CA2659480A1

CA2659480A1 - Method and system for remotely providing video content to an electronic screen

Info

Publication number: CA2659480A1
Application number: CA2659480A
Authority: CA
Inventors: David Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-19
Filing date: 2009-03-19
Publication date: 2010-09-19

Abstract

A method and system for providing content to a remote electronic screen, the remote electronic screen comprising a screen and a target computer, the method establishing a connection, from a first terminal, to the target computer;
transferring a content file from the first terminal to the target computer;
invoking, from the first terminal, software residing on the target computer to display the content file on the screen.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REMOTELY PROVIDING VIDEO CONTENT TO
AN ELECTRONIC SCREEN

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates to digital advertising displays and electronic screens, and to the display of content on digital billboards, electronic signs or displays.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The prior art approach to electronic signage is to maintain a data transmission line between a central location and a target computer adapted to control the electronic screen. At pre-determined intervals, the target computer polls the central location and asks whether new content is available. If new content is available, it is downloaded to the target computer and displayed on the electronic screen according to a schedule.

[0003] One such prior art system is described in US2007/0271140 to Kanno.

[0004] Such systems have major drawbacks, such as the expenses associated to maintaining a dedicated data transmission line, as well as the bandwidth wasted in polling. Moreover, depending on the length of intervals between polling, there may be a significant delay between the time that new content is ready, and the time that it is displayed.

SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure provides for an improved system and method for delivering content to an electronic screen, and in particular an electronic screen used for public display. Specifically, the present disclosure does not require a dedicated communication line.

[0006] Rather, the user of a system according to the present disclosure may use any existing internet communication line for the time required for the desired digital content to be transmitted to the remote target location.

[0007] Thus, the present disclosure includes a mechanism for enabling the transfer of created content from any standard computer, located anywhere around the globe to a target location, also anywhere around the globe, as long as both the standard computer and the target location are connected to the Internet.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing content to a remote electronic screen, the remote electronic screen comprising a screen and a target computer, comprising the steps of: establishing a connection, from a first terminal, to the target computer;
transferring a content file from the first terminal to the target computer;
invoking, from the first terminal, software residing on the target computer to display the content file on the screen.

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for controlling an electronic screen comprising: an electronic screen; a target computer, the target computer including: screen control software, the screen control software being adapted to control the display of the electronic screen; a communications module for communicating with a network and with the electronic screen, the communications module being adapted to allow remote users to transfer files to the target computer and to invoke the screen control software.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a system implementing the method according to one embodiment.
Figure 2 shows a process diagram of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a system for implementing the method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a target computer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Reference is now made to Figure 1. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user may log in to a first computer terminal 12, which is connected, either temporarily or permanently to a network 14. In one embodiment, the network 14 is the Internet, but the present disclosure is not so limited and the network 14 could be any Wide Area Network (WAN).

[0012] From the computer terminal 12, the user may access the target computer 16, which is also connected to the network 14. According to the embodiment where the network 14 is the Internet, this is done by typing in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) such as a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) web address in a browser. In other embodiments this is done by any other means of connecting to a remote computer known in the art.

[0013] In one embodiment the user must first be authenticated before having access to the target computer 16. This step may take the form of prompting the user for a user name and password, or any other authentication method known in the art, such as biometrics.

[0014] In one embodiment, the target computer has as part of its motherboard at least two USB ports, at least two Ethernet ports, at least one VGA video port, at least one hard drive, and a CPU that can fully handle DirectX to handle all types of video files. In other embodiments, the target computer can have other configurations.

[0015] Once the user is logged on to the target computer 16, the next step is to transfer the content file 13, which is residing on the computer terminal 12, to the target computer 16. As will be appreciated, target computer includes storage means 17, such as a hard drive, for storing, inter alia, content files. The content file 13 may be simple - consisting of only an image - or it may be more complex - consisting of multiple images, animated images, audio and/or video. It will be appreciated that the present system and method can accommodate any type of file format as long as the file contains media to be displayed on an electronic screen. Examples of such formats include, but are not limited to JPG, FLASH, WMV, MPEG, AVI, RSS, URL, HTML, BMP, PNG, TIFF, PCX, TGA, MHT, images displayed as a slide show, scrolling text, webcam feeds, or television via a TV tuner card.

[0016] The transfer of the file can occur in any number of ways as is known in the art. In particular, if the user is accessing the target computer 16 via a web page, the user may be prompted to provide the directory path to the content file.

[0017] In another embodiment, the target computer 16 is adapted to provide Remote Virtual Media functionality to the computer terminal 12. As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, Remote Virtual Media allows a local system to read and write to the media, such as a hard drive, of a remote system.
In such an embodiment, once the user is logged on to the target computer 16, the hard drive, or other media, of the target computer 12 will appear as though it is local to the computer terminal 16. From the user's point of view, the computer terminal 12 can then read from and actually write to media belonging to the target computer 16 as if that media was physically connected to the computer terminal 12. Therefore, in such a method, the transfer of the content file 13 could be performed by drag-and-drop.

[0018] Two main manufacturers of KVM technology are AvocentTM and Raritan TM
Both of these manufacturers' products are applicable to the present disclosure.

[0019] Once the content file 13 is transferred to the target computer 16, the user must invoke screen control software residing on the target computer 16. As seen in Figure 1, target computer 16 is operatively connected to an electronic screen 18. It is not critical to the present disclosure whether electronic screen 18 is a large outdoor billboard or a smaller indoor sign, and the present disclosure is applicable to any type of electronic screen. Similarly, screen control software residing on target computer 16 may be of any type known in the art, as long as it provides the necessary functionality required to control the content displayed on electronic screen 18.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the full functionality of the screen control software is made available on the computer terminal 12 through a remote user interface. Accordingly, the user may make any changes to the content displayed on screen 18 as required.

[0021] Another pitfall of the prior art addressed by the present disclosure is the problem which occurs if the target computer, which controls the display of the electronic screen, fails or stops responding. In these cases, any communication with the target computer is impossible until a technician travels to the site of the target computer to fix the problem, at great cost. The present disclosure provides a solution to this problem by allowing to remotely reboot the target computer in the event it crashes.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this feature is implemented by providing Keyboard-Video-Mouse ("KVM") technology with the remote computer. KVM allows the keyboard and mouse inputs from one local computer to be interpreted as actual keyboard and mouse inputs on a remote computer, and to transmit the video display of the remote computer to the local computer.

[0023] As will be appreciated, in its simplest form, a KVM switch has separate connections (ports) for each computer that will connect to the switch via a keyboard cable, a mouse cable, and a video (e.g. VGA) cable. Inside the switch there may be a separate chip set per port (some KVM switches have one set of chips that can handle multiple ports) that will emulate an actual mouse and keyboard so that when the user is connected to computer B for instance using a two port KVM switch, computer A will still believe that a discrete mouse and keyboard are connected to it. This is important because most computers running some version of Windows, will "hang" if a keyboard and mouse are not sensed, at all times. Just as with a typical workstation (desktop computer) there is a one-to-one relationship between the computer and its associated keyboard, mouse and monitor. When the computer "hangs" or a "blue" screen is encountered, the normal procedure is to depress simultaneously the CTRL-ALT-DELETE keys to reboot the computer, a KVM switch enables the user to do exactly the same procedure for every computer that is connected to the KVM switch.

[0024] The open architecture of the IBM PC enabled numerous manufacturers to produce products that did not always function exactly the same way. The issue of compatibility became a major concern and at the same time a monumental task. As an example, the keyboard ports of different models of IBM PCs could behave differently in their interaction with a keyboard. IBM defined three different sets of keyboard Scan Codes: Set 1 for the XT, Set 2 for the AT and Set 3 for the 3270 terminal (the same keyboard for PCs). Most, but not all manufacturers of IBM compatible PCs use Scan Set 2. A microprocessor with good emulation should be able to handle all three sets of Scan Codes. A similar challenge exists for mice. Mice exist that use a serial DB-9 pin connector and others that use a 6 pin mini-DIN (Deutsches Institut fur Normung, German Standards Institute) connector.

[0025] As PCs proliferated, manufacturers of good quality KVM switches, recognized that in order to be successful and to be accepted by a wide and diverse market, their products had to be compatible with the vast majority of PCs, keyboards and mice.

[0026] Accordingly, KVM may be used to remotely reboot the target computer by pressing the keys CTRL-ALT-DELETE simultaneously as is known in the art.
Computers running Unix or Linux operating systems may have different rebooting commands, but KVM technology allows for these as well.

[0027] KVM technology further provides the advantage of providing the user with the display information of the target computer as it is rebooting, which may provide some useful information as to why the target computer had crashed. In particular, it is possible using KVM technology to access the target computer's BIOS if required.

[0028] KVM provides further advantages to the present disclosure. In particular, KVM technology may be used to allow the user to more easily invoke and use the screen control software of the target computer.

[0029] Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows a process diagram of the method according to the disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the method starts at step 21 where a user logs in remotely to an IP appliance that includes the target computer and the KVM circuit. The user is then authenticated at step 22.
Following that, the user transfers a content file from a first terminal to the target computer at step 23, and at step 24, screen control software residing on the target computer is invoked to show the new content on the electronic screen.

[0030] The present disclosure also includes a system for implementing the above described method. Such a system is depicted in Figure 3.

[0031] The system, generally depicted at 10, includes a target computer 30, a video link 36 or other communications link, and a screen 38. Target computer is essentially a conventional computer, having a microprocessor, memory, and storage devices, and includes an operating system. Importantly, target computer 30 includes a communications module 32 and screen control software 34.

[0032] The communications module 32 is responsible for communicating with a network, allowing remote users to log on to the target computer, authenticating users, and for communicating with the screen 38. As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the communications module 32 is also responsible for allowing for the transfer of the content file, and in one embodiment, for providing the Remote Virtual Media functionality. Furthermore, the communications module interacts with the screen control software 34, in order that input from a user on a remote computer be received by the software 34, and in one embodiment, to communicate back to the remote user any feedback provided by the software 34 in response.

[0033] The screen control software 34 is responsible for dictating to the screen 38 the content to be displayed. It does so by issuing commands to the screen via the communications module 32 and the video link 36. As discussed above, screen control software 34 receives input from a remote user via the communications module, and in a preferred embodiment, provides feedback to the communications module, which then transmits this information to the user.

[0034] In another preferred embodiment, the screen control software 34 allows the user to specify a schedule for different content to be displayed at different times.

[0035] The video link 36 can be any suitable type of link known in the art, including, but not limited to, wired communications, radio, or infrared.

[0036] The screen 38 is any type of known display screen adapted to display digital images. It must include its own communications module for communicating with the target computer 30, as is known in the art.

[0037] Reference is now made to Figure 4, which shows a block diagram of a target computer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] The target computer includes a chassis 41, which has been modified in order to accommodate additional circuitry such as an Internet Protocol (IP) appliance 43, and a KVM circuit 44. The KVM circuit 44 is connected to the motherboard 42 at Universal Serial Bus (USB) port 45, and at video port 46.
The KVM 44 circuit further connects to the computer's video out port 47, to which is connected an electronic screen 50.

[0039] An Ethernet port of the motherboard is connected to a first network connection 48a. Additional network connection 48b may also be provided. The IP appliance 43 is further connected to the KVM circuit 44, thereby allowing the KVM circuit 44 to communicate through the network.

[0040] The target computer further includes storage 49 which stores such things as operating system files, data files, such as media content, screen control software files, and others, as is known in the art.

[0041] The embodiments described herein are examples of structures, systems or methods having elements corresponding to elements of the techniques of this application. This written description may enable those skilled in the art to make and use embodiments having alternative elements that likewise correspond to the elements of the techniques of this application. The intended scope of the techniques of this application thus includes other structures, systems or methods that do not differ from the techniques of this application as described herein, and further includes other structures, systems or methods with insubstantial differences from the techniques of this application as described herein.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to a remote electronic screen, the remote electronic screen comprising a screen and a target computer, comprising the steps of:
establishing a connection, from a first terminal, to the target computer;
transferring a content file from the first terminal to the target computer;
and invoking, from the first terminal, software residing on the target computer to display the content file on the screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a connection establishes an Internet connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of establishing a connection comprises the step of authenticating a user identity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of establishing a connection comprises the step of accessing an HTTP web address from a web browser.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of authenticating a user identity comprises the step of prompting a user for a username and a password.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of authenticating a user identity comprises the step of scanning a user's biometrics.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a connection comprises the step of establishing a Remote Virtual Media (RVM) connection between the first terminal and the target computer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of transferring a content file comprises the step of performing a 'drag-and-drop' operation on the content file from a local media of the first terminal to a media of the target computer using the KVM connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the step of sending, from the target computer to the first terminal, feedback information from the software.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a connection comprises the step of establishing a Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) connection.

11. A system for controlling a electronic screen comprising:
a digital display sign;
a target computer, the target computer including:
digital signage control software, the screen control software being adapted to control the display of the digital display sign;
a communications module for communicating with a network and with the digital display sign, the communications module being adapted to allow remote users to transfer files to the target computer and to invoke the digital signage control software.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the network is the Internet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communications module includes means for authenticating a user identity.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communications module is further adapted to provide Remote Virtual Media functionality.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the target computer further includes a Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) switch.