System and method for listening to teams in a race event

• US 9,350,776 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TAGI Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: TAGI Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Koehler, Steven M., Moe, Eric K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Strange, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US14/739,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20150304739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/04 from field pickup units [FPU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• 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 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4854 for modifying image parameters, e.g. image brightness, contrast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system allows a remote computer user to listen to teams in a race event. The method includes receiving audio signals from a plurality of audio sources at the race event; transmitting at least some of the audio signals to a remote computer; and filtering the audio signals as a function of the source of at least some of the audio signals so that at least some of the audio signals are not played by the remote computer and heard by the user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to provide audio and video from a televised vehicle race event using a computer network to a plurality of remote computing devices remote from the vehicle race event, the computer implemented method comprising:

providing a server having a processor operable to enable the server to communicate via the computer network to each of the remote computing devices and to access a storage device having audio data from the televised vehicle race event;

providing a user interface for a single monitor operable on each of the plurality of remote computing devices, the user interface configured to render a visual indication identifying audio sources of a first plurality of audio sources apart from other audio sources that have audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices, wherein a number of audio sources in the first plurality of audio sources is less than a total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices;

during the televised vehicle race event and separate from a television signal of the televised vehicle race event;

transmitting with the server to each of the remote computing devices through the computer network, first data packets in one or more streams containing first data representing audio signals from audio sources and video signals from cameras at the vehicle race event, the first data packets constructed so that each remote computing device selectively renders a plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the televised vehicle race simultaneously with audio from only one of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time;

after transmitting from the server to each remote computing device the first data packets constructed so that each remote computing device renders the plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race event simultaneously with audio from only one of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time, receiving with the server from at least one remote computing device to transmit audio of an audio source that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event; and

after receiving the indication from the at least one remote computing device, transmitting with the server to the at least one remote computing device, second data packets containing second data representing the audio corresponding to the indication from the at least one remote computing device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is configured to render a second visual indication apart from the first visual indication, the second visual indication indicating audio sources of a second plurality of audio sources having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices, wherein a number of audio sources in the second plurality of audio sources is less than the total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices, and wherein the computer implemented method further comprises transmitting, from the server to each remote computing device through the computer network, the first data packets or third data packets, or combinations thereof containing third data representing audio signals from audio sources and video signals from cameras at the vehicle race event constructed so that each remote computing device selectively renders a different plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race simultaneously with audio from only one of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein receiving at the server the indication from the at least one remote computing device comprises receiving at the server an indication from each of the remote computing devices to transmit audio of one of the audio sources that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event, and wherein transmitting from the server to the at least one remote computing device comprises transmitting from the server to each of the remote computing devices, second data packets for each respective remote computing device containing data representing the audio corresponding to each indication from each respective remote computing device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein at least two of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources are associated with two different teams in the vehicle race event.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein at least two of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources are associated with two different teams in the vehicle race event, the at least two audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources being different than the at least two audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources.

6. A computing system to provide audio and video associated with teams during a televised vehicle race event via a computer network to a plurality of remote computing devices remote from the vehicle race event, the computing system comprising:

a storage device configured to store data of audio from each of a plurality of audio sources from the vehicle race event; and

a server having a processing module operably connected to the storage device to receive the data and to the computer network, the processing module configured to during the televised vehicle race event and separate from a television signal of the televised vehicle race event;

transmit to each remote computing device through the computer network first data packets in one or more streams containing first data representing the audio signals from the audio sources and the video signals from the cameras at the vehicle race event, the first data packets constructed so that each remote computing device selectively renders a plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race event simultaneously with audio from one of the audio sources of a first plurality of audio sources having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time, wherein a number of audio sources in the first plurality of audio sources is less than a total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices;

after transmitting to each of the remote computing devices the first data packets constructed so that each remote computing device selectively renders the plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the race simultaneously with audio from one of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time, receive an indication from at least one remote computing device to transmit audio of an audio source that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event; and

after receiving the indication from the at least one remote computing device, access the storage device and transmit to the at least one remote computing device, second data packets containing second data representing the audio corresponding to the indication from the at least one remote computing device.

7. The computing device of claim 6 wherein the processing module is further configured to transmit to each remote computing device through the computer network, the first data packets, or third data packets or combinations thereof containing third data representing audio signals from audio sources and video signals from cameras at the vehicle race event constructed so that each remote computing device selectively renders a different plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race simultaneously with audio from one of the audio sources of a second plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time, wherein a number of audio sources in the second plurality of audio sources having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices is less than the total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered at each of the plurality of remote computing devices.

8. The computing device of claim 6 wherein the processing module is further configured to receive a second indication from each of the remote computing devices to transmit audio of one of the audio sources that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event, and configured to transmit to each of the remote computing devices, second data packets for each respective remote computing device containing data representing the audio corresponding to each second indication from each respective remote computing device.

9. A computing device for rendering audio and video of a vehicle race event, the computing device comprising:

a speaker;

a single monitor;

a user interface; and

a processor operably coupled to the speaker, the single monitor and the user interface, the processor configured to;

receive from a network data packets representative of audio from audio sources and video from cameras at the vehicle race event;

visually identify on the single monitor audio sources of a first plurality of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered through the speaker, a number of audio sources in the first plurality of audio sources being less than a total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered through the speaker;

at least during portions of the vehicle race event as the vehicle race event is occurring live;

receive through the user interface an indication of a selected audio source that the user of the computing device wants to hear over any other audio source at the vehicle race event;

audibly render through the speaker the selected audio source that the user of the computing device wants to hear over any other audio source at the vehicle race event;

receive through the user interface inputs from a user of the computing device to selectively render on the single monitor only one of any of the camera views and to selectively render on the single monitor a plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event;

simultaneously visually render the plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event on the single monitor occurring at the same time during the vehicle race event while also audibly rendering through the speaker only one audio source of the first plurality of audio sources when audio occurs simultaneously during the vehicle race event for at least two audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources;

after audibly rendering the only one audio source of the first plurality of audio sources or the audio of the selected audio source that the user of the computing device wants to hear over any other audio source at the vehicle race event, receive through the user interface a second indication of an audio source having audio that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event; and

audibly render through the speaker audio corresponding to the second indication that occurred earlier in the vehicle race event.

10. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the only one audio source of the first plurality of audio sources is audio associated with a team, and wherein the plurality of camera views are views from cameras in separate vehicles of teams other than said team.

11. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the data packets representative of audio from the audio sources and video from the cameras at the vehicle race event are separate from a television signal of the vehicle race event.

12. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to visually identify on the single monitor other audio sources having audio that can be rendered through the speaker that are different than the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources.

13. The computing device of claim 12 wherein the other audio sources that are different than the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources comprise audio sources of a second plurality of audio sources having audio that can be rendered through the speaker, a number of audio sources in the second plurality of audio sources being less than the total number of audio sources at the vehicle race event having audio that can be rendered at the computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to visually identify on the single monitor the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources apart from the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources.

15. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to simultaneously visually identify on the single monitor with a first visual indication the audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources and with a second visual indication the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources.

16. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the plurality of camera views of the vehicle race event occurring at the same time comprises a view of the vehicle race event as seen by a camera in a vehicle and a view of the vehicle race event as seen by a camera not in a vehicle.

17. The computing device of claim 9 and wherein the processor is further configured to visually render on the single monitor an indication of time when the audio corresponding to the second indication occurred during the vehicle race event.

18. The computing device of claim 9 and wherein the processor is further configured to visually render performance of a team relative to a leader of the vehicle race event.

19. The computing device of claim 9 and wherein the processor is further configured to receive through the user interface a third indication to enlarge one of the camera views of the vehicle race event as seen by a vehicle in the vehicle race event to be the only camera view on the single monitor and then visually render said one of the camera views as the only camera view on the single monitor.

20. The computing device of claim 19 and wherein the processor is further configured to:

render a first visual indication on the single monitor indicating audio sources of the first plurality of audio sources and a second visual indication apart from the first visual indication, the second visual indication indicating audio sources of a second plurality of audio sources, different than the first plurality of audio sources, having audio that can be rendered;

receive through the user interface a fourth indication to render a different plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race; and

render the different plurality of camera views occurring at the same time in the vehicle race simultaneously with audio from only one of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources when audio from at least two of the audio sources of the second plurality of audio sources occurs at the same time.