MXPA06005096A - Broadcast signal delivery system for use with wireless technology - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for delivering media content streams to users of wireless communication devices comprising at least one wireless communication device, at least one media content source capable of delivering at least one media content stream, and at least one switching center for receiving media content requests from the wireless communication devices and delivering a media content stream from the media content source to the wireless communication device.

Description

TRANSMISSION SIGNAL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR USE WITH WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE This invention relates to mobile wireless communication systems such as mobile or cellular telephone networks, and more specifically to a system that provides the user with the ability to access entertainment content through a mobile receiver connected to said net.

The ability to dial a phone number and listen to a recorded message has been available since the days of the disk phones (for example, dial WEATHER (weather), 932-8437) to listen to a local weather forecast or other number to listen to the hour). At one time these were called "local" (and usually "free"), occasionally sponsored by local businesses, such as banks or the local telephone company.

Client access to these messages was usually achieved through a special "line" configuration at the telephone company's central office that does not require you to call, nor does someone "answer" (equivalent to picking up the receiver for a phone call). The dialing of the number was sufficient to "complete the call" and connect to the party making the call, allowing you to hear the message.The special configuration of this line could also allow more than one person to connect at the same time (without busy signal) and serve multiple clients simultaneously In the early forms of this service, the message was usually recorded on a magnetic tape, usually on a continuous tape and a cartridge that could be easily removed and replaced with another cartridge It contained an updated recording of the message, although the message was not limited to something recorded. r audio source that could be connected to the specially configured telephone line with appropriate signal levels (including a radio receiver).

As technology has advanced, these services have evolved into "payment service" programs, usually "900" (or "1-900) for regional or national areas." These services can provide information and services that range from international issues. simple as the time, the weather, winning lottery numbers, sports results and the joke of the day, to interactive services such as wake-up calls, personalized psychic readings or daily horoscopes, to advanced services such as conversation lines, dating services or Virtual games - These audio information services no longer have to reside completely in the telephone company's central office switch, they may be available in separate pieces of equipment that connect to the central office switch.

U.S. Patent No. 6721,403, which is hereby incorporated by reference, presents a system that distributes radio programming through the public telephone network (PSTN). The bandwidth restrictions of the PSTN network limit the sound quality of such systems, and the system presents a significant additional load on the PSTN network.

The very wide use of cell phones has stimulated the demand for new types of cellular services. At the same time, the propagation of radio transmission on the Internet demonstrates the technical and economic viability of alternative modes for the distribution of radio programs.

Thus, there is a need to provide the ability to offer high-quality transmission of radio programming and other media to cell phone users without the need for cell phones or cellular networks with broadband capability.

There is also a need to make radio programming available in locations where cellular service is available but radio reception is not available or only marginally available.

There is also a need to offer cell phone users access to media content types that would otherwise only be available in fixed locations, such as large collections of recorded music.

There is also the need to make a unique device such as a cell phone that serves the function of several different devices, such as a portable radio, a personal CD player and / or a personal MP3 player, to give access to the users to various types of media and services without forcing them to load multiple devices on their person.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned needs are met or exceeded with the present system to provide radio programming and other types of media content to subscribers of wireless services through their wireless devices.

In one instance, programming or media content is provided in "real time" to subscribers of wireless services through a system containing at least one wireless and portable communication device, at least one source of media content capable providing at least one media content stream and at least one switching center for receiving media content requests from wireless communication devices and providing media content streams from the media content sources to the wireless communication devices.

In another example, the system establishes a connection between a portable wireless communication device and a switching center, transmits a request for media content from the portable wireless communication device to the switching center and chooses a source of media content and a media content flow according to the media content request.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a copy of the present invention that uses a radio or television receiver as a source of media content; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of an instance of the present invention that uses components separate from the system to perform traditional switching functions and to connect wireless devices to media content sources; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a copy of the present invention using a computer located at the facilities of the media content provider as a source of media content; Y Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of an instance of the present invention using a computer located in the facilities of the wireless switch as a source of media content.

BEST WAY TO DEVELOP THE INVENTION Users can access this system by entering a service request number, that is, a special code on the keyboard of the wireless device such as "# 1003" or "* 80". The service request number is processed in the wireless switch of the cellular telephone company (Figure 1). The wireless switch is a router that directs all calls for the cell phone provider company. It directs the calls for the present invention to a receiver (an AM / FM tuner or preselected television receiver) that is physically placed near the wireless switch. Connecting the receiver to the wireless switch allows consumers to listen to the transmission through their wireless devices. As an alternative, if the cellular telephone provider incorporates the present invention into the cell phone menu system, the user can access it by making the appropriate selections in the menus.

The receiver function can also be played by any other type of media content source, such as an audio recorder. For example, an audio recorder could play a climate report or traffic report recorded in a continuous cycle.

An additional way to direct calls is to run multiple lines of communication from the wireless switch to the transmission station (Figure 3). At the transmission station, the communication lines are connected to computers. The selected content can be placed and updated perially on these computers where it is available to the clients who wish to listen to it. The content may include a "joke of the day" from a main host, celebrity sound checks, geographically specific traffic conditions and other data. This content has no limits. Multiple computers may be required to allow a larger volume for the delivery of selected content. This content can be returned through the communication lines with the wireless switch and finally to the client.

Referring now to Figure 1, a first instance of the present system is generally designated 10. In system 10, the cellular telephone user initiates a service request by entering a service request number on a cellular telephone 12.

The present system can be used with any type of wireless service and portable wireless communication device that is capable of present content of audio media to its user. The term "cell phone" is used herein to refer to any such wireless device and includes personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, laptops, and other mobile wireless devices that can be connected to wireless subscription services. This term should not be considered a limitation on the types of wireless services and devices in which the present invention may be used.

The service request number is transmitted through the private network of the cellular telephone provider company 14 composed of the cellular tower, satellites or similar network components that allow remote users to communicate wirelessly with a central provider company, Naturally more than one tower and / or a satellite are contemplated to form the network 14. Next, the request is finally directed to a switch or wireless switching center 16 which detects the service request number and, according to it, establishes a connection between the cellular telephone 12 and a corresponding media content source such as a radio tuner 18 or a television receiver 20.

One objective of the system is to allow the user of the cellular telephone 12 to listen to a source of media content such as the programming currently transmitted by a radio or television station to which the corresponding radio tuner 18 or television receiver 20 is tuned. Preferably, the user of the cellular telephone 12 receives the content in "real time", or in general simultaneously with the current transmission, taking into account the normal transmission delays.

It is contemplated that the wireless switch 16 has access to more than one radio tuner 18 and / or television receiver 20, which allows the user to choose between several radio and / or television stations by dialing different service request numbers. Thus, each service request number corresponds to a particular radio station or television channel. As an alternative, the system 10 can be configured to allow the user to dial a unique service request number to establish contact with the wireless switch 16 and then to choose between several stations interactively to! answering a series of questions of the wireless switch 16. Said questions can have the form of menus where the user makes choices, indications to introduce open answers or a combination of these and other interactive systems known in the art.

It is also contemplated that the system 10 may incorporate more than one wireless switch 16, for example, to increase the number of users it can service at the same time. In a system 10 with multiple wireless switches 16, each wireless switch 16 may be allowed to communicate with each radio tuner 18 and / or television receiver 20, for example, by cross connections of each switch to each source.

It is also contemplated that the wireless switch 16 may interact verbally with the user by means of speech recordings and / or speech synthesis. That is, the wireless switch 16 may present menus or prompts to the user reproducing sound recordings or using speech synthesis, and / or the user may respond by speaking to a language recognition device implemented in the wireless switch.

Once the connection between the cellular telephone 12 and the radio tuner 18 or the television receiver 20 is established, the supply of the requested media content flow continues until the user presses the "end call" button of the cell phone, places the "standby" connection to make a call or receive an incoming call or choose a different media content source. It is to predict that multiple users will want to hear the same source of media content at the same time. The wireless switch 16 can be coupled to this need by connecting any number of users to a single source of media content.

The user can also use the cell phone to make a phone call in the conventional manner. When the wireless switch 16 detects a dialed number that is not a service request number it directs the name to a telephone network with public switch (PSTN) 22 as it would if the present system were not present.

Referring now to Figure 2, a second example of the present system 10 is generally designated 30. The components shared with the system 10 in Figure 1 are designated with the same reference numerals. Thus, the system 30 includes the cellular telephone 12, the private network 14, the wireless switch 16, the radio tuner 18, the television receiver 20 and the telephone network with public switch 22. A difference between the systems 10 and 30 is that the function of the switch is divided between two components, the wireless switch 16 and an audio-text processor 32. The wireless switch 16 performs its traditional function of interface between the cellular network 14 and the PSTN network 22, but directs the numbers of request of service to the audiotext processor 26.

A suitable type of audiotext processor 32 is the "pulseteleserve" audiotext system offered by Pulse Software and Consulting, Inc., in Richmond Hill, Canada. It usually consists of a digital computer with a voice recognition card with an interface for the wireless switch and computer programs that control its operation. The audio-text processor 32 establishes a connection between the cellular telephone 12 and a source of media content such as a radio tuner 18 or a television receiver 20. These audio-text systems, with the correct programming and configuration, are very flexible in the types of services they can offer. The connection of audio sources is greatly simplified. The use of the magnetic tape players of the prior art has generally been replaced by computer programs that can record the audio information in a data file and reproduce that audio information completely electronically. Non-pre-recorded external programs, such as the audio of a radio and / or television transmission, can be provided by a receiver tuned to the specific frequency or channel of the transmission and connected to an input of the audio-text system. While it is contemplated that the present systems 10 and 30 are focused on the transmission of audio signals, it is contemplated that video signals may also be transmitted as well as the evolution of better wireless networks.

Referring now to Figure 3, a third preferred copy is generally designated 40. The components shared with the system 10 are designated with the same reference numbers and include the cellular phone 12, the private network 14 and the telephony network with switch public 22. A digital computer 48 supplies some or all media content streams, this computer is programmed to store recordings of media content such as radio programs, individual songs or informational messages, and to provide such recordings when required .

The computer 42 is located at the premises of a content provider company 44, typically a radio or television transmitting station and is connected via a dedicated communication channel 46 to a switching center 48, which may be the wireless switch 16. Illustrated in Figure 1 or the combination of the wireless switch 16 and the audiotext processor 32 illustrated in Figure 2.

Those skilled in the art will understand that a single digital computer can be programmed to supply the media content streams to different users and that the ability of the system 40 to supply multiple streams of media content can be increased by the use of a computer. more powerful, using additional computers, or both.

The digital computer 42 can be programmed to offer additional services to the user. For example, you can program to save a list of songs or other media content that an individual user likes, allowing that user to choose a song from the list with an abbreviated selection procedure. As another example, you can program to save a list of CDs and other copyrighted works for which the individual user has purchased the reproduction rights, which allows the user to choose a song from that list without paying a royalty. by reproduction that otherwise would be charged to the user. These two characteristics in combination allow the present system to perform the essential functions of a personal player such as the Apple iPod.

Also, two or more computers can be configured to offer different types of media content or media content from different sources. For example, system 40 may incorporate two or more computers that offer content on behalf of different transmitters or other content providers.

Since the digital computer 42 is capable of supplying many streams of media content (e.g., many different songs or programs), the switching center 48 must give the personal computer some kind of command to identify the flow of media content. requested by the user. It can do so by generating an appropriate command in response to user selection or making a connection between the user's cell phone 12 and the computer 42 that allows the user to select the media content stream interacting directly with the computer.

When a user requests a stream of content from recorded media, the content is usually presented from the beginning. It is understood that if several users request the same media content at the same time, the system must offer a flow of media content separately to each one, starting at the moment in which the user makes his request. This contrasts with the live media content offered by the radio tuner 18 and the television receiver 20 in the system 10, which offers a stream of media content in real time, and thus can offer a single flow of media content. for each radio station or television channel to any number of users.

Referring now to Figure 4, a fourth preferred exemplary is generally designated 50. The components shared with the system 40 in Figure 3 are the cellular telephone 12, the private network 14, the public switched telephone network 22, the central switching 48, the content provider 44 and the computer 42. A major differentiating feature of the system 50 is that the computer 42 is located at the premises of the cellular telephone provider company, near the switching center 48. Thus, the provider content 44 downloads the content to and controls the computer 42 from its facilities through a narrowband communications channel 52.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this exemplary eliminates the need for communication channel 46 in Figure 3 which requires a continuous connection, broadband and zero delay transmission, replacing them with a narrowband communication channel 52 that is needed as needed. only intermittently, does not require broadband and is not sensitive to transmission delays. The narrowband communication channel 52 can be implemented via a conventional internet protocol (1P) connection over the Internet.

Several preferred specimens of this invention have been described herein. It should be understood, of course, that changes and modifications can be made to the copy without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (17)

1 CLAIMS 1. A system for providing media content flows to users of wireless communication devices, said system comprising: at least one portable wireless communication device; at least one source of media content capable of offering at least one media content stream; and at least one switching center for receiving media content requests from said wireless communication device and providing a media content stream from said media content source to said wireless communication device.

2. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein said portable wireless communication device is taken from a group comprising a cellular phone, a personal data assistant with wireless communication capability, a manual computer with wireless communication capability and a portable computer with wireless communication capability.

3. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein said switching center is a wireless switch.

4. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein said switching center is a subsystem comprising a wireless switch and an audiotext processor, said wireless switch connects said portable wireless communication device with said audio-text processor and said audiotext processor performs at least a part of the function of choosing the source of media content and a unit of media content.

5. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein said switching center is configured so that a source of media content is chosen according to a service request number entered by the user.

6. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein at least one component of the system chosen from the group comprising said system menu of the portable wireless communication device, said wireless switch, an audio text processor and said source of media content is configured in a manner that a source of media content and a media content stream are chosen according to the user's responses to a series of at least one question presented by said at least one component of the system.

7. The system defined in Claim 1 wherein each of said sources of media content is taken from a group comprising a radio tuner, a television receiver, a device for recording audio and a computer configured to provide content streams of means against demand.

8. The system defined in Claim 7 wherein said computer is configured to receive and store a favorite content list of each user and to provide content streams of media chosen from that list according to an abbreviated selection procedure.

9. The system defined in Claim 3 wherein said wireless switch performs the additional function of allowing the user of the wireless communication device to make and receive telephone calls through the telephone network with public switch.

10. The system defined in Claim 4 wherein said wireless switch performs the additional function of allowing the user of the wireless communication device to make and receive telephone calls through the telephone network with public switch.

11. A method for providing media content flows to users of portable wireless communication devices, said method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection between a portable wireless communication device and a switching center; transmitting a request for media content from said wireless communication device to said switching center; choose a source of media content according to said request for media content; and providing a media content flow from said source of media content through said switching center to said wireless communication device.

12. The method defined in Claim 11 wherein a source of media content is chosen according to a service request number entered by the user.

13. The method defined in Claim 11 wherein a source of media content is chosen according to the user's responses to a series of at least one question presented through said wireless communication device.

14. The method defined in Claim 13 wherein said questions are presented to the user in visual form.

15. The method defined in Claim 13 wherein said questions are presented to the user in spoken form.

16. The method defined in Claim 13 wherein a user responds to said questions by pressing keys on said portable wireless communication device.

17. The method defined in Claim 13 wherein a user responds to said questions by speaking on said portable wireless communication device.