels;

channel-specific ads;

channel-specific playlists;

playlists;

playlists of clips;

clips;

encoding formats;

song location; and

song metadata;

wherein said at least one work manager and said property manager access said database.

10. The multimedia scheduling apparatus of claim 2, wherein said scheduling apparatus is configured for any of a selection consisting of:

creating schedules for clip-based channels;

creating schedules for stream-based channels.

11. A method for scheduling media items for a plurality of network broadcast channels, comprising the steps of:

initializing main components within a multimedia scheduling application by means of at least one main application thread;

creating and maintaining a broadcast schedule for each channel according to predefined criteria by means of at least one work manager and associated scheduler objects for each channel serviced;

accessing application properties stored in any of properties or configuration files by means of a property manager;

accepting scheduling requests on a server socket and calling appropriate routines to fulfill the requests by means of a communication module;

providing a database connection manager that serves as an access point to connect to a database;

providing one or more utility threads; and

providing a rules factory configured for caching a plurality of rules representing constraints on media item selection.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising at least one of the steps of:

logging system transactions and activities;

providing at least one work creator factory, wherein said work creator factory is created during initialization of said work manager; and

providing at least one data cache, wherein said data cache caches data common to all scheduler objects and data that change infrequently and wherein a static data cache object contains a concrete data cache instance for each data source defined on a system.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said main application thread is configured for:

waiting for a ‘

stop’

or ‘

abort’

request after initializing said main components;

including a monitor, wherein a socket listener thread notifies said monitor when a request is received by a server socket.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said properties file controls behavior of said application and specifies parameters to tune said application and wherein said properties file specifies at least one of:

work manager properties;

scheduler object properties;

application-wide properties;

rules module properties;

property manager properties; and

database connection pool properties;

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said database comprises a plurality of tables, wherein said plurality of tables includes at least one table for any of:

current state of scheduler wherein said state is persistently saved;

an exception log for recording events, wherein events include rule violations;

enumeration of log messages;

associating rotation patterns to a channel;

rotation patterns created by DJ'"'"'s;

rule definitions;

associating rules to a channel;

defining channel specific rule values; and

channel configset;

channels;

channel-specific ads;

channel-specific playlists;

playlists;

playlists of clips;

clips;

encoding formats;

song location; and

song metadata;

wherein said at least one work manager and said property manager access said database.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said scheduling apparatus is configured for any of a selection consisting of:

creating schedules for clip-based channels;

creating schedules for stream-based channels.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, which when executed, establish a job scheduling apparatus, the job-scheduling apparatus comprising:

a work manager, said work manager comprising at least one producer thread, a task queue and at least one worker thread; and

one or more scheduler objects associated with each producer thread;

wherein said work manager and associated scheduler objects are configured for creating and maintaining a job schedule according to predefined criteria, and wherein said at least one producer thread is configured for generating work requests and placing them in said task queue; and

wherein said worker threads are configured for executing said work requests.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, which when executed, establish a multimedia scheduling apparatus for scheduling media items for a plurality of network broadcast channels, the multimedia scheduling apparatus comprising:

at least one work manager for each channel serviced;

at least one scheduler for scheduling media objects;

a property manager that provides access to application properties stored in any of properties or configuration files;

at least one communication module for accepting requests on a server socket and calling appropriate routines to fulfill the requests;

a database connection manager that serves as an access point to connect to a database;

one or more utility threads;

a rules factory configured for caching a plurality of rules representing constraints on media item selection; and

at least one main application thread configured for initializing main components within the multimedia scheduling apparatus.