Media administering system and method

• US 7,840,984 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Alan, Owens, Steve B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRONCZER, RYAN S
• Application Number:
  US10/803,046
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 725/93
• US Class Current: 725/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for delivering digital audio/visual content over a facilities analog-based television network, such as the cable network of a school. An administrator is provided that includes a video server, a DVD/decoder, a controller for the DVD/decoder, and a modulator. The system enables the school to access video on demand while bypassing its existing computer network. This avoids congesting the computer network with the streamed video.

Claims

1. A system for managing the display of media on a plurality of media systems of a facility, the system comprising:

a data stream source operable to store audio-visual files in digital format including multiple instances of each of the audio-visual files for simultaneous access by a plurality of media players;

a first decoder in communication with the data stream source and operable to receive a first audio-visual file selected from the audio-visual files, the first decoder further operable to convert the first audio-visual file into a first analog signal;

a second decoder in communication with the data stream source and operable to receive a second audio-visual file selected from the audio-visual files, the second decoder further operable to convert the second audio-visual file into a second analog signal, each of the first decoder and the second decoder communicating with the data stream source through a separate communications channel;

a controller in communication with the data stream source through a data network and operable to select the first audio-visual file in response to a selection made by a user through a user interface provided by the controller, the user interface communicates prompts and selections to the user through one of the plurality of media players, the user interface including a phone interface and a computer interface to the controller for receiving user input, wherein the phone interface is a telephone communicating with the controller through an existing phone system, wherein actions taken by the controller and the prompts and selections are displayed by a media player in the same room as the telephone, wherein the user controls playback of the audio-visual file using the telephone, wherein the controller is enabled to be connected to a personal computer displaying the computer interface to receive the selection through a wireless connection, a wireline connection, and a serial connection, the selection of the first audio-visual file being made in response to the controller communicating with the first decoder using an infrared signal, the controller being further operable to select a second audio-visual file, the selection of the second audio-visual file being made in response to the controller communicating with the second decoder using an infrared signal, wherein streams of the audio-files from the data stream source are not communicated through the data network, and wherein the controller controls a plurality of decoders associated with the plurality of media players including the first decoder and the second decoder utilizing a plurality of infrared signals designated for each of the plurality of decoders;

a first modulator in communication with the first decoder and operable to receive the first analog signal and modulate the first analog signal for communication over a first coaxial cable;

a second modulator in communication with the second decoder and operable to receive the second analog signal and modulate the second analog signal for communication over a second coaxial cable, the first coaxial cable and the second coaxial cable are part of a coaxial cable network separate from the data network; and

a combiner in communication with the first modulator and the second modulator, the combiner operable to combine the first analog signal and second analog signal into a combined analog signal, each of the first decoder and second decoder being associated with a dedicated channel in the combined analog signal, a plurality of dedicated channels available to each of the plurality of media players through the coaxial cable network, one or more of the plurality of media players decoding the first analog signal and the second analog signal from the combined analog signal, wherein the second coaxial cable communicates with a second media player, and wherein the first coaxial cable communicates with a first media player, wherein each of the plurality of decoders including the first decoder and second decoder being associated with one of a plurality of dedicated channels in the combined analog signal, wherein the first and second analog signals are combined into the combined analog signal having at least two channels, a first of the two channels carrying the first analog signal and the second of the two channels carrying the second analog signal, the combined analog signal being communicated over the coaxial cable network to the first media player, the first media player operable to display the selection of the first channel for display of the content of the first audio-visual file, wherein the content of the first audio-visual file is displayed on a second media player in response to a further selection of the first channel using the second media player, wherein the first and second media players are each delivered the content of the first audio-visual file over the first channel for simultaneous display in response to a selection of the first channel, and wherein each of the plurality of media players displays content selected for playback on the plurality of decoders associated with each of the plurality of dedicated channels in response to being powered on and one of the plurality of dedicated channels being selected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer interface is a computer in a room with the controller communicating with the controller through a serial connection.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer communicates with the controller through a network connection.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of controllers in communication with the controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the separate communications channel is a wireless channel.