Method Of Distributing Sports Entertainment

• US 20110211072A1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U'R There Sport and Intellectual Property, LLC
• Original Assignee: U'R There! Entertainment Limited
• Inventors: Frederick, Paul J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,436,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/157
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method for distributing sports entertainment includes the step of providing a plurality of video cameras positioned on vehicles or athletes that are participating in sporting events, transmitters for transmitting information from the plurality of cameras to a processing station, retransmission equipment for directing the camera feed from each of the plurality of cameras to separate channels for distribution and remote viewing at viewers'"'"' locations, and channel selectors that permit viewers to select from among the various channels, thereby allowing the viewers to select from the plurality of camera feeds. The cameras are simultaneously operated during the sporting event so as to generate a plurality of camera feeds during the event, each feed reflecting the perspective of an individual participant. The plurality of feeds is received by the retransmission equipment and retransmitted to selectable channels, each channel being associated with a respective camera feed. A viewer is thus allowed to select from the plurality of channels to thus enable his or her viewing of the sports event through the perspective of the participant of greatest interest to the viewer.

Claims

1. A method for distributing video images of a sporting event comprising the steps of providing each of a plurality of participants in said sporting event with a video camera, providing each of said cameras with a respective transmitter for transmitting information regarding video images generated by the camera, providing retransmission equipment for receiving information transmitted by the transmitter and directing information regarding video images from each of the plurality of cameras to respective channels for remote viewing at viewers'"'"' locations, providing channel selectors that permit viewers to select from among the channels, simultaneously operating said cameras during the entertainment event so as to generate a plurality of camera feeds during the event, each feed reflecting a perspective of a respective participant, transmitting the plurality of feeds to the retransmitting equipment, and retransmitting the feeds to said channels, such that a viewer is allowed to select from a plurality of said channels to thus enable viewing of the sporting event through the perspective of one or more participants of greatest interest to the particular viewer.

2-14. -14. (canceled)