Patents

U.S. Patent 6,269,216 ("Transmit")
Issued: Jul. 7, 2001
Title: Transmission Of A Variable Content Video Program.

Abstract:
A system capable of, and a method of, transmitting video, the system comprising a storage and communications for, and the method comprising the steps of, storing a plurality of video programs; receiving a video program request from a remote player; and transmitting, responsive to said video program request, a video program to said remote player, the transmitted video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within the video, and a user interface particular to the video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; said remote player comprising at least one processor utilized to process video, a randomly accessible storage, and a control program for playing, responsive to an application of a user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said playing seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video program to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.

Claims:

• 1. A system capable of transmitting video, the system comprising:
  • storage means for storing a plurality of video programs; and
  • processing and communicating means for receiving a video program request from a remote player, and for transmitting, responsive to said video program request, a video program to said remote player, the transmitted video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within the video, and a user interface particular to the video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; said remote player comprising at least one processor utilized to process video, a randomly accessible storage, and a control program for playing, responsive to an application of a user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said playing seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not
  • require a user of said video program to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
    
    
• 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmitting comprises a broadband digital transmission; wherein said randomly accessible storage comprises a storage selected from the group consisting of a magnetic disk, an electronic memory, and a removable laser read/write disc; wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category; and wherein said user established content preference is responsive to a motion picture rating system.  
  
  
• 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to sex.
  
  
• 4. A method of transmitting video, the method comprising the steps of:
  • storing a plurality of video programs;
  • receiving a video program request from a remote player; and
  • transmitting, responsive to said video program request, a video program to said remote player, the transmitted video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within the video, and a user interface particular to the video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; said remote player comprising at least one processor utilized to process video, a randomly accessible storage, and a control program for playing, responsive to an application of a user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said playing seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video program to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
    
    
• 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said transmitting comprises a broadband digital satellite transmission; wherein said randomly accessible storage comprises a storage selected from the group consisting of a magnetic disk, an electronic memory, and a removable laser read/write disc; and wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of detail.
  
  
• 6. The method of claim 4, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence; and wherein said user established content preference is responsive to a motion picture rating system.
  
  
• 7. The method of claim 4, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to sex.
  
  
• 8. A system capable of transmitting video, the system comprising communicating means for transmitting a video program to a plurality of remote players; said video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within said video, and a user interface particular to said video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; each of the remote players comprising at least one processor utilized to process video, a randomly accessible storage, and a control program for playing, responsive to an application of a user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said playing seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
  
  
• 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said transmitting comprises a broadband digital satellite transmission; wherein said randomly accessible storage comprises a storage selected from the group consisting of a magnetic disk, an electronic memory, and a removable laser read/write disc; and wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of detail.
  
  
• 10. The system of claim 8, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to sex.
  
  
• 11. A method of transmitting video, the method comprising the step of transmitting a video program to a remote player; said video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within said video, and a user interface particular to said video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; said remote player comprising at least one processor utilized to process video, a randomly accessible storage, and a control program for playing, responsive to an application of a user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and
  
  
  • from within, said video; whereby said playing seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
    
    
• 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in at least one video content category; and wherein said user established content preference is responsive to a motion picture rating system.  
  
  
• 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to sex.
  
  
• 14. A system capable of transmitting video, the system comprising:
  • storage means for storing a video program, said video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within said video, and a user interface particular to said video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference; and
  • processing and communicating means for enabling a user of a remote player to establish a content preference by a use of said user interface, and for transmitting to said remote player, responsive to an application of the user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said transmitting seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video program to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
    
    
• 15. The system of claim 14, wherein said remote player comprises a randomly accessible storage for storing the transmitted seamless version of said video; and wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of detail.
  
  
• 16. The system of claim 14, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is responsive to a motion picture rating system.
  
  
• 17. The system of claim 14, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to sex.
  
  
• 18. A method of transmitting video, the method comprising the step of:
  • storing a video program, said video program comprising a video including within a set of parallel video segments that provide for at
  • least two versions of a scene, segment information directly defining a plurality of video segments within said video, and a user
  • interface particular to said video program for enabling a user to establish a content preference;
  • enabling a user of a remote player to establish a content preference by a use of said user interface; and
  • transmitting to said remote player, responsive to an application of the user established content preference to said segment information, and by means of a random accessing and a buffering, a seamless version of, and from within, said video; whereby said transmitting seamlessly skips over at least a portion of at least one parallel video segment included within said video, does not require a user of said video program to create the segment information, and does not require an alternative video source.
    
    
• 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in at least one video content category; and wherein said user established content preference is responsive to a motion picture rating system.
  
  
• 20. The method of claim 18, wherein said set of parallel video segments provide for at least two versions of said scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to violence, wherein said video includes within another set of parallel video segments that provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in a video content category relating to sex; and wherein said user established content preference is separately established for a level of explicitness with respect to said video content category relating to violence and for a level of explicitness with respect to said videocontent category relating to sex.