Patent US6526575B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6526575B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System and method for distributing and broadcasting multimedia
Assignee: Adeia Guides Inc
•
Filing: 1997-01-07
•
Granted: 2003-02-25
•
Expires: 2017-01-07
Abstract
Abstract Multimedia distribution and broadcast systems and related processes are provided for transmitting multimedia contents and control information from a central uplink facility to a remote downlink via a satellite. The system is preferably implemented in order to generate sequences of multimedia that are broadcast from the remote downlink facility to viewers. The display arrangements of the multimedia sequences are varied and customized by each downlink facility using the control information in order to better inform and entertain viewers.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert H. McCoy
- 👤 Edward R. Andes
- 👤 David M. Berezowski
- 👤 Bruce A. Blackwell
- 👤 Franklin E. Boyer
- 👤 Jon R. Braunsma
- 👤 James T. Buckley
- 👤 Eric Cockrell
- 👤 Timothy B. Demers
- 👤 Harlan Ford
- 👤 Donald C. Kern
- 👤 Pamela S. Klich
- 👤 Terry J. Kroh
- 👤 Randall C. Lievsay
- 👤 Douglas E. Naufel
- 👤 Steven P. Reiser
- 👤 Alan K. Roper
- 👤 Ronald R. Russell
- 👤 Robert A. Wallis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 20:00
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
A multimedia management system for use in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising: a central database at said central multimedia provider for storing multimedia and control information, said control information facilitating a plurality of display arrangements for multimedia sequences from a set of multimedia; a transmitter at said central multimedia provider for distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; a receiver at each of said remote stations for selectively receiving said multimedia and control information that are particular to said remote station; a remote database at each of said remote stations for storing said multimedia and said control information; a remote control unit at each of said remote stations for selecting one of said display arrangements for each of said multimedia sequences based on said control information and said multimedia; said control information containing a plurality of prioritized schedules to be combined by each of said remote stations to construct an implicit schedule; and wherein said control information further includes a set of queries and multimedia properties, each of said remote stations processing said queries to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule by selecting said multimedia for use in said multimedia sequences based on said multimedia properties.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
A multimedia management system for use in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising: a central database at said central multimedia provider for storing multimedia and control information, said control information facilitating a plurality of display arrangements for multimedia sequences from a set of multimedia; a transmitter at said central multimedia provider for distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; a receiver at each of said remote stations for selectively receiving said multimedia and control information that are particular to said remote station; a remote database at each of said remote stations for storing said multimedia and said control information; a remote control unit at each of said remote stations for selecting one of said display arrangements for each of said multimedia sequences based on said control information and said multimedia; said control information containing a plurality of prioritized schedules to be combined by each of said remote stations to construct an implicit schedule; and wherein said control information further includes a set of queries and multimedia properties, each of said remote stations processing said queries to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule by selecting said multimedia for use in said multimedia sequences based on said multimedia properties.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The multimedia management system of claim 6 , wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, a font size, and a color.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said remote control unit sends a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully transmitted by said transmitter at said central multimedia provider to said remote station.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The multimedia management system of claim 8 , wherein said remote control unit sends said confirmation message over a public telephone network.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said transmitter at said central multimedia provider retransmits said multimedia and said control information to said remote station after said receiver does not receive said multimedia and said control information transmitted by said transmitter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein said central multimedia provider assigns said multimedia properties to said multimedia.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of said remote stations is a remote station at which local multimedia and local control information is provided.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The multimedia management system of claim 1 , further comprising a broadcasting transmitter at each of said remote stations to broadcast said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of: providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information; distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule; selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule; selecting said display arrangements; generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers; wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of: providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information; distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule; selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule; selecting said display arrangements; generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers; wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 21 , wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, font size, and color.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 16 , further comprising sending with one or more of said remote stations a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully received by said one or more of said remote stations.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein said sending said confirmation message comprises sending said confirmation message over a public telephone network.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 16 , further comprising redistributing said multimedia and said control information to one or more of said remote stations after said multimedia and said control information are not received by said one or more of said remote stations.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein said providing at said central multimedia provider said multimedia and said control information comprises assigning by said central multimedia provider said multimedia properties to said multimedia.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing at each of said remote stations local multimedia and local control information.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
181 words
A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of: providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information; distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule; selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule; selecting said display arrangements; generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers; wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences; and wherein the selecting step includes the step of processing said queries.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
181 words
A method of providing multimedia sequences in a multimedia distribution and broadcast system having a central multimedia provider, a satellite and a plurality of remote stations comprising the steps of: providing at said central multimedia provider multimedia and control information including display arrangements for said multimedia, preferences of said remote stations, and scheduling information; distributing said multimedia and control information to said remote stations via said satellite; receiving at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; storing at each of said remote stations said multimedia and control information; processing said scheduling information to construct an implicit schedule; selecting said multimedia to convert said implicit schedule to an explicit schedule; selecting said display arrangements; generating multimedia sequences in said display arrangements; and broadcasting said multimedia sequences in accordance with said explicit schedule to viewers; wherein said control information providing step includes the step of formulating queries based on properties of said multimedia, said queries configured to assist said remote stations to select multimedia for said multimedia sequences; and wherein the selecting step includes the step of processing said queries.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different sizes to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said arrangements include one or more windows with different locations to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said arrangements include one or more rotatable windows to display one or more multimedia elements of said multimedia.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said arrangements include one or more text attributes to display one or more text elements of said multimedia.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein said one or more text attributes includes one or more of a font, font size, and color.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 30 , further comprising sending with one or more of said remote stations a confirmation message to said central multimedia provider when said multimedia and said control information are successfully received by said one or more of said remote stations.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 37 , wherein said sending said confirmation message comprises sending said confirmation message over a public telephone network.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 30 , further comprising redistributing said multimedia and said control information to one or more of said remote stations after said multimedia and said control information are not received by said one or more of said remote stations.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said properties include a rating of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said properties include a genre of an event promoted by said multimedia.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein said providing at said central multimedia provider said multimedia and said control information comprises assigning by said central multimedia provider said multimedia properties to said multimedia.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 30 , further comprising providing at each of said remote stations local multimedia and local control information.
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