System and method for generating multimedia accompaniments to broadcast data
View Patent ↗A method and system is presented for coordinating the transmission of supplemental digital data to accompany broadcast data, and in particular, analog radio broadcasts, among a plurality of broadcasters. The supplemental digital data may provide information about the particular broadcast data being transmitted (i.e. cut data) or may be supplemental to such data (i.e. news, weather and traffic data). The supplemental digital data to be presented is sorted based on particular algorithms which may take into account broadcaster-specified criteria such as target audience, time of day, type of broadcast data presented, and the like. The supplemental digital data may be audio data, visual data, or audio-visual data for presentation with the broadcast data. The supplemental digital data may further be advertisement data. The advertisement data may be sold by the broadcasters or the party coordinating the IBOC transmission of the supplemental digital data. The supplemental digital data may play simultaneously with muted broadcast data or at a user-specified time.
1. A method comprising:
sending, from two or more broadcasters to an information provider, broadcast schedule information comprising data relating to at least one future broadcast by each broadcaster;
receiving, at each broadcaster from the information provider, supplemental information associated with the data relating to the at least one future broadcast; and
sending, through an electromagnetic medium from each broadcaster to one or more end user devices, broadcast content according to the broadcast schedule information and the supplemental information for playback of the broadcast content to the end user in conjunction with access to the supplemental information by the end user.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein sending through the electromagnetic medium comprises sending through radio frequency electromagnetic waves.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein sending comprises sending the broadcast content on a primary channel and sending the supplemental information in a sideband.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving comprises receiving prior to sending through the electromagnetic medium.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein sending comprises sending the broadcast content in an analog format and sending the supplemental information in a digital format.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises advertising data.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises multimedia data.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the multimedia data comprises interactive data.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein sending comprises sending according to an in-band on-channel format.
10. A system comprising:
a transmitter at each of two or more broadcasters;
a receiver at each broadcaster; and
a control system operatively coupled to the transmitter and receiver and adapted to send to an information provider from each broadcaster, broadcast schedule information comprising data relating to the at least one future broadcast by each broadcaster;
receive, through the receiver at each broadcaster from the information provider, supplemental information associated with the data relating to the at least one future broadcast; and
send through the transmitter at each broadcaster via an electromagnetic medium broadcast content according to the broadcast schedule information and the supplemental information to an end user device for playback of the broadcast content to the end user in conjunction with access to the supplemental information by the end user.
11. The system of claim 10 further comprising an antenna˜operatively coupled to the transmitter adapted to operate in a radio frequency.
12. A method comprising:
sending, from two or more broadcasters to an information provider, broadcast schedule information identifying when broadcast data is to be transmitted from each broadcaster over specific broadcast channels at predetermined times to an end user;
receiving, at each broadcaster from the information provider, supplemental digital data correlated to the broadcast data such that both can concurrently be provided by each broadcaster; and
broadcasting from each broadcaster, to one or more end users, the broadcast data and the correlated supplemental digital data at a corresponding one of the predetermined times on a corresponding one of the specific broadcast channels as part of an in-band, on-channel transmission.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the broadcaster comprises a radio station.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving comprises receiving via an internet gateway.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the broadcast data comprises an audio track.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the supplemental digital data comprises content that is unrelated to the broadcast data.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein the supplemental digital data comprises a multimedia presentation that can be simultaneously broadcast by a broadcaster.
18. A system comprising:
a transmitter at each of two or more broadcasters;
a receiver at each broadcaster;
an internet gateway; and
a control system adapted to
send via the internet gateway, from each broadcaster to an information provider, broadcast schedule information identifying when broadcast data is to be transmitted from each broadcaster over specific broadcast channels at predetermined times to an end user;
receiving, through the receiver at each broadcaster from the information provider, supplemental digital data correlated to the broadcast data such that both can concurrently be provided by each broadcaster; and
broadcasting via the transmitter from each broadcaster, to one or more end users, the broadcast data and the correlated supplemental digital data at a corresponding one of the predetermined times on a corresponding one of the specific broadcast channels as part of an in-band, on-channel transmission.