Method and system for delivering audio and video information

• US 5,995,708 A
• Filed: 02/23/1998
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast MO Group Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Corey, Douglas Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/027,692
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 386/92, 386/109, 386/112, 386/1, 386/104, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/8
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for transmitting audio and video data to a remote viewing station. The method includes the steps of receiving a signal at a control station representing a request for the audio and video data. The method further includes determining whether the requested data is stored at a mass storage facility or at an active line storage unit. If the requested data is stored at the mass storage facility, the method includes downloading and storing the data at the active line storage unit. Finally, the method includes the step of transmitting the stored data from the active line storage unit to the remote viewing station.

Claims

1. A method for delivering audio and video data to a remote viewing station in a data transmission network, the remote viewing station having a display device for hearing sounds and viewing images displayed at a playback speed, the sounds and images represented by the audio and video data, the method comprising:

receiving a request for immediate transmission of the audio and video data from a viewer at the remote viewing station;

determining whether the requested data is stored at one of an active line storage facility that stores data temporarily and a mass storage facility that stores data permanently in order to select the manner in which the data is to be transmitted to the remote viewing station;

if the request data is stored at the mass storage facility, transmitting the requested data via a first system bus at a rate of 10 to 100 times faster than the playback speed directly from the mass storage facility to the active line storage facility; and

transmitting the data via a network interface from said active line storage facility directly to the remote viewing station so as to deliver the requested data immediately following the viewer'"'"'s request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mass storage facility includes a long term mass storage unit and a short term mass storage unit and the step of transmitting the requested data includes the step of determining whether the requested data is stored at the long term mass storage unit or the short term mass storage unit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the active line storage facility includes at least two types of active line storage units.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein a first type of active line storage unit is a random access storage device and a second type of active line storage unit is a sequential access storage device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of transmitting the requested data includes the step of selecting between the first type of active line storage unit and the second type of active line storage unit based on the requested data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the requested data is stored at the mass storage facility in a compressed digital format.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station further comprises:

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to pause transmission of data from the active line storage facility;

pausing the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station;

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to resume the step of transmitting; and

resuming the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station further comprises:

receiving a reverse-play signal from the remote viewing station;

transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station in a reverse-play sequence;

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to resume the step of transmitting; and

resuming the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station at the standard playback speed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station further comprises:

receiving a reverse-play signal from the remote viewing station;

pausing the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station;

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to resume the step of transmitting at an earlier point in the data; and

resuming the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station at the standard playback speed starting at the earlier point in the data.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station further comprises:

receiving a fast-forward signal from the remote viewing station;

transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station at a fast-forward playback speed;

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to resume the step of transmitting; and

resuming the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station at the standard playback speed.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station further comprises:

receiving a fast-forward signal from the remote viewing station;

pausing the transmission of the data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station;

receiving a signal from the remote viewing station indicating a request to resume the step of transmitting at a later point in the data; and

resuming the transmission of stored data from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station at the standard playback speed starting at the later point in the stored data.

20. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein transmitting the data includes transmitting the data prior to completing transmitting the requested data from the mass storage facility to the active line storage facility.

12. A multi-stage storage delivery system for transmitting audio and video data to a remote viewing station, the remote viewing station having a display device for hearing sounds and viewing images displayed at a playback speed, the system comprising:

a mass storage facility for permanently storing the audio and video data;

transmission means connected to the mass storage facility for transmitting the audio and video data at a speed of 10 to 100 times faster than the playback speed between the mass storage facility and an active line storage facility;

an active line storage facility for temporarily storing audio and video data and being adapted to communicate with the transmission means for receiving the audio and video data;

interface means for connecting the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station; and

a system control unit in communication with the interface means for receiving a request for audio and video data from a viewer at the remote viewing station, for selecting the manner in which the data is to be transmitted to the remote viewing station based on where the data is stored, for directing and monitoring data transmission between the mass storage facility and the active line storage facility if the requested data is not stored at the active line storage facility, and for directing data transmission from the active line storage facility to the remote viewing station in response to the viewer'"'"'s request so as to deliver the requested data immediately following the request.

13. The system of claim 12 including a conversion means for converting analog signals into the audio and video data.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the audio and video data is stored in a digital format at the mass storage facility, the system further comprising a compression means for compressing the audio and video data.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the interface means includes a user control means permitting the user to control the transmission of the audio and video data between the active storage unit and the remote viewing station.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the transmission means is geographically distributed.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the mass storage units are geographically distributed.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the mass storage units are geographically distributed.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the interface means is a digital data network interface.

21. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the system control unit, in directing data transmission from the active line storage facility, is further operative to direct the active line storage facility prior to completion of data transmission between the mass storage facility and the active line storage facility.