Patent US20040103444A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US20040103444A1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Point to multi-point broadcast-quality Internet video broadcasting system with synchronized, simultaneous audience viewing and zero-latency
Assignee: FML HOLDINGS LLC
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Filing: 2003-03-27
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2023-03-27
Abstract
Abstract An Internet video broadcasting system providing to broadcasters the ability to simultaneously deliver broadcast-quality, multi-media content to large numbers of viewers using the existing Internet infrastructure while retaining control over the exact timing of display of the content to viewers.
Inventors
- 👤 Neal Weinberg
- 👤 Aryeh Goldsmith
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 16:46
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04H; H04H20/00; H04H20/65; H04H20/76; H04H20/82; H04H60/00; H04H60/09; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/242; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/414; H04N21/4143; H04N21/60; H04N21/61; H04N21/6106; H04N21/6125; H04H2201/00; H04H2201/70; H04H60/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 56
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
1 . A computer-based multimedia content delivery, distribution and playback system comprising: a plurality of viewers, each equipped with a client computer; an instruction file server computer, operated by a broadcaster; a content file server computer; a software client application residing within, and capable of controlling, each of said client computers; an instructions database accessible to said instruction file server computer; and a content database accessible to said content file server computer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
72 words
1 . A computer-based multimedia content delivery, distribution and playback system comprising: a plurality of viewers, each equipped with a client computer; an instruction file server computer, operated by a broadcaster; a content file server computer; a software client application residing within, and capable of controlling, each of said client computers; an instructions database accessible to said instruction file server computer; and a content database accessible to said content file server computer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein said client computers, said instruction file server computer, and said content file server computer are capable of communicating instructions and transmitting data to each other through an electronic communications network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
3 . The system of claim 2 wherein said broadcaster selects a content file for delivery to one or more target viewers, from among said plurality of viewers, and for display of said content file on each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
4 . The system of claim 3 wherein said instruction file server computer retrieves an instruction set from said instruction database corresponding to each said selected content file and transmits said instruction set to each of said target viewers' client computer for use by said software client application.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
5 . The system of claim 4 wherein said software client application communicates with said video file server computer in accordance with said instruction set and requests transmission of said content file to each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
6 . The system of claim 5 wherein said video file server computer retrieves said content file from said content database and transmits said content file to each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
7 . The system of claim 6 wherein said software client application directs the client computer where it resides to display said content file in accordance with said instruction set.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
8 . The system of claim 7 wherein said content file is displayed to a target viewer at said client computer in accordance with said instruction set.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
9 . The system of claim 8 wherein said client computers are personal computers (PCs)
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
10 . The system of claim 8 wherein said electronic communications network is the Internet.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
11 . The system of claim 8 wherein said content file comprises text, video, audio, HTML, or a combination thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
12 . The system of claim 8 wherein said instruction set includes the exact playback time and date.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
13 . The system of claim 12 wherein the internal clock of each of said target viewers' client computer is synchronized to a trusted time and date source.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
14 . The system of claim 13 wherein said exact playback time and date is expressed in relation to a common recognized time zone.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
15 . The system of claim 14 wherein said common recognized time zone is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
16 . The system of claim 13 wherein said trusted time and date source is an atomic clock maintained by the United States Naval Observatory.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
17 . The system of claim 13 wherein said trusted time and date source is the internal clock of said instruction file server computer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
45 words
18 . The system of claim 8 wherein said content file is divided into two or more file segments prior to transmission from said content file server computer to each of said target viewers' client computer and is reassembled upon receipt at said client computer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
58 words
19 . The system of claim 18 wherein the number and size of said file segments is based on a combination of factors selected from the group of factors consisting of: bandwidth available to said client computer, processing capabilities of said client computer, size of said content file and the level of traffic on said electronic communications network.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
32 words
20 . The system of claim 8 wherein said transmission of said content file server computer to each of said target viewers' client computer takes place asynchronously over a set time period.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
54 words
21 . The system of claim 20 wherein said set time period is based on a combination of factors selected from the group of factors consisting of: bandwidth available to said client computer, processing capabilities of said client computer, size of said content file and the level of traffic on said electronic communications network.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
22 . The system of claim 8 wherein said content file is displayed to said viewer at each of said target viewers' client computer by means of a pre-installed software application compatible with said content file.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
49 words
23 . The system of claim 22 wherein said pre-installed software application is an application selected from the group consisting of: a word processor, a picture viewer, a web browser, a text file viewer, a multimedia player, an mp3 player, a streaming audio player and a streaming video player.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
24 . The system of claim 8 wherein said content file is stored at each of said target viewers' client computer in an encrypted format.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
25 . The system of claim 8 wherein said content file is automatically erased from each of said target viewers' client computer after playback.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
70 words
26 . The system of claim 12 wherein: said exact playback time and date is identical for two or more of said target viewers; and the internal clock of said two or more target viewer's client computers is synchronized with that of a trusted time and date source; so that said content file is played back simultaneously at said exact time and date to said two or more target viewers.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
27 . The system of claim 8 wherein said one or more target viewers is selected from among said plurality of viewers on the basis of demographic factors.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
28 . The system of claim 27 wherein said demographic factors are selected from the group of factors consisting of: age, geographic location, income, race, gender, occupation, language spoken, ethnic group and internet usage patterns.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
72 words
29 . A computer-based multimedia content delivery, distribution and playback system comprising: a plurality of viewers each equipped with a client computer; an instruction file server computer operated by a broadcaster; a content file server computer; a software client application residing within, and capable of controlling, each of said client computers; an instructions database accessible to said instruction file server computer; and a content database accessible to said content file server computer.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
72 words
29 . A computer-based multimedia content delivery, distribution and playback system comprising: a plurality of viewers each equipped with a client computer; an instruction file server computer operated by a broadcaster; a content file server computer; a software client application residing within, and capable of controlling, each of said client computers; an instructions database accessible to said instruction file server computer; and a content database accessible to said content file server computer.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
38 words
30 . The system of claim 29 wherein said client computers, said instruction file server computer, and said content file server computer are capable of communicating instructions and transmitting data to each other through an electronic communications network.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
63 words
31 . The system of claim 30 wherein said broadcaster, through said software client application, makes available for display to said viewers one or more content files and wherein one or more target viewers, from among said plurality of viewers, through said software client application, selects one or more of said content files for display on each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
48 words
32 . The system of claim 31 wherein said instruction file server computer retrieves an instruction set from said instruction database corresponding to each said selected content file and transmits said instruction set to each of said target viewers' client computer for use by said software client application.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
40 words
33 . The system of claim 32 wherein said software client application communicates with said video file server computer in accordance with said instruction set and requests transmission of said content file to each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
34 words
34 . The system of claim 33 wherein said video file server computer retrieves said content file from said content database and transmits said content file to each of said target viewers' client computer.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
30 words
35 . The system of claim 34 wherein said software client application directs the client computer where it resides to display said content file in accordance with said instruction set.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
27 words
36 . The system of claim 35 wherein said content file is displayed to a target viewer at said client computer in accordance with said instruction set.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
22 words
37 . The computer-based multimedia content delivery, distribution and playback system of claim 36 wherein said client computers are personal computers (PCs)
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
15 words
38 . The system of claim 36 wherein said electronic communications network is the Internet.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
20 words
39 . The system of claim 36 wherein said content file comprises text, video, audio, HTML, or a combination thereof.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
18 words
40 . The system of claim 36 wherein said instruction set includes the exact playback time and date.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
28 words
41 . The system of claim 40 wherein the internal clock of each of said target viewers' client computer is synchronized to a trusted time and date source.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
24 words
42 . The system of claim 41 wherein said exact playback time and date is expressed in relation to a common recognized time zone.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
18 words
43 . The system of claim 42 wherein said common recognized time zone is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
25 words
44 . The system of claim 41 wherein said trusted time and date source is an atomic clock maintained by the United States Naval Observatory.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
24 words
45 . The system of claim 41 wherein said trusted time and date source is the internal clock of said instruction file server computer.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
45 words
46 . The system of claim 36 wherein said content file is divided into two or more file segments prior to transmission from said content file server computer to each of said target viewers' client computer and is reassembled upon receipt at said client computer.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
58 words
47 . The system of claim 46 wherein the number and size of said file segments is based on a combination of factors selected from the group of factors consisting of: bandwidth available to said client computer, processing capabilities of said client computer, size of said content file and the level of traffic on said electronic communications network.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
32 words
48 . The system of claim 36 wherein said transmission of said content file server computer to each of said target viewers' client computer takes place asynchronously over a set time period.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
54 words
49 . The system of claim 48 wherein said set time period is based on a combination of factors selected from the group of factors consisting of: bandwidth available to said client computer, processing capabilities of said client computer, size of said content file and the level of traffic on said electronic communications network.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
35 words
50 . The system of claim 36 wherein said content file is displayed to each of said target viewers at said client computer by means of a pre-installed software application compatible with said content file.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
49 words
51 . The system of claim 50 wherein said pre-installed software application is an application selected from the group consisting of: a word processor, a picture viewer, a web browser, a text file viewer, a multimedia player, an mp3 player, a streaming audio player and a streaming video player.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
25 words
52 . The system of claim 36 wherein said content file is stored at each of said target viewers' client computer in an encrypted format.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
24 words
53 . The system of claim 36 wherein said content file is automatically erased from each of said target viewers' client computer after playback.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
70 words
54 . The system of claim 40 wherein: said exact playback time and date is identical for two or more of said target viewers; and the internal clock of said two or more target viewer's client computers is synchronized with that of a trusted time and date source; so that said content file is played back simultaneously at said exact time and date to said two or more target viewers.
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