Encapsulated, streaming media automation and distribution system

• US 8,621,508 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2004
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xialan Chi Ltd., LLC
• Inventors: Rowe, Lynn T., Heinen, John A., Ernst, Peter A., Olson, Gary H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUONG, ALAN H
• Application Number:
  US10/939,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,396 Days
• Field of Search: 725/35, 725/39, 725/51, 709/230
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/71 using meteorological information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 : Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 : the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for creating and distributing programming content carried by a digital streaming media to be a plurality of remote nodes located over a large geographic area to create customized broadcast quality programming at the remote nodes. At the remote nodes, a multi-window screen display simultaneously shows different programming including national programming and local programming content. The remote nodes utilize a remote channel origination device to assemble the customized programming at the remote location that can be controlled from a central location. An encapsulated IP and IP encryption system is used to transport the digital streaming media to the appropriate remote nodes. Also disclosed is a graphical user interface (“GUI”) providing a software control interface for creating and editing shows or programs that can be aired or played on a remote display device having a multi-window display. The intuitive GUI Software provides the user the ability to easily manage and assemble a series of images, animations and transitions as a single broadcast quality program to be displayed on a remote display device. Another application software system is capable of automating the production of audio narration reports. The disclosed audio concatenation engine automates the creation of audio narration using prerecorded audio segments to minimize the requirement for live, on-air personnel to record audio narration segments.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a distribution facility interface, a multiplexed digital data stream, from a distribution facility multiplexer, the multiplexed digital data stream including television program content having a digitized video data stream, a digitized audio data stream, and switching control information;

receiving, by the distribution facility interface, a video content and an audio content;

generating, via the distribution facility interface, a television programming data stream including the multiplexed digital data stream, the video content, the audio content and the switching control information, wherein the generated television programming data stream is transmitted via a satellite from a distribution facility to a head end;

wherein a carrier lost detection switch is configured to automatically switch to a full screen digitized video and audio data stream in response to sensing loss of at least one of the video content or the audio content;

wherein the switching control information is used to select at least one of the digitized video data stream, the digitized audio data stream, the video content or the audio content,

wherein the television programming data stream includes data configured to render a multi-window screen display including content directed to a national geographic area and a window containing at least one of the video content or the audio content, and

wherein the switching control information controls assembly of content of a window in the multi-window screen display to include the digitized video data stream and the video content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes a single-window feed including content directed to a national geographic area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one window in the multi-window screen display contains the video content and the audio content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one window in the multi-window screen display includes a transactional window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching control information is used to control a video switch and an audio switch.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-window screen display includes a first window containing national information and a second window containing at least one of regional information, local information, or transactional information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes components to implement interactive programming.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes components to implement transactional programming.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-window screen display includes windows containing program content rendered from stored and real-time information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes real-time program content along with store-and-forward program content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes encapsulated interim protocol packets.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream includes information selected from the group consisting of weather information, news information, sports information and entertainment information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one window in the multi-window screen display includes an information crawl.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the content contained in the television programming data stream is displayed in one or more window of the multi-window screen display according to a programming schedule.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein for at least a portion of the programming schedule the content contained in the digitized video data stream is displayed in one window and the video content is displayed in another window.

21. The method of claim 1,

wherein the digitized video stream includes at least one of video, data, software applications, graphics, animated sequences, and control scripts for digital effects, and

wherein the video content includes at least one of live or prerecorded content.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a distribution facility interface, cause the distribution facility interface to perform operations comprising:

processing a multiplexed digital data stream from a distribution facility multiplexer to identify television program content having a digitized video data stream, a digitized audio data stream, and switching control information;

processing video content and audio content;

generating a television programming data stream including the multiplexed digital data stream, the video content, the audio content and the switching control information, wherein the generated television programming data stream is transmitted via satellite from a distribution facility to a head end; and

wherein a carrier lost detection switch automatically switches to a full screen digitized video and audio data stream in response to sensing loss of at least one of the video content or the audio content;

wherein the switching control information is used to select at least one of the digitized video data stream, the digitized audio data stream, the video content and the audio content,

wherein the programming data stream includes data configured to render a multi-window screen display, and

wherein the switching control information controls assembly of content of a window in the multi-window screen display to include the digitized video data stream and the video content according to a program schedule included in the switching control information.

17. A remote channel origination node device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, via a first receiver interface from a network operations center multiplexer via satellite, a multiplexed digital data stream including program content having a digitized video data stream, a digitized audio data stream, and switching control information, and via a second receiver interface a video content and an audio content, wherein the multiplexed digital data stream, the video content and the audio content is output from a network operation center interface; and

a screen rendering engine configured to display at least a portion of a programming data stream including the multiplexed digital data stream, the video content, the audio content and the switching control information,

wherein a carrier lost detection switch automatically switches to a full screen digitized video and audio data stream in response to sensing loss of at least one of the video content or the audio content,

wherein the switching control information is used to select at least one of the digitized video data stream, the digitized audio data stream, the video content and the audio content,

wherein the programming data stream is generated by the network operation center interface, wherein the programming data stream includes data configured to render a multi-window screen display,

wherein the generated programming data stream is transmitted to the remote channel origination node device, and

wherein the switching control information controls assembly of content of a window in the multi-window screen display to include the digitized video data stream and the video content according to a program schedule included in the switching control information.

18. The remote channel origination node device of claim 17, further comprising a remote system automation processor configured to communicate with the network operation center to enable remote control of the remote channel origination node device by the network operation center.

19. The remote channel origination node device of claim 17, wherein the receiver is configured to receive program content directed to a regional area, and wherein at least one window in the multi-window screen display contains the program content directed to the regional area for at least a portion of a time that the multi-window screen display is generated.

20. A remote channel origination node device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, via a network operations center interface from a network operations center multiplexer via a satellite, a multiplexed digital data stream comprising program content having a digitized video data stream, a digitized audio data stream, and switching control information;

the receiver configured to receive, via the network operations center interface, a video content and an audio content; and

a display configured to display at least a portion of a programming data stream generated by the network operation center interface,

wherein a carrier lost detection switch is configured to automatically switch to a full screen digitized video and audio data stream in response to sensing loss of at least one of the video content or the audio content,

wherein the generated programming data stream is transmitted to the remote channel origination node device,

wherein the programming data stream includes digital data stream, the video content, the audio content and the switching control information,

wherein the switching information is used to select from among the digitized video data stream, the digitized audio data stream, the video content and the audio content,

wherein the programming data stream includes data configured to render a multi-window screen display, and

wherein the switching control information controls assembly of content of a window in the multi-window screen display to include the digitized video data stream and the video content according to a program schedule included in the switching control information.