Patent Grant
8432489
Broadly stated the invention relates to a system allowing wireless distribution of event-related video and/or audio content. The invention also extends to individual components of the system and associated methods of operation and use.
The concept of delivering video and/or audio content to spectators attending a live sporting event is known. The typical approach uses a local transmission station that will deliver video and/or audio content over the air to handheld electronic devices operated by individual spectators. A spectator can select the particular video/audio stream of interest on the handheld electronic device.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a handheld electronic device for use at a venue hosting a live sporting event, comprising:
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a data structure embedded in a wireless RF signal, the wireless RF signal being intended for reception by a plurality of handheld electronic devices for use at a venue hosting a live sporting event, the data structure comprising:
A detailed description of examples of implementation of the present invention is provided below with reference to the following drawings, in which:
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for purposes of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended to define the limits of the invention.
The system 10 delivers to spectators attending the live sporting event video, audio and data content. For clarity, the invention can be used in connection with a wide variety of live sporting events without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, while the examples of implementation provided in this specification are made in connection with a car race, this should not be considered as a limiting feature.
As shown in
The transmitter 14 communicates with the individual handheld electronic devices 16 in a wireless manner. In the example that is being shown in the drawings, the communication is a Radio Frequency (RF) communication. This RF transmission is unidirectional. In other words, the information flow is from the transmitter 14 to each electronic device 16. This is accomplished in the broadcast mode wherein each electronic device 16 receives the same information from the transmitter 14. In the unidirectional RF transmission, the handheld electronic devices 16 are unable to transmit information back to the transmitter 14 over the wireless RF communication link.
In a non-limiting example of implementation the wireless RF transmission is performed locally of the venue. “Locally of the venue” means that the antenna generating the wireless RF transmission originates either at the venue or outside the venue but generally close to the venue. The signal power level is also controlled such that handheld electronic receivers 16 can adequately receive the wireless RF transmission at the venue, but at significant distances from the venue the signal weakens and may no longer permit a quality reception. By “significant” distance is meant a distance in terms of kilometer range.
It should be understood that the handheld electronic devices 16 are capable of unidirectional wireless communication, as described above, or alternatively, they can be capable of bidirectional wireless communication. In the case of unidirectional wireless communication, the handheld electronic devices 16 are only able to receive wireless information. In other words, they are not able to transmit information back to the transmitter 14, or to another entity, over a wireless communication link. It should be appreciated that although the handheld electronic devices 16 may only be capable of unidirectional wireless communication, they may be operative to transmit and receive information over a wireline link, such as via a USB connection port, for example.
In the case of bidirectional wireless communication, each electronic device 16 is able to receive information over a wireless communication link, and is also able to transmit information over a wireless communication link. In this case the electronic device 16 is provided with an RF transceiver (not shown in the drawings) that can handle the receive and transmit functions. The transmitted information may be sent to an entity of the system 10 (not shown), or to an entity that belongs to an external network. The handheld electronic devices 16 may be operable to transmit information over a wireless RF communication link, such as over a cellular link. In the case of a cellular link, the handheld electronic devices 16 would dial a phone number and then transmit information to the receiver/transceiver over the cellular link. Certain situations in which it may be preferable for the handheld electronic devices 16 to have bidirectional wireless communication capability will be described in more detail further on in the specification.
The bi-directional communication feature may be implemented to provide identical or similar bandwidths over the receive and transmit links. However, in most cases, this is not necessary since the amount of information that needs to be sent from the handheld electronic device 16 is generally different from the amount of information that it needs to receive. Typically, the handheld electronic device 16 needs to send far less information than that it receives. The implementation using the cellular network is an example that would provide a sufficient bandwidth over the transmit link. By “cellular” network is meant a network that uses a series of cells having a limited geographical extent within which communication services are available. In one possible form of implementation, such cells can be arranged to provide a hand-off to moving handheld electronic devices 16, such that as a handheld electronic device 16 moving outside a cell and entering a new cell, the communication services as seamlessly transferred from one cell infrastructure to another cell infrastructure. The “cellular” network terminology encompasses both communication infrastructures using licensed bandwidth, such as typical cellular telephones based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Groupe Station Mobile (GSM), or other technologies, and communication infrastructures using unlicensed bandwidth, such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) that is used commonly to provide wireless access to computer networks. Another possible example of a “cellular” technology using unlicensed bandwidth is the so called “Bluetooth” protocol that provides very short range wireless communication capabilities.
The cellular link allows the electronic device 16 to transmit information over a relatively limited bandwidth, however, in most cases the amount of information that needs to be sent is low such the available bandwidth should suffice. On the other hand, the receive link has a higher bandwidth in order to accommodate the multiple video streams and the other data that is to be sent to the electronic device 16. Also the cellular link allows the handheld electronic devices 16 to transmit information independently from one another.
The head end 12 receives content that originates from various sources. The content can be formatted or edited before being input into the head end 12. In the example shown in
The audio and video data is typically supplied by the authority managing the live sporting event. For example, in the case of a car race, the video and audio data might by supplied by the National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR). In a further non-limiting example, the independent audio feeds that contain audio commentary may be supplied by the commentator's affiliated television network, such as TSN, for example.
The content sources also include real time data content 35. The real time data content 35 conveys information relating to the action the spectator sees. For example, the real time data content in the context of motor sports, such as a car race, can be time and ranking information, lap times, position of the various cars on the track, physiological information about a driver, among many others. The real time data content is typically also supplied by the authority managing the live sporting event.
The video feeds 31 and the audio feeds 32 (except the independent audio feeds) are edited at a content production station 20. The content production station 20 is not part of the system and it merely provides a facility where a technician can format or edit the raw content to make it more suitable for presentation to the audience. The content production station 20 includes a console that allows the technician to conduct the necessary content editing operations. The content production station 20 does not form part of the invention.
In the embodiment shown in
In another example, the real-time data content can also convey physiological information associated with anyone of the participants. Again in the context of a car race, the physiological information can include the heart rate of the driver or his body temperature, among others. The real time data content is usually available from the authority sanctioning the live sporting event. In the case of the physiological information, one possible implementation would require providing one or more of the participants with the necessary sensors that measure the heart rate, body temperature, etc and convey the collected information to the head end 12 such that it can be included in the wireless RF transmission. It is not deemed necessary to describe in detail how the physiological information is collected and delivered to the head end 12, since this would be known to a person skilled in the art.
The ancillary content 600 can be obtained from a wide variety of sources. The advertisement, shopping, venue or event related information can be recorded on any suitable medium and injected in the video/audio content at the head end 12. Specifically, the advertisement, shopping, venue or event related information could be digitally stored on a database 602. The output of the database 602 leads to the head end 12 such that the video/audio content in the database 602 can be injected in the video/audio content that is being broadcast to the handheld electronic devices 16. The Internet is another source of ancillary content. Specifically, the news service can be delivered from the internet and injected in the video/audio content that is being broadcast to the handheld electronic devices 16.
The control entity 44 receives the various forms of information and will direct them to the appropriate encoders for processing. Specifically, all the video feeds that are received at the first input of the control entity 44 are switched to a video processor 40 that will convert the SDI format into Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)—4 format. Each video stream is compressed to provide at the handheld electronic device a moving image at 30 Frames per second (fps), 16 bit colors at a 320×240 pixels resolution. The resulting bit rate is 384 Kbits/sec. Since the video processor 40 needs to handle multiple video feeds simultaneously it is designed in order to be able to process those feeds in parallel. The preferred form of implementation uses a plurality of encoder stations, each being assigned a video feed 31. The encoder stations can be based on dedicated video processing chips or purely on software, or a combination of both. Alternatively, the video processor 40 can use a single processing module with buffering capabilities to sequentially handle blocks of data from different video feeds 31. With an adequate size buffer and a processing module that is fast enough, all the video feeds 31 can be encoded without causing loss of data.
In a non-limiting example of implementation, the encoder stations of the video processor 40 are operative to encode “bookmarks” data into the video feeds. The “bookmarks” data acts as pointers to specific portions of the video feed. Generally, these pointers are included to mark portions of the video feed that might be of interest to a spectator of the electronic device 16 to view.
For example, if the live sporting event is a car race, and one of the video feeds includes footage of a car crash, the encoder that is formatting that video feed 31 may include a “bookmark” data that points to the location in the video feed where the car crash commenced. As such, when the video feed is sent to the electronic device 16, the spectator is informed that there is a bookmark associated with the car crash, and by selecting the bookmark, the electronic device 16 plays the video feed starting at the portion pointed to by the “bookmark” data. As such, the electronic device 16 will display the specific portions of the video that relate to the car crash. This feature is particularly useful when the electronic device 16 has video playback capabilities, hence the spectator can play back the video content and use the bookmarks as reference to find events of interest. Other examples where a bookmark may be used include a football event. Bookmark data can be placed in the video feed when a touchdown occurs, such that the spectator can easily locate the salient parts of the game. The decision to place bookmark data in a video feed is taken by the individual that manages the head end 12 or any other person that has content editing responsibilities. The bookmark data is generated by the head end 12, in response to input from the operator on the user interface 48. The use of “bookmarks” will be described in more detail further on in the description.
Note that since MPEG-4 encoding also handles audio, the audio feeds 32 that are associated with the respective video feeds 31 are also directed to the video processor 40. The output of the video processor 40 is thus MPEG-4 encoded video channels where each channel has a video stream portion and an audio stream portion.
The independent audio feeds 31 that are received at the third input 300 are directed to an audio processor 42 that will encode them into a Moving Pictures Experts Group Audio layer 3 (MP3) format. Since the MP3 encoded video feed 31 convey voice information they can be compressed into an 8 Kbits/sec data rate while maintaining adequate quality. As in the case with the video processor 40, the audio processor 42 uses a series of audio encoding stations, each dedicated to a given audio feed (from the second input and the third input). Alternatively, the audio processor 42 can use a single sufficiently fast encoding module having buffering capabilities to sequentially handle data blocks from all the audio feeds 32.
As will be described in more detail further on in the specification, the encoding stations can encode each audio feed such that the transmitter 14 and/or the handheld electronic devices 16 can detect based on the encoding whether the feed is active or inactive. An active audio stream is an audio stream that conveys some type of information the spectator can understand. In contrast, an inactive audio stream is a stream that that conveys no such information, such as low intensity noise, for example silence. Specifically, the encoding station can be provided with logic that detects the level of activity in the signal in an attempt to recognize if the signal carries active speech or sounds or simply low intensity noise. The logic rules allowing to discriminate between active audio and silence are generally well known and do not need to be described in detail. One specific possibility is to monitor the signal level or the degree of energy conveyed by the signal and use a threshold as a decision making point. Anything below the threshold is considered to be low intensity noise, such as silence while everything above is active audio information, such as speech. The condition of the audio stream, in other words either silence or active audio information can be communicated to the handheld electronic device 16 by inserting a flag or any other type of mark in the binary stream wirelessly broadcast to the handheld electronic devices 16. In the case of a flag, one binary value means silence while the other binary value means active speech. In addition to making a determination on the condition of the audio stream, the condition that is observed can be used to simply stop the encoding process when silence is encountered and subsequently resume the encoding process when active speech is produced.
The control entity 44 handles the processing of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh inputs, namely the real time data, the authentication data, the ancillary content and the service data. The purpose of the processing is to packetize the data such that it can be transmitted to the individual handheld electronic devices 16.
The outputs of the control entity 44 and the video and the audio processors 40 and 42, are passed to a multiplexer 46 that combines the data into one common data stream. The data stream is then directed to a transmitter 14 that produces a wireless RF transmission broadcasting the information to the individual handheld electronic devices 16. The transmitter 14 can be designed to use a single 6 MHz contiguous channel bandwidth to broadcast the entire payload to the handheld electronic devices 16. The table below provides an example of a payload.
The data stream that is being broadcast from the transmitter 14 to the individual handheld electronic devices 16 is organized in the form of digital packets. In a specific and non-limiting example of implementation, three types of packets are being sent. The first type includes the video information. In essence, the MPEG-4 information stream is packetized and transmitted. The video information packet includes a header that contains the relevant data allowing the electronic device 16 to appropriately decode it and process it. Advantageously, error detection and correction data is also included in the header for a more reliable transmission. The second type of packet includes the independent audio information. The third type of packet includes the remainder of the payload, such as the ancillary information and the real and service type data. As in the case of the first type of packet, the second and third types of packets include identification data in the header to inform the handheld electronic device 16 what type of content the packet holds such that the content can be adequately processed.
As seen in
The software is stored in a general-purpose memory 102. Typically, the memory 102 would include a Read Only Memory (ROM) portion that contains data intended to be permanently retained such as the program code that the processor 100 executes. In addition, the memory 102 also includes a Random Access Memory (RAM) portion that temporarily holds data to be processed. The memory 102 can be implemented as a single unit, for instance as a semiconductor-based module or may include a combination of a semiconductor-based module and a mass-storage device, such as a hard-drive.
A Universal Serial Bus 104 (USB) port is provided to allow the electronic device 16 to connect to external devices. Specifically, the USB port 104 allows linking the electronic device 16 to a computer that can either download information from the electronic device 16 or upload data to it. For instance, the download process may be used when desired to transfer data stored in the memory 102 to the external computer. Similarly, the upload process is used to perform the reverse operation. This is useful when desired, for example, to change the program running the electronic device 16, by installing one or more updates. The USB port 104 requires a suitable driver that is loaded and executed by the processor 100 when the electronic device 16 is powered up.
A removable storage media reader/writer 106 is provided to allow the electronic device 16 to read data or write data on a removable storage media such as a memory card. This feature can be used to permanently record event-related content that is sent to the electronic device 16. This functionality will be discussed later in greater detail.
As indicated earlier, the keypad 800 allows the spectator to control the operation of the electronic device 16. The number and type of keys forming the keypad 800 is a matter of choice depending upon the specific application. As a possible variant, a touch sensitive screen or a voice recognition capability can be used to replace the keypad 800 or in combination with the keypad 800 as a means for command and data entry by the spectator.
The electronic device 16 has a wireless RF receiver and demodulater 110 that senses the wireless RF transmission, demodulates it and delivers it as properly organized and formatted data blocks to a data bus 112. The data thus sent over the data bus 112 is made available to the memory 102, the processor 100, the USB port 104 and the removable storage media reader/writer 106. In a specific example of implementation, the wireless RF receiver and demodulator 110 operates in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) range, specifically in the sub range of 470 MHz to 806 MHz. A 6 MHz contiguous bandwidth (equivalent to one regular TV channel) is sufficient to transmit the exemplary payload indicated earlier. Alternatively, the transmission may also be made in the 2.5 GHz range.
A video decoder 114 is provided to perform the decoding of the video channels received from the wireless RF receiver and demodulator 110. For clarity it should be mentioned that while the specification refers to the decoder 114 as “video” decoder it also performs audio decoding on the audio information associated with the video streams. The video decoder 114 has a memory 27 in the form of a buffer that will hold undecoded video/audio information representing a certain duration of video channel play. For instance the size of the buffer may be selected such that it holds 5 minutes of video channel play, for each channel. In use, the video/audio information not yet decoded that is received from the wireless RF receiver and demodulater 110 is sent over the data bus 112 to the video decoder 114. The video decoder 114 decodes the video/audio information and then directs it to a display screen 802 to be viewed by the spectator. At the same time the undecoded video/audio information is directed to the memory buffer 27 that starts to fill. When the memory buffer 27 is completely filled, it starts overflowing such that only the last 5 minutes of the video channel play are retained. The same operation is performed on every video channel, with the exception that only the video channel the spectator wants to watch is being decoded and directed to the display screen 802. Accordingly, the memory buffer 27 is segmented in the functional sense into areas, where each area is associated with a video channel.
The audio stream that is associated with the video stream being watched is decoded, converted into an analog format, amplified and directed to speaker/headphones 124 such that the spectator can watch the video stream on the display screen 802 and hear the audio simultaneously.
The ability to retain the last five minutes of video channel play provides the spectator with interesting possibilities. For instance, the spectator can manipulate the data in the memory buffer 27 so as to “playback” a certain video channel content, create fast forward motion, “rewind” motion and record the video/audio information in the memory buffer 27, either in part or the entire content by copying it on a storage media in the removable storage media reader/writer 106. In this fashion, the video/audio information of interest to the spectator can be permanently retained. Moreover, the spectator can see any action that may have been missed by switching channels and then “rewinding” the content of the memory buffer 27 associated with the newly selected channel.
In addition, the spectator can create “bookmarks” to identify a portion of a video feed that they may wish to revisit. A “bookmark” marks a location in the video stream. For instance a “bookmark” can be in the form of a pointer to a specific address of a video feed stored in either the buffer, or stored in the storage media reader/writer 106. When accessing a bookmark it thus suffices to play the video content starting from the address to which the bookmark points to.
Such “bookmarks” may be created by a spectator by selecting an option provided in one of the GUI menus of the user interface. The spectator navigates the menu by operating keys on the keyboard. Those keys may be arrow keys or any other suitable keys. When a selection has been made, the choice or option can be activated by pressing any suitable key such as an “enter” key.
A bookmark can be created when the spectator watches a live video channel and sees action that is of interest. By entering the necessary command a bookmark is created. During playback, the spectator can quickly identify the video images of interest by using the bookmark. The bookmark can also be useful when the spectator wants to copy some of the video content on the removable storage medium in the reader/writer 106. If a bookmark points to video content that is being copied, the bookmark is also copied such that the identification of the events of interest is retained in the copy.
The ability of the spectator to create bookmarks can be used in replacement or in conjunction of the bookmark generation done at the head end 12 and conveyed in the wireless RF transmission. Those bookmarks function in a similar fashion as the bookmarks created by the spectator. When data that represents a bookmark is observed in the information conveyed in the wireless RF transmission, a bookmark is created and stored with the remaining bookmarks.
Once created, the “bookmark” or pointer is stored in the memory 102 of the electronic device 16 such that it can be accessed by the processor 100. Each time a spectator wishes to re-view the “bookmarked” portion of video feed, the handheld electronic device software will cause the video decoder 114 to retrieve the video feed pointed to by the “bookmark” and start playing the video feed from that point. As mentioned above, the video feed is stored in either in the video memory 27 or in the storage media reader/writer 106. In the case where the video feed is stored only in the video memory 27 which works as a circular buffer to replace old video feed with more recent video feed, once the “bookmarked” portion of video feed has been replaced by more recent video feed, the video decoder 114 is no longer able to access that “bookmarked” video feed. As such, in the case where the spectator wants to retain the “bookmarked” video feed for longer than the memory buffer 27 will allow (i.e. 5 minutes for example), the spectator must transfer that portion of video feed into the storage media reader/writer 106.
The ability to create “bookmarks” provides the spectator with the ability to quickly refer back to a portion of video information that they may wish to re-view. As mentioned above, not only can “bookmarks” be created by a spectator, but they can also be provided to the electronic device 16 directly from the transmitter 14. These “bookmarks” would be presented to the spectator, such that if the spectator wishes to view the portion of video information associated with a specific bookmark, they can easily do so. The “bookmarks” provided to the handheld electronic devices 16 from the transmitter 14, will typically be related to exciting events that occur during the course of the live sporting event, such as a car crash, a car crossing the finish line or any other event that a viewer might have missed and want to re-view.
It is generally found suitable to use a memory buffer 27 in the form of a semiconductor based unit. In applications where large memory capacity is required in order to store a large video content, a storage device such as a hard drive can be used.
The display screen 802 can be of any suitable type. One possibility is to use a 3.5 in diagonal transreflective Thin Film Transistor (TFT) screen capable of rendering 320×240 pixel resolution images with 16 bit color depth. Evidently, other display types can be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. Optionally, the electronic device 16 can be provided with a lighting system (not shown in the drawings) using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to facilitate viewing under low light level conditions.
The audio decoder 120 functions in a somewhat similar manner to the video decoder 114. Specifically, the audio decoder 120 is associated with an audio memory buffer 29 and it handles the audio streams conveying the audio information from the independent audio feeds 32 (independent audio streams). The independent audio streams are stored in a compressed format in the audio memory buffer 29 so as to record a predetermined period of the audio content that is received.
By storing the audio content received by the electronic device 16 over a time period determined by the capacity of the audio memory buffer 29, the spectator is provided with the ability to “playback” the audio content, create “fast-forward”, “rewind” and bookmarks. In addition, the audio information in the audio memory buffer 29 can be recorded either in part or in its entirety by copying the content on a storage media in the removable storage media reader/writer 106. Bookmarks, as described above, can also be created for audio information.
The functionality of the electronic device 16 will now be discussed in detail.
The flowchart in
At the next step, once the identifier has been recorded, the vendor will typically create a user account in a database. Another option is to allow the user to create online his/her account. This option is discussed later. The user account will allow the user to purchase the delivery of content to the electronic device 16. In the example described in
Continuing with the above example, assume that the user now whishes to have access to content on the electronic device 16 for a certain live sporting event that the user plans to attend. The user then makes the payment to his account. The payment can be made in person, to a kiosk or at any other location authorized to receive payments. Advantageously, electronic payment methods, such as over the Internet, can be used. With such a method the user logs on to an Internet site of the service provider and makes the payment via credit card or other. The payment process will typically include selecting the event or group of events for which access to content is desired, the level of service, if applicable, and then making the payment. When the payment is made and validated an entry is automatically made in the user account indicating that access to content for the electronic device 16 specified in the account is enabled. A detailed example of an on-line service delivery purchase is provided later in the specification.
At the event itself, before starting to broadcast the content to the individual handheld electronic devices 16, the database 502 connects to the network of the service provider over the Internet such that the database 502 can be populated with the identifiers of all the handheld electronic devices 16 for which payment for content delivery for the event has been made. Once this step is completed all the electronic device 16 identifiers in the database 502 are transmitted to the head end 12 such and they are all included in the broadcast that is made by the transmitter 14. Specifically, the block of identifiers are broadcasted periodically, say every minute such as to allow the individual handheld electronic devices 16 to perform the authentication process at any time.
Each electronic device 16 is designed such that it cannot operate unless it has been electronically unlocked. When the electronic device 16 is powered up, it automatically enters the locked mode. During the locked mode the electronic device 16 will acquire the wireless RF transmission and decode the information such as to extract the block of identifiers that are being sent. In this example, the block of identifiers constitute the authentication data that determines if a particular electronic device 16 will be allowed to receive the service or not. Once the block of identifiers are extracted from the transmission the electronic device 16 will compare each code from the block to the identifier of the electronic device 16. If a match is found, then the electronic device 16 enters the unlocked mode and the content that is being broadcast can be adequately received. However, if no match is found after a certain period, say 2 minutes the electronic device 16 shuts down automatically.
The approach described earlier is a simple way to ensure that content is delivered only to spectators that have made payment, since no encryption of the video/audio content is required. In addition, the delivery of the authentication information to the individual handheld electronic devices 16, such as the block of identifiers, in a wireless manner, is simple from a logistics standpoint.
For enhanced security, the block of identifiers that are being transmitted can be encrypted using any suitable encryption techniques. The electronic device 16 should, therefore be provided with capability to decrypt the block of identifiers by using a suitable key.
Another option is to encrypt the entire transmission and require the electronic device 16 to decrypt it. In this form of implementation, the encryption constitutes the authentication data carried by the wireless RF transmission that is processed by the individual handheld electronic devices 16. A decryption key or password may need to be input by the spectator to allow a electronic device 16 to be unlocked. In such case, a decryption key may be provided to the spectator following the payment for the service. When the spectator powers up the handheld electronic device 16, the spectator enters the key and that key is used to perform the decryption.
If encryption or decryption is required, the function can be implemented at the electronic device 16 by suitable software or hardware, both of which are known in the art.
The authentication described earlier can be modified such as to provide service level access control. As it will be discussed later, the handheld electronic device 16 can be designed in such a way as to deliver to the spectator service available in different levels or categories. The levels can be distinguished from each other on the basis of content, for example. The basic level of service may include basic content, such as for example a limited number of video channels. A higher level of service may include a larger number of video channels and contextual information or other content. The reader will appreciate that the distinguishing characteristic of the different service levels will vary in accordance with the intended application. Generally, the higher the service level, the richer the content it provides to the spectator.
The service levels are likely to be available at different cost to the spectator. More specifically, the basic level of service is likely to be the least expensive and as content options are added to upgrade to a higher level of service then the cost to the spectator will increase.
It is desirable to provide the handheld electronic device 16 with an authentication feature that will allow the handheld electronic device 16 to provide to the spectator access to the level of service the spectator has paid for and thus protect the wireless RF transmission from unauthorized access to content or service levels that have not been purchased.
One possible option is to create when the spectator purchases the service distinct lists of identifiers for each service level that is available. Assume that three service levels are available, namely service level A, service level B and service level C. Service level A is the basic and the least expensive. Service level B is the intermediate level and includes features not available under service level A, for example more video channels and a limited amount of contextual information. Service level C is the highest and it provides the richest content, namely the largest number of channels and the most contextual information. As the service is being purchased by spectators, three different lists of electronic identifiers are created, one for those that have purchased service level A, one for those that have purchased service level B and for those that have purchased the service level C.
Under this example, the wireless RF transmission is structured in a way to maintain a distinction between the different levels of service. For example, a core block of frames carries the content for the service level A, which is the basic level. A first additional block of frames carries the additional content that is added to the service level A to upgrade to service level B. Finally there is a second additional block of frames that carries the additional content added to service level B to upgrade to service level C. In such case, the service level C encompasses the content of service levels B and A, while the service level B encompasses the content under service level A.
The authentication information sent to the handheld electronic devices 16 is organized into groups as well. There is a first group that contains the list of the identifiers of the handheld electronic devices 16 for which service at level A has been purchased, a group with a list of the identifiers of the handheld electronic device 16 for which service at level B has been purchased and a list of the identifiers of the handheld electronic devices 16 for which service at level C has been purchased.
As a handheld electronic device 16 picks up the wireless RF transmission, it will, as discussed earlier try to find in anyone of the lists its own electronic identifier. If the identifier is not found in anyone of the lists, then the handheld electronic device 16 will not unlock itself and the spectator will not be able to access the content. However, the handheld electronic device 16 will unlock itself if its identifier is found in anyone of the lists. If the identifier is found in the list for service A, then the spectator will be able to view only the content carried in the core block of frames, the one that is associated with the service level A. Access to frames associated with any other service level will not be allowed. The control is implemented by the handheld electronic device 16 that determines which part of the wireless transmission it can make available to the spectator. Since the different block of frames are clearly distinguished from one another and associated with the respective groups of identifiers, the determination of the groups where the identifier of the handheld electronic device 16 resides, allows controlling the access to the relevant block of frames that hold the content. If the identifier is in the group associated with the core block of frames, only those will be processed and in effect the spectator will have only access to the service at level A. If the identifier of the handheld electronic device 16 is located in the group associated with the first additional block of frames then only the core block and the additional bloc will be processed, in effect limiting access to the content at level B. Finally, if the identifier of the handheld electronic device 16 resides in the group associated with the second additional block of frames, then full access to the entire content is granted.
The examples of the authentication feature described above are relatively simple to implement. However, there is a need to carry in the wireless RF transmission the entire list of the electronic identifiers of the handheld electronic devices 16 that are allowed to receive content. If a large number of handheld electronic devices are being serviced by the wireless RF transmission, the number of electronic identifiers that need to be transmitted may grow too large to be practical.
The handheld electronic device 16 is also provided with a bar code 1000 on its casing that is machine readable, such as by using a bar code reader (not shown). The bar code is a representation of the electronic identifier 1002. Note that the label holding the bar code may also contain another form of representation of the electronic identifier 1002, such as for example by using alphanumeric characters suitable to be read by a human.
It is also possible to apply on the casing of the handheld electronic device 16 a bar code 1000 that is not identical to the electronic identifier 1002. In other words, the electronic identifier 1002 and the bar code 1000 are different codes. Some embodiments of the authentication process described later require access to the electronic identifier 1002 via the bar code 1000. In the embodiment where the electronic identifier 1002 and the bar code 1000 are the same codes then a reading of the bar code 1000 will yield the electronic identifier. However, when they are different codes, a mapping mechanism can be used to relate one to the other. The mapping mechanism can be a database storing all the population of electronic identifiers 1002 and the respective bar codes 1000. When it is necessary to obtain an electronic identifier 1002 of a certain handheld electronic device 16, the bar code 1000 is read, the database searched and the corresponding electronic identifier 1002 retrieved.
The handheld electronic device 16 also includes an authentication processor 1006. The authentication processor 1006 is designed to handle authentication related tasks, such as for example output the electronic identifier 1002 to an external device (as it will be described later), process a user code entered by the spectator and the authentication information contained in the wireless RF transmission to electronically unlock the handheld electronic device 16 to allow the spectator to gain access to the content in the wireless RF transmission. The authentication processor 1006 is likely implemented in software but it can also be implemented in hardware by a specialized circuit. A combination of software and hardware is another option.
When a spectator desires to purchase the delivery of service to the handheld electronic device 16, the spectator performs the transaction by interacting with an external entity which generates a user code. At the live event, the spectator enters via the user interface the user code provided earlier. The authentication processor 1006 performs a validation of the user code information provided by the spectator and issues an authentication decision. The authentication decision is conveyed by any suitable internal signal which will have the effect to allow the spectator to gain access to the content in the wireless RF signal, If the user code is a correct code, or to deny this access when the user code is a wrong code. For instance, the signal that conveys the authentication decision can be designed to enable the processing of the content in the wireless RF transmission such that it can be viewed and/or heard by the spectator, when the authentication decision validates the user code. On the other hand, when the authentication decision does not validate the user code, then the internal signal is designed to prevent content from being made available to the spectator. The authentication decision issued by the authentication processor 1006 can also be designed to handle levels of service. In such case, the authentication decision indicates which level of service the handheld electronic device 16 is entitled to receive, if any.
A block diagram of the external entity is shown in
The user code generator 1008 can, for example, be implemented at a booth at the live sporting event the spectator plans attending. The attendant at the booth receives payment from the spectator, the amount of which may be dependent on the level of service desired. The attendant then places adjacent the handheld electronic device 16 a reader such as an infrared reader to interact with an infrared port (not shown in
The electronic identifier is supplied to the user code generator 1008 in addition to the event code which is available to the user code generator 1008. Normally, the same event code is used for every handheld electronic device 16 for which service is being purchased. The event code is a code that designates the event for which service is being purchased, while the electronic identifier is a code that distinguishes one handheld electronic device 16 from another. In a specific example of implementation the event code will typically be different from one event to another. For instance, in the case of motorsports applications, different event codes will be attributed to different races during the season in a given year.
The user code generator 1008 will process the two entries according to the desired mathematical non-reversible function and outputs the user code. In this particular case, the mathematical processing is a succession of mathematical operations on the two entries that produce a user code that is smaller (less digits) than both the event code and the electronic identifier 1002. The user code is given to the spectator in any convenient way. It may be printed, for instance on a ticket and remitted to the spectator. Normally, this code will be unique to each handheld electronic device 16.
Note that it is also possible to implement the user code generator 1008 to produce user codes for different handheld electronic devices 16 without establishing an electronic communication with the handheld electronic devices 16. This can be done by using a bar code reader for reading the bar code 1000 on the casing of each handheld electronic device 16. If the bar code 1000 is the same as the electronic identifier 1002 then the processing by the user code generator 1008 can be effected as described earlier. Otherwise, if the bar code 1000 is different from the electronic identifier 1002, a database (not shown) mapping the bar codes 1000 to the electronic identifiers 1002 of the population of the handheld electronic devices 16 is searched to extract the electronic identifier 1002 corresponding to the bar code 1000 that was read.
As the spectator enters the stadium, the spectator turns the handheld electronic device 16 on and he is requested by the authentication processor 1006 to supply a user code. The request may be, for example, a prompt appearing on the display 802 of the handheld electronic device 16 to enter a user code (assuming that the system requires manual input of the user code). The spectator enters the user code printed on the ticket via the user interface of the handheld electronic device 16. The authentication processor 1006 to which are readily available the electronic identifier 1002 and the event code that is conveyed in the wireless RF transmission, processes the electronic identifier 1002, and the event code according to the same mathematical function implemented by the user code generator 1008. If the output of the process issues a code that matches with the user code entered by the spectator, then the authentication processor 1008 issues an authentication decision allowing access to the content in the wireless RF transmission. Otherwise, access to the content is denied.
A possible option is to communicate the user code to the handheld electronic device 16 electronically, immediately after the electronic identifier 1002 is communicated to the user code generator 1008. As soon as the user code generator 1008 computes a user code, that code is conveyed via the communication link 1007 to the authentication processor 1006. This option obviates the need for the spectator to manually input the user code for validation purposes. The electronic transaction 1007 automatically unlocks the handheld electronic device for use at the live sporting event, without the necessity for the spectator to input any user code.
In a possible variant, the user code is provided to the spectator via an online purchase set-up that can be made any time before the live event begins. The principles of this arrangement are described later. Briefly, the spectator accesses the Internet via a personal computer or any other communication device and connects with a web site where an on-line purchase of delivery of service can be made. The server hosting the web site implements the user code generator and computes a user code. The user code that is produced is communicated to the user, such as by displaying it on the screen of the personal computer, sent to the user by e-mail to a specified e-mail address or via any other suitable fashion. The user will retain the user code and enter it in the handheld electronic device 16 during the live event.
Another possible option that can be considered is to convey in the wireless RF transmission, the event code (as in the previous embodiment) and also all the user codes for the handheld electronic devices 16 for which service has been purchased. This option would require computing for every handheld electronic device 16 for which service is purchased (for example at the point of purchase of the service) a user code and storing all the user codes so computed into a database. During the live sporting event, the content of the database is periodically broadcasted along with the event code. Each handheld electronic device 16 that is at the live sporting event receives the wireless RF transmission and extracts the event code. The event code is then used to compute a user code by the authentication processor 1006. That user code is then checked against the set of user codes contained in the wireless RF transmission. If a match is found the authentication processor 1006 issues an authentication decision allowing the handheld electronic device 16 to access the video/audio content in the wireless RF transmission. If no match is found then the handheld electronic device 16 remains locked.
The various embodiments described above that employ a user code for authentication purposes can also be adapted to a multi-service level arrangement. In the case of a multi service level system, the spectator will be provided with a different user code depending on the particular service level that was purchased. The wireless RF transmission has content that is structured to distinguish one service level from another and each service level is associated with different authentication information. The authentication information is a compound event code including a plurality of service level codes that are different from one service level to another. Accordingly, in this example, the authentication information will contain as many service level codes as there are different service levels. In use, the authentication processor 1008 will try to match the user code supplied by the spectator to the compound event code. Specifically, the authentication processor 1008 will issue an authentication decision to unlock the handheld electronic device 16 when a match is established between the user code and any one of the service level codes, but the authentication decision will control the access to the content, as discussed earlier, such that the spectator will only be able to gain access to the service level that was purchased.
Note that the event codes (either a unique code or a compound code in the case of a multi-level approach) are generated by the authority or organization controlling the delivery of service to the spectators during the live event. Those codes can be randomly generated for every new event.
Assuming that the authentication process described earlier has been successfully passed, the graphical and navigational layer is loaded and the user interface that allows the spectator to access the various functions is presented on the display screen 802. Typically, the user interface presents a menu that will show a list of choices. The spectator navigates the menu by operating keys on the keyboard. Those keys may be arrow keys or any other suitable keys. When a selection has been made the choice or option is activated by pressing any suitable key such as an “enter” key.
The menu options available to the spectator can vary significantly according to the intended application. The description provided below illustrates a few possible examples.
The following examples focus on the delivery of the independent audio streams since the handling of the audio streams associated with the respective video streams was described in the earlier section.
As indicated earlier, the independent audio streams convey radio conversations between members of a race team (typically an audio stream will be associated with each race team), audio commentaries about the race or advertisement information, among others. At the electronic device 16 the spectator can manually select anyone of the streams and direct them to the output 124 which drives a sound reproducing device such as a loudspeaker or headphones. Another possibility exists which allows the spectator to define a priority profile such as to play the audio streams according to an order of priority.
The order of priority is defined by storing in the electronic device 16 priority profile data. More specifically, the priority profile data is stored in the memory 102 or any other suitable memory that allows the processor 100 to access it readily. For convenience, the priority profile data may be stored in a non-volatile section of the memory 102 such that the information will be retained even after the electronic device 16 is powered down, thus avoiding re-entering the information again every time the electronic device 16 is powered-up.
The priority profile defines an order of priority according to which the audio streams will be played. The following is an example of a priority profile:
Priority 1(highest)—radio conversations of team C
Priority 2—radio conversations of team A
Priority 3—radio conversations of team K
Priority 4—audio commentary about the race
Priority 5—advertisement content
The software that runs the electronic device 16 includes a module that provides the function of an audio stream selector. The audio stream selector which may be part of the user interface of the handheld electronic device 16 decides which one of the audio streams contained in the wireless RF transmission to play based on the priority profile. Before enforcing the priority profile the audio stream selector will distinguish the active audio streams from the inactive audio streams in the wireless RF transmission. An active audio stream is an audio stream that conveys some type of information the spectator can understand. In contrast, an inactive audio stream is a stream that that conveys no such information. A typical active audio stream is an audio stream conveying a conversation, while an inactive audio stream only conveys silence or low intensity noise. One way to distinguish between an active audio stream and an inactive one is to analyze the data conveying the audio information and ascertain what the signal level is. A high signal level likely denotes an active audio stream while a low signal level likely denotes an inactive audio stream. The reader skilled in the art will appreciate that many signal analysis techniques are available in the art allowing distinguishing between an active audio stream from an inactive one and no further description is required here.
In an alternative embodiment, each audio signal is encoded with an indication as to whether that signal is active or inactive by the audio processor 42 at the head end 12. This characteristic was described earlier and will not be discussed again. As such, the audio signal selector at the electronic device can determine based on the encoding of the signal whether it is active or inactive. This would avoid having to use any analysis techniques at the handheld electronic devices 16 in order to determine an inactive and active audio stream.
Assume for example that the electronic device 16 receives 10 audio streams, where streams 1-8 are associated with respective racing teams, audio stream 9 conveys an audio commentary and audio stream 10 conveys advertisement information. After performing the activity analysis on the audio stream, the audio stream selector classifies the audio streams as follows:
Active
Audio stream 1 (team A)
Audio stream 5 (team K)
Audio stream 7 (team B)
Audio stream 9 (audio commentary)
Audio stream 10 (advertisement content)
Inactive
The remainder of the 10 audio streams.
The audio stream selector will then search the active list for the audio stream in the highest level of priority in the priority profile. This position corresponds to team C that is not in the active list. Next the audio stream selector searches the active list for the entry in the priority profile having the second order of priority. This corresponds to team A which is associated with the audio stream 1. Since this audio stream is active the audio stream selector will play it to the spectator by directing it to the output leading to the loudspeaker or headphones.
The scanning of the audio streams to identify the active ones and the inactive ones is effected periodically, such as every 15 or 30 seconds and if there is any audio stream having a higher order of priority than the one currently played, it is directed to the output. In this fashion, the spectator is always presented with the audio stream information that is the most relevant or of interest to him/her.
Optionally, the spectator interface of the electronic device 16 can be designed to allow the spectator to stop the periodic scanning of the audio streams and continue playing the audio stream that is being currently selected.
In order to somewhat simplify the construction of the electronic device 16, the head end 12 may be designed such as to perform the audio stream activity analysis and insert in the payload information to that effect. As indicated previously, the audio streams are broadcasted in the form of packets, where each packet may contain audio information for a single audio stream or audio information for a collection of audio streams, depending on the specific packet structure selected for the intended application. For a given block of audio data corresponding to a certain playing time for a given audio stream, the head end performs the activity analysis and associates with that block a flag to indicate whether the audio information is considered active or inactive, depending upon the value of the flag. In this fashion, each electronic device 16 is always aware of which audio streams are currently active and the audio stream selector can perform the audio stream switching without the necessity of conducting any audio stream activity analysis.
Since the priority profile defines the preference of the spectator, the user interface of the electronic device 16 is designed to allow the spectator to configure the priority profile and modify the profile once an initial configuration has been made. The reader skilled in the art will appreciate that many possible configuration mechanisms can be designed. A simple approach is to present the spectator with a list in which the spectator enters one after the other (decreasing order of priority) the racing teams or other type of content that can be conveyed by the audio streams. The data is then saved in the memory 102 in the form of a file, for example. The audio streams processing is then performed as discussed earlier. Evidently, a mapping operation needs to be performed at some point to associate a racing team name or identifier (if the data in the preference profile is entered in this manner in contrast to directly specifying the audio streams) to the audio stream corresponding to that racing team. For example, mapping information can be sent over the wireless RF transmission to effect this operation.
Another possible refinement is to send in connection with any one of the audio streams a priority flag which denotes content of potentially high interest to the spectators, such as for example conversations between emergency crews in the case of an accident. In such case, the audio stream selector is designed to play that audio stream and override any priority profile settings. If desired the user interface of the electronic device 16 can be designed to disable this function which forces the electronic device 16 to play the audio stream with the high interest flag.
Yet, another possibility that can also be considered is assigning priorities to positions of participants in the race rather than to specific crews or participants. For instance, priority number 1 can be assigned to the race leader, without regard to the particular participant that occupies the position at the time being. A more detailed example of a priority scheme includes the following:
Priority #1—race leader;
Priority #2—second position;
Priority #3—any car in the pits
The audio that is currently played is selected according to this priority scheme. If no activity exist on the audio stream associated with the race leader, then the audio selection moves to the priority #2 position, and so on. To enable this functionality, the head end 12 is marking the individual audio streams with data which associates the audio streams with the ranking of the respective participants of teams. In this fashion the electronic device 16 can adequately recognize the various positions of the participants of teams. One example is to insert in a suitable field of the binary transport of the wireless RF transmission information allowing identifying the race positions. By following the above priority scheme each audio stream is described by data that indicates the current position in the race. Also, additional descriptive data is provided to point to the audio streams associated with cars that are in the pits.
A possible variant is to use the real time data contained in the wireless RF transmission to map the various teams with respective race positions. Assuming that the individual audio streams in the wireless RF transmission are provided with suitable team or participant identifiers, the real time data that communicates the positions of the teams or participants can be used to establish the correlation between audio streams and race positions.
While the audio management function described above is done in connection with the electronic device 16 that provides video reception capability, similar audio management functions can also be implemented in simple audio only electronic devices. In the infrastructure described earlier, which uses a head end 12 to build a signal structure conveying an audio/video/data payload, such electronic device can be designed to disregard any video information and process the audio and data information only. With infrastructures that do not use a head end 12, the electronic device can be designed to implement at least some of the functions described earlier while accessing directly the raw audio sources. In such case, the electronic device includes a series of tuners, each tuner being set at a frequency corresponding to a given audio source, for example the frequency used by a race team for communication. In such case, the wireless RF transmission that the electronic device acquires encompasses the group of frequencies to which the tuners are set. Those frequencies may need to be entered manually by the spectator using the electronic device, for example, before the racing event begins. At this point, the audio stream selector analyses the outputs of the different tuners to determine if they are active or not and applies the priority policy defined by the priority profile in determining which audio stream should be played.
Since the audio streams are continuously buffered, the spectator has the ability to implement an audio playback functionality. The degree of playback depth, in other words the extent to which the spectator can wind back the audio content, depends on the memory buffer 29 size. This size may be selected to accommodate a 5 minute playback depth. Of course, this is one possible example that should not be construed in a limiting manner.
The spectator can invoke the playback feature on the user interface. For example, the spectator accesses a menu item with the appropriate selection keys and then confirms by pressing the “enter” key. When the playback feature is active, the following functions are available:
In addition to conveying principal video channel content to the spectator, the electronic device 16 is also designed to convey ancillary content. Examples of ancillary content include advertisement content, venue or event related contextual content, on-line shopping options and news, among many others. Both can be in the form of video content, audio content or a combination of video and audio content.
In a non-limiting embodiment, the electronic device 16 can have GPS receiving capabilities. In such an embodiment, the electronic device 16 is equipped with a GPS receiver (not shown in the drawings), such that the electronic device 16 can obtain location information in the form of GPS coordinates associated with its location. This assumes the GPS receiver has an unobstructed view of the sky to pick up satellite signals. More specifically, these GPS coordinates can be displayed to a spectator on the display screen 802 of the electronic device, in relation to a map of the venue, specifically showing to the spectator its location relative to the map. As such, the spectator will know where he/she is in relation to the layout of the venue.
These GPS coordinates can enable the spectator to locate him/herself in relation to specific facilities at the live sporting event. For example, the transmitter 14 can transmit to the electronic devices 16 in the wireless RF transmission cartographic data. For example, the cartographic data provides a map of the venue and shows the location on some key facilities such as washrooms, food vendors, medical/emergency facilities, exits, etc. . . . . The electronic device 16 then stores this database in its memory 102, such that it can be easily accessed by the processor 100. As such, when GPS coordinates are produced a portion of the map or the map in its entirety is shown on the display screen 802, depending on the zoom level, identifying the location of the spectator. The locations of these facilities can then also be displayed on the map of the venue along with the GPS coordinates of the spectator. In this manner, the spectator would be able to locate him/herself in relation to these facilities.
The facilities can be displayed on the map of the venue in the form of symbols, or text. Preferably, the symbols or text would be indicative of the service/facility that is located at that area on the map. For example, the medical/emergency facilities may be depicted on the map via a red cross, the washroom facilities may be depicted by a W/C sign, or the traditional man and woman signs , the food facilities may be depicted by a knife and fork symbol
, etc. . . . . In addition, the location of the electronic device 16 can also be depicted on the map via an icon, such as a star, for example, such that the spectator knows where he/she is in relation to the other facilities depicted on the map. In an alternative embodiment, the position of the electronic device 16 may just be depicted via a flashing dot.
In order to avoid the map being overcrowded with symbols for each of the different facilities available, the spectator could select which facilities to display on the map by a specific type of facility from a menu. For example, if a spectator needs to find the washrooms, they may access the map of the venue and have the icons associated with the washrooms appear on the map, as well as an icon associated with the position of the spectator. In that manner, the spectator will have a clear indication as to where the closest washroom is located.
In yet another possibility, the electronic device 16 may be equipped with software that enables the electronic device 16 to provide the spectator with directions as to how to get to a certain location. For example, based on the GPS coordinates of the electronic device 16, and the GPS coordinates of a selected location stored in the GPS coordinates database, the processor 100 can use the direction software to determine the best route to get from where the spectator currently is, to the desired location. These directions can then be displayed to the spectator on the electronic device 16 screen. The manner in which the spectator requests directions can be done in a variety of ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. In one example, the spectator may simply access a directions menu on the user interface, and select from a list of options such as “directions to the washrooms”, “directions to the nearest exit”, “directions to the hot dog stand” etc. Alternatively, the spectator could highlight a specific facility icon depicted on the screen via up/down buttons on the keypad, and then hit an “enter” button in order to select that icon. The directions software would then provide directions to the facility associated with the selected icon. The directions provided to the user can be in the form of a text listing the route to follow or in the form of arrows showing a path to follow on the map of the venue.
The electronic device 16 may also enable the spectator to store user-defined GPS coordinates into its memory 102. This may be desirable in the case where the spectator wants to remember specific locations at the venue. For example, in the case where a spectator parks his/her car in the stadium's parking lot, upon exiting the car, the spectator may choose to store the GPS coordinates associated with the location of the car in the memory 102 of the electronic device 16. This could be done by invoking the GPS feature on the user interface, and then selecting a “store coordinates” option from a menu item with the appropriate selection keys. The coordinates could then be confirmed and stored by pressing an “enter” key. Those coordinates can then be associated with any suitable icon displayed on the map, thus allowing the spectator to quickly and conveniently find the location of the car. As such, the spectator enters a command on the user interface of the electronic device 16 to recall the stored location information and show the position on the display with relation to a map of the venue. An advantage of this feature could be that at the end of the live sporting event, when the spectator wants to find his/her car, they would then be able to use the directions feature, as described above, to get directions from their current location, back to the GPS coordinates associated with their car.
Event related contextual information is information relating to the event held at the venue. In the example of a race car event, the following is considered to be event related contextual information:
The venue or event related contextual information could be delivered to the spectator over a dedicated channel that the spectator can select for viewing at his/her leisure. The channel selection is effected as described earlier. Alternatively, the venue or event related contextual information could be embedded in the video content of a principal video channel.
The ancillary content provided to the spectator over the wireless RF transmission can also include:
The electronic device 16 may include a spectator preference profile such that the electronic device 16 provides the spectator with ancillary data according to rules outlined by the spectator. The ancillary data preference profile may be stored in the memory 102 or the storage media reader/writer 106 such that it can be accessed by the processor 100. The preference profile would advise the processor 100 of what ancillary data the spectator is most interested in, and how the spectator would like to have the ancillary data presented. The following is an example of some rules that outline a specific spectator's ancillary data preference profile:
The software that runs the electronic device 16 includes a module that provides the function of an ancillary data selector. The ancillary data selector decides which type of ancillary data to present to the spectator based on the preference profile. For example, based on the preference profile information, the electronic device 16 will present the ancillary data in the manner outlined in the preference profile.
In this fashion, the spectator is presented with the ancillary data that is the most relevant or of most interest to him/her. The user interface of the electronic device 16 can be designed to allow the spectator to stop the presentation of ancillary data at any time, via menu options presented to the spectator.
The electronic device 16 is designed to implement profile based content management. The memory 102 of the electronic device 16 includes data that defines a profile. On the basis of this data the electronic device 16 can filter the video, audio or data being displayed to the spectator. In one form of implementation, the wireless RF transmission issued by the transmitter 14 conveys generic spectator content that is the same for a group of electronic devices 16 or for all the electronic devices 16 that receive the wireless RF transmission. The spectator profile in one or more of the electronic devices 16 filters the generic content to create a spectator specific content. The spectator specific content can differ from the spectator generic content in many possible ways. For example, the spectator profile is set to prevent access to certain content in the generic spectator content. In another example, the spectator profile changes the way the content in the generic spectator content is presented to the spectator. Several possibilities are discussed below in greater detail.
In a specific example, the profile defines a spectator category among several possible spectator categories. For instance the profile may allow for gender-based classification, such as male and female. In another possibility the profile is designed such as to create age-based classification. Yet another possibility is to create revenue-based classification where spectators are classified according to the amount of personal income. Another possible option is to define a profile based on personal preferences, such as:
The profile data loaded in the memory 102 via the graphical and navigational layer. The spectator is presented with an information screen inviting the spectator to answer questions that will define the profile. The number of questions necessary to define the profile can be minimal, such as requiring the spectator to specify “male” or “female” or larger in the case of more complex profile structures.
The profile can be designed to be defined only once or it can be updated over time. Simple profile structures such as gender-based ones will need to be defined only once and as long as the same spectator keeps the electronic device 16 no change will be required. More complex profile structures may need adaptation more often. Profiles based on spectator choices will likely change to reflect the spectator's changing preferences over time. In the case of sophisticated spectator profiles, for instance those that factor events or conditions occurring at specific auto racing events, the profile will need to be updated by the spectator at each particular event.
Based on these spectator profiles, the advertisement that is conveyed to the spectator can be oriented towards their specific profiles or interests. Likewise, the type of merchandise that is presented most prominently in the shopping catalogue can also be geared towards a spectator's specific profile.
Content management based on spectator profile implies handling the content differently depending on the data in the profile. The reader will appreciate that a wide variety of options exist. The following specific examples illustrate the concept:
The manner in which the data in the profile stored in the memory 102 manages the content delivered to the electronic device 16 can vary and many implementations are possible. The profile data is a data structure and that data structure is associated with the structure of the content delivered to the electronic device 16 to effect the content management. In this type of implementation, the content is structured as a collection of individual components that can be handled as per the data in the profile. In the case of the first example, where the profile is based on age groups, the advertisement content is conveyed as three separate streams, and depending on the data stored in the profile only the respective stream will be displayed. In the second example, the event or venue contextual information is conveyed as two separate streams, one stream containing more information than the other.
In one embodiment the electronic device 16 is designed such as to provide automatic video channel sequencing such as to present to the spectator a perspective of the event that is of most interest to the spectator. For example, the spectator may wish to visually follow a particular car on the track. Without any automation, the spectator is required to manually switch video channels such as to keep the car of interest always in view. This may not be optimal for obvious reasons. The electronic device 16 under the present invention provides a mechanism allowing to automatically sequence through the video channels such as tracking a moving object, such as a vehicle on the race track. Several options to implement this feature exist. Examples are discussed below:
In another embodiment the electronic device 16 is designed such as to provide a forced video channel switching when an important event develops on the race track. For example, if an accident occurs the spectators of the electronic devices 16 are likely to be interested to switch immediately to the video channel that conveys images of the accident. This process can be facilitated by introducing in the wireless RF transmission a flag to designate the video channel that will show the best possible angle of such priority event. Typically the technician at the content production station 20 will identify the video channel that best shows the action and will introduce in the wireless RF transmission a flag which will mark the channel. The flag can be any type of data. For instance the flag can be the channel identifier. When the electronic device 16 receives the flag, the software interprets it and it causes the display to automatically switch to the video channel designated. If desired, a feature can be provided to allow this automatic video channel switching to be disabled, in the case the spectator is not interested by this feature.
Yet, in another possible variant, the automatic video switching is effected on a basis of a certain characteristic associated with the competition, such as for instance, a particular position of a participant in the event. For example, the position can be the lead position, thus causing the electronic device 16 to automatically switch video channels to show continuously the leader of the race. As with the previous example, the technician at the head end 12 manually or with the assistance of automated tools identifies which video channel best shows the leader of the race and inserts a suitable flag in the wireless RF transmission. The electronic device 16 is programmed in turn to play the video channel that is associated with the flag. Therefore, when the flag changes, in other words it is shifted from one video channel to the other, the electronic device 16 will switch on the display screen 802 video channels accordingly.
In another possible variant, the electronic device 16 has bidirectional wireless communication capabilities. Therefore, the electronic device 16 can receive information wirelessly and also send information wirelessly.
Assume for the sake of this example that a set 100 of electronic devices 16 are located at a live sporting event, say a car race. The electronic devices 16 all receive the wireless RF transmission from the head end 12. The electronic devices 16 can also communicate individually with a remote entity via a cellular network 102. In this example, the cellular network 102 has two cellular towers 104 and 106 located away from one another such as to provide adequate reception coverage from anyone of the electronic devices 16 at the live sporting event. Each electronic device 16 is provided with the functionality allowing it to establish communication over the air interface with the cellular network 102. This functionality includes a transmitter and a receiver sections that can communicate in the same manner as a cellular telephone. Since this technology is generally well understood it will not be described here. Another possibility that can be used instead of a cellular network is a WiFi network or any other cellular type infrastructure allowing individual wireless communication to take place between each electronic device 16 and a remote entity.
It is not necessary, nor even preferred to provide the communication channels from the electronic devices 16 toward the cellular network 102 with the same bandwidth as the bandwidth of the link between the head end 12 and the handheld electronic devices 16. In practice, the amount of information that needs to be sent from the individual handheld electronic devices 16 is small and does not require the amount of data carrying capacity the wireless RF transmission from the head end 12 needs.
The wireless bidirectional communication capability allows providing increased interactivity for the spectator and thus enhancing it entertainment experience. Specific examples will be discussed below.
The electronic device 16 is connected to the Personal Computer (PC) 300 of the user via the USB port 104 that connects to the electronic device interface of the PC 300. The electronic device interface of the PC 300 can be a USB port on the PC 300. The diagram at
After the connections have all been established, the server 304 sends to the PC 300 data that in conjunction with the program data executed by the processor presents to the user information via the user interface allowing the user to electronically purchase and specify services to be delivered to the electronic device 16. From the user's perspective, the user is directed to a web site (hosted by the server 304) and presented with a screen of the type shown in
Next, the user is requested to provide personal information such as:
In addition to the information provided by the user an electronic exchange of information takes place between the electronic device 16 and the server 304. The electronic exchange of information includes the transfer to the server 304 of the unique electronic identifier of the electronic device 16. Such electronic identifier was discussed previously and it is in the form of a hard coded identifier. In this example the identifier is submitted to the PC 300 when the electronic device 16 is connected to it via the USB interface 104 and it is automatically sent to the server 304. Note that the PC 300 may require the use of software that will be able to communicate with the electronic device 16 such as to extract the hard coded identifier from it and transfer it to the server 304 when the user is creating or accessing his record.
The record that is created at the server 304 has three elements of information that allow distinguish it from other records. Those elements of information are (1) the user name; (2) the password and (3) the identifier of the electronic device 16 associated with that user name and password. Note that a possibility exists to assign more than one electronic device 16 with a given record or account.
The next step in the creation of the account is for the user to specify certain preferences that will allow tailoring the service according to personal choices. The page at
In a possible variant, the user can specify other preferences that relate to information received during the event that is other than advertisement. For instance, the user can specify preferred teams or players to allow delivering information to the user during the live sporting event in a way that is consistent with those preferences.
Once the entries on the options page at
If the authentication data is genuine and accepted by the server 304, the user is then directed to a web page allowing the user to select the live sporting event for which content delivery is desired and also to tailor the content to be dispensed depending on the user's tastes and budget. For example, the server 304 sends data to the PC 300 for causing the PC 300 to show a control 322 allowing the user to select the event for which the service is to be purchased. The control 322 can be any suitable control such as for instance a drop down menu box that provides the list of all the events for which service can be purchased.
Once a particular event has been selected, then the server 304 sends data to the PC 300 causing the PC 300 to display to the user a control 324 “service options” which requests the user to supply information identifying a level of service desired. Specifically, the service options control 324 allows the user to select service level among a set of levels. The various levels of service can vary based on content. For example the highest level allows access to all the content, such as live video streams, enabled GPS and on-line shopping functionality, weather information, breaking news, etc. The level that is immediately below the highest level provides all of that with the exception of the breaking news service. The lowest level of service can be limited to live video only. It will be plain to a person skilled in the art that the number of service levels offered to a user and the way those service levels are differentiated from one another is a matter of design and can vary widely without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Once the various service selections have been completed, the user activates the “pay” control 326. At that point, the server 304 will determine the amount of money the user is to be charged on the basis of the service level selection 324. Next, the server 304 will perform the payment step of the process. Two possible options exist. One is to charge the credit card provided by the user and that is currently on file or any other payment instrument that was provided. The other option is to send data to the PC 300 that will prompt the user to supply payment instrument information, such as a credit card to be charged. This payment instrument information will be processed by the server 304 to complete the payment step.
After the payment step has been completed, the server 304 will set up the electronic device 16 for the live sporting event for which service has been purchased. The set up includes the following:
In the case of the ancillary data, only the data that will be relevant or up to date when the event takes place should be downloaded. In order to make the ancillary data appear as if it is “spontaneously” available to the spectator during the event it may be designed to be available for viewing only when the user is at the event. For instance the data can be “hidden” from the user or designed in such as way that it cannot be accessed by the user unless a “trigger” is input by the electronic device 16. Such trigger can be specific data included in the wireless RF transmission that “unlocks” the hidden ancillary content. With this approach the ancillary data that is being downloaded to the PC 300, can be customized according to the profile of the user. More specifically, the information can be requested when creating the user account to submit preference information. This type of information was discussed previously. The server 304 determines on the basis of the preference information what kind of ancillary data to download.
The downloading of authentication information allows to securely set up the electronic device 16 for reception of services. For instance, the wireless RF transmission can be designed to be protected. The authentication information downloaded in the PC 300 and that is transferred to the handheld electronic device 16 allows to unlock the handheld electronic device 16 at the live sporting event. The authentication information can be in the form of a user code (as described below) or in the form of a decryption key (that can be unique to the electronic device 16 or common for all electronic devices 16 that subscribe for services for that particular live sporting event). The decryption key can be used to decrypt encrypted content in the wireless RF transmission.
Once all the data for setting up the electronic device 16 has been downloaded to the PC 300, the data is transferred to the electronic device 16 via the USB interface 104. At this point the electronic device 16 is ready for use. When activated by the spectator at the live sporting event, the electronic device 16 will pick up the wireless RF transmission and it will use the decryption key to adequately decode the data. Also, the electronic device 16 will also detect in the wireless RF transmission the “trigger” that will unlock for the spectator to see and access the latent ancillary data. Therefore, the spectator can see advertisement information, conduct on-line shopping etc.
The online transaction described earlier can be used as a mechanism to communicate to the server 304 the identity of the electronic device 16. So as users are performing on-line purchases of service delivery to the respective electronic devices 16, the server 304 is building a list of the electronic devices 16 that are authorized to receive the service. This list is kept a storage medium of the server 304, such as in a database (not shown). Just prior the live sporting event, the server 304 that holds in its database the list of all the electronic devices 16 (electronic identifiers) that have purchased service for the event, transfers the list to the authentication database 502. Those identifiers are then included in the wireless RF transmission as previously described.
The server 304 can also be designed to generate the user code described earlier, which the spectator needs to enter on the user interface of the handheld electronic device 16 in order to gain access to some or all of the content carried in the wireless RF transmission. The server implements the user code generator 1008 shown in
Note that in the case the user has created an account on the server 304, the electronic identifier 1002 may be stored in the account and there is no need to extract it from the handheld electronic device and communicate it to the server 304. In this form of implementation, the user logs on as described earlier and he/she automatically obtains the user code, that is computed by using the electronic identifier 1002 stored in the account and the event code.
Note that another possibility to deliver a user code is via a telephone system. Here the user dials a predetermined number and when prompted enters the on the dial pad the electronic identifier 1002. The user code generator at the telephone processing site generates a user code on the basis of the electronic identifier 1002 and the event code and communicates it to the user via voice synthesis. Also if an account for the user is created at the telephone processing site, the electronic identifier 1002 may be stored and there is no need to enter it again for each transaction.
In a possible variant the electronic device 16 can be designed with a wireless communication capability, such as via a Bluetooth technology of Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) technology to allow the electronic device 16 to communicate directly with the server 304 via any local wireless reception station also called “hot spots”. In this fashion, the electronic device 16 does not require a connection to PC 300 to be set up by the server 304. Under this variant, all the commands and service selection choices can be made directly from the electronic device 16.
Note that when the electronic device 16 is provided with bidirectional communication capability, on-line purchases can be made by allowing the electronic device 16 to communicate over a cellular network with the server 304 over which the user record resides. Here, the on-line purchasing process is as described earlier, where the spectator attending the live sporting event chooses the product or service to buy and connects with the server 304 over the Internet 302 such as to complete the transaction. The transaction would include authenticating the user by providing a user ID and password. Assuming the payment instrument information and shipping information are already on record on the user account, the transaction completes.
Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this invention, which is defined more particularly by the attached claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/701,473 filed on Jul. 22, 2005 by Jean Arseneau et al. and hereby incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/778,363 filed on Mar. 3, 2006 by Jean Arseneau et al. and hereby incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/789,911 filed on Apr. 7, 2006 by Jean Arseneau and hereby incorporated by reference herein.
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| 2369832 | Sep 2000 | CA |
| 2636037 | Sep 2000 | CA |
| 2 361 659 | May 2003 | CA |
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| 9939299 | Aug 1999 | WO |
| WO 0054554 | Sep 2000 | WO |
| WO 0108417 | Feb 2001 | WO |
| 0120572 | Mar 2001 | WO |
| WO0208948 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| WO 02096097 | Nov 2002 | WO |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070019069 A1 | Jan 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60701473 | Jul 2005 | US | |
| 60778363 | Mar 2006 | US | |
| 60789911 | Apr 2006 | US |
