System & method for sending live video on the internet

Abstract

An Internet-based video feed management system controls, manages, and efficiently administers the commercial distribution of live video feeds from on-site video cameras as well as other sources of video feeds to production companies at other locations. The system employs a network of local video-propagation servers located in different localities for receiving the video feeds from the different source locations, and a master authorization server for receiving and granting requests via Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to the video-propagation servers. The master server issues an access code to the requesting party and establishing a unique publishing point for the requested video feed from the video-propagation server handling the feed. The on-site video cameras can supply live video feeds to the requesting parties, or the video feeds can be transmitted to a video-propagation server for storage and later re-transmission. The master server is provided with a master feed list and a pricing table for computing billings to requesting parties, and payments to sources of video feeds. The master feed list is updated by feed listings input to the video-propagation servers. For live video feeds captured by different types of video cameras at the on-site locations, the system allows a requesting party to access the video camera for remote control on the Internet. An universal control panel GUI is provided for the browser of the requesting party, and is used to issue command codes corresponding to the respective video camera type. The system can be used to automatically generate video Web pages hosted on the master server and linked to the clients' Web sites. The master server allows the client to select from different display templates, and to upload their identification graphics for incorporation into the display template with the desired video feed, thereby obtaining a marked reduction in production costs for creating video Web pages for e-commerce, live events programming, etc.

1 . A video feed management system comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of video feeds generated from respective video cameras located on-site at a plurality of locations, said video feeds being transmitted via Internet to a designated local propagation server;    (b) a plurality of local video-propagation servers located in respective different localities for receiving via Internet the video feeds from the respective video cameras located on-site at locations in respective ones of the different localities; and    (c) a master authorization server connected to the Internet for receiving requests via Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to any of the video-propagation servers and granting a requesting party access to a requested video feed through the video-propagation server receiving the requested video feed.    
     
     
         2 . A video feed management system according to  claim 1 , wherein said master authorization server is configured with means to grant access to a requested video feed by issuing an access code to the requesting party and establishing a unique publishing point for the requested video feed from the video-propagation server handling the feed, which is accessed by the requesting party using said access code.  
     
     
         3 . A video feed management system according to  claim 1 , wherein said on-site video cameras capture video feeds of live events and transmit them to the video-propagation servers for access by requesting parties as live video feeds.  
     
     
         4 . A video feed management system according to  claim 1 , wherein said video feed transmitted to a video-propagation server is stored or cached in a video data storage provided with the video-propagation server for re-transmission later upon request.  
     
     
         5 . A video feed management system according to  claim 1 , wherein a video feed transmitted to one video-propagation server is multicast to other video-propagation servers for distribution to requesting parties nearest respective ones of said other video-propagation servers.  
     
     
         6 . A video feed management system according to  claim 5 , wherein video feeds are multicast to other video-propagation servers based upon a feed list of popular video feeds maintained by said master authorization server.  
     
     
         7 . A method of managing video feeds obtained from local sources on the Internet comprising the steps of: 
 (a) generating a plurality of video feeds from respective video cameras located on-site at a plurality of source locations, said video feeds being transmitted via Internet to a designated local propagation server;    (b) transmitting video feeds generated from respective source locations in a locality to a designated one of a plurality of local video-propagation servers located in different localtities; and    (c) receiving requests at a master authorization server connected to the Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to any of the video-propagation servers, and granting a requesting party access to a requested video feed through the video-propagation server receiving the requested video feed.    
     
     
         8 . A video feed management system comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of video feeds obtained from respective local sources of the video feeds;    (b) at least one video-propagation server for receiving a plurality of video feeds from respective local sources and allowing access via Internet to any video feed requested by a requesting party in accordance with authorization granted therefor;    (c) a master authorization server connected to the Internet for receiving requests via Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to the at least one video-propagation server, and granting the requesting party access to the requested video feed from the video-propagation server; and    (d) said master authorization server being provided with a computerized pricing table for computing a billing rate for the requesting party for access to the requested video feed, in order to generate a billing statement to the requesting party for use of the video feed.    
     
     
         9 . A video feed management system according to  claim 8 , wherein said master authorization server is provided with a computerized video feed list that is updated by the at least one video-propagation server with video feed listings of the video feeds transmitted to the at least one video-propagation server.  
     
     
         10 . A video feed management system according to  claim 8 , wherein said master authorization server includes a video feed list and means for tracking any access requested for a video feed from the video feed list and computing a payment rate for the source of the requested video feed, in order to generate a payment statement to the source for access to the video feed.  
     
     
         11 . A video feed management system according to  claim 8 , wherein said pricing table includes a pricing structure having different pricing rates for different factors of video feeds handled by the system, said different factors of video feeds including one or more of the following group of factors: (a) feed quality at different video feed data rates; (b) feed length computed at a pricing amount per unit time; (c) use rights for different terms of access to the video feeds; and (d) feed demand at different pricing amounts based upon demand for access to the video feeds.  
     
     
         12 . A video feed management system according to  claim 10 , wherein said feed list includes a payment structure having different payment rates for different types of video feeds handled by the system, said different types of video feeds including one or more of the following group: (a) live video feeds; (b) video feeds stored at a video data storage of the at least one video-propagation server; and (c) pre-recorded video feeds supplied to the at least one video-propagation server on demand of a requesting party.  
     
     
         13 . A method of managing video feeds video feeds obtained from local sources on the Internet comprising the steps of: 
 (a) generating a plurality of video feeds from respective local sources;    (b) transmitting the video feeds from respective local sources to at least one video-propagation server and allowing access via Internet to any video feed requested by a requesting party in accordance with authorization granted therefor;    (c) receiving requests at a master authorization server connected to the Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to the at least one video-propagation server, and granting the requesting party access to the requested video feed from the video-propagation server; and    (d) providing at said master authorization server a computerized pricing table for computing a billing rate for the requesting party for access to the requested video feed, in order to generate a billing statement to the requesting party for use of the video feed.    
     
     
         14 . A video feed remote control system comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of video feeds generated from respective video cameras located on-site at a plurality of locations, said video cameras being of a predetermined different video camera types;    (b) a plurality of video camera computers operable with respective ones of the video cameras for controlling them to generate the respective video feeds therefrom and transmit them to a designated local video-propagation server, said video camera computers being connected to the Internet and addressable by respective IP addresses;    (c) at least one video-propagation server connected to the Internet for receiving via Internet video feeds from the respective video cameras located at the on-site locations;    (d) a master authorization server connected to the Internet for receiving requests via Internet from requesting parties for access to any of the video feeds transmitted to the at least one video-propagation server and granting a requesting party access to a requested video feed from the video-propagation server receiving the requested video feed; and    (e) a universal control panel graphical user interface (GUI) provided on a browser-enabled computer operated by the requesting party for controlling any of the different video camera types used to generate the video feeds, wherein upon granting a requesting party access to a requested video feed, said master authorization server provides to the requesting party an identification of the video camera type and the IP address of the computer for the video camera generating the requested video feed to enable the requesting party to issue control signals for the corresponding video camera type to the IP address of the computer for the video camera generating the requested video feed.    
     
     
         15 . A video feed remote control system according to  claim 14 , wherein said universal control-panel GUI and a plurality of control panel GUI files are provided with a browser-enabled computer of a requesting party, and each control panel GUI file corresponds to a respective one of the different video camera types, and enables a display of the universal control panel GUI on the requesting party's computer and issues a respective set of command codes for inputs to the universal control panel GUI corresponding to the respective video camera type.  
     
     
         16 . A video feed remote control system according to  claim 14 , wherein said universal control-panel GUI is provided as a browser-based GUI file to a browser-enabled computer of a requesting party, said at least one video-propagation server provides a link from the computer of the requesting party to the computers for the respective video cameras, and a command code conversion module is maintained with the at least one video-propagation server for converting universal command codes issued from the universal control panel GUI on the requesting party's computer into command codes corresponding to a respective one of the different video camera types.  
     
     
         17 . An automated video Web page generating system comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of video feeds obtained from respective sources;    (b) at least one video-propagation server connected to the Internet for receiving the plurality of video feeds and transmitting a video feed via Internet as requested by a requesting party on the Internet;    (c) a master authorization server connected to the Internet for receiving a request via Internet from a requesting party to use any one of the video feeds in a requested display presentation format in conjunction with a video Web page to be linked to a Web site maintained by the requesting party; and    (d) said master authorization server being provided with a video Web page generation module for automatically generating a; video Web page in the requested display presentation format using the requested video feed, and linking the generated video Web page to the client company's Web site.    
     
     
         18 . An automated video Web page generating system according to  claim 17 , wherein said master authorization server includes means for allowing the requesting party to select a display template from a plurality of stored display templates for different display presentation formats, and to upload the requesting party's identification graphics to the master server for incorporation into a selected display template.  
     
     
         19 . An automated video Web page generating system according to  claim 18 , wherein said system is used to automatically generate video Web page ads for a client company, said display templates include a selection of ad display templates for use with the client company's identification graphics and any requested video feed.  
     
     
         20 . An automated video Web page generating system according to  claim 18 , wherein said system is used to automatically generate video Web pages for live events programming of a video production company which are hosted by the master authorization server and linked to the video production company's Web site.