IP Library Granted Patent US 8,990,853
Granted Patent B1
US 8,990,853 · App. 13/833,760 · Granted Mar 24, 2015

Systems and methods for determining a time period remaining until a live production system changes states

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,990,853
App. No.
13/833,760
Granted
Mar 24, 2015
Kind
B1
Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for determining a time period remaining until a live production system changes states. An example method involves accessing a stored television-broadcasting traffic log; making a first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source; making a second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log is the next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source; making a third determination that the log-entry B includes a start-time B; responsive to making the first, second, and third determinations, proximate a current time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, determining a time period as a difference between the current time and the start-time B; and providing the determined time-period to an output device for presentation proximate the current time.

Claims (43)

1. A method comprising:

an automation system accessing a stored television-broadcasting traffic log, wherein the traffic log includes multiple ordered log entries;

the automation system making a first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source;

the automation system making a second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log is the next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source;

the automation system making a third determination that the log-entry B includes a start-time B;

responsive to making the first, second, and third determinations, proximate a current time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, the automation system determining a time period as a difference between the current time and the start-time B; and

the automation system providing the determined time-period to an output device for presentation proximate the current time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the log-entry A corresponds to a recorded video-component (VC), the method further comprising proximate the start-time A, the automation system causing the stored VC to start being sent to an air-chain system for television broadcast.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automation system making the first determination that the log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source comprises the automation system determining that a source identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the log-entry A does not correspond to a live-production source.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automation system making the second determination that the selected log-entry B in the traffic log is a next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source comprises the automation system determining that the log-entry B is a next log entry after the log-entry A to include a live-production source-identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the respective log entry.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the automation system modifying the determined time-period by adding approximately one second to the determined time-period.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the automation system detecting a triggering event, wherein making the first, second, and third determinations occur in response to the automation system detecting the triggering event.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the automation system detecting the triggering event comprises the automation system determining that a start time of a log entry in the traffic log has changed.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at periodic intervals, (i) proximate a next current-time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, the automation system determining a next time-period as a difference between the next current-time and the start-time B, and (ii) the automation system providing the determined next time-period to an output device for presentation proximate the next current-time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automation system making the first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source comprises wherein the automation system making the first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-news-production source, and wherein the automation system making the second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log is the next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source comprises the automation system making the second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log is the next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-news-production source.

10. A method comprising:

an automation system accessing a stored television-broadcasting traffic log, wherein the traffic log includes multiple ordered log entries;

the automation system making a first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log corresponds to a live-production source;

the automation system making a second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log immediately follows the log entry A;

the automation system making a third determination that the log entry B does not correspond to a live-production source;

the automation system making a fourth determination that the log-entry B includes a start-time B;

responsive to making the first, second, third, and fourth determinations, proximate a current time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, the automation system determining a time period as a difference between the current time and the start-time B; and

the automation system providing the determined time-period to an output device for presentation period proximate the current time.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising proximate the start-time A, the automation system causing a streaming video component (VC) to start being channeled from the live-production source to an air-chain system for television broadcast.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the automation system making the first determination that the log-entry A in the traffic log corresponds to a live-production source comprises the automation system determining that the log-entry A includes a live-production source-identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the log entry A.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the automation system making the third determination that the log-entry B does not correspond to a live-production source comprises the automation system determining that a source identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the log-entry B does not correspond to a live-production source.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the automation system modifying the determined time-period by adding approximately one second to the determined time-period.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the automation system detecting a triggering event, wherein making the first, second, third, and fourth determinations occur in response to the automation system detecting the triggering event.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the automation system detecting the triggering event comprises determining that a start time of a log entry in the traffic log has changed.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising at periodic intervals, (i) proximate a next current-time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, the automation system determining a next time-period as a difference between the next current-time and the start-time B, and (ii) the automation system providing the determined next time-period to an output device for presentation proximate the next current-time.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the automation system making the first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log corresponds to a live-production source comprises the automation system making the first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log corresponds to a live-news-production source, wherein the automation system making the third determination that the log entry B does not correspond to a live-production source comprises the automation system making the third determination that the log entry B does not correspond to a live-news-production source.

19. A television-broadcasting system comprising:

an output device; and

an automation system connected to the output device via a communication network, wherein the automation system includes a computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed cause the automation system to perform a set of functions, the set comprising:

accessing a stored television-broadcasting traffic log, wherein the traffic log includes multiple ordered log entries;

making a first determination that a log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source;

making a second determination that a log-entry B in the traffic log is the next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source;

making a third determination that the log-entry B includes a start-time B;

responsive to making the first, second, and third determinations, proximate a current time that is on or after a start-time A corresponding to the log-entry A and that is before the start-time B, determining a time period as a difference between the current time and the start-time B; and

providing the determined time-period to the output device for presentation proximate the current time.

20. The television-broadcasting system of claim 19 , further comprising an air-chain system, wherein the log-entry A corresponds to a recorded video-component (VC), and wherein the set further comprises proximate the start-time A, causing the stored VC to start being sent to the air-chain system for television broadcast.

21. The television-broadcasting system of claim 19 , wherein making the first determination that the log-entry A in the traffic log does not correspond to a live-production source comprises determining that a source identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the log-entry A does not correspond to a live-production source.

22. The television-broadcasting system of claim 19 , wherein making the second determination that the selected log-entry B in the traffic log is a next log entry after the log-entry A to correspond to a live-production source comprises determining that the log-entry B is a next log entry after the log-entry A to include a live-production source-identifier stored in a source-identifier field of the respective log entry.

Assignments (5)
PARTIAL RELEASE - REEL/FRAME 036354/0902 Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC
Reel/Frame 050475/0342 →
PARTIAL RELEASE - REEL/FRAME 032125/0204 Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC
Reel/Frame 050475/0448 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 19, 2019
From: CHICAGOLAND TELEVISION NEWS, INC.; KPLR, INC.; KSTU, LLC; KSWB, LLC; KTLA, LLC; KTVI, LLC; KWGN, LLC; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING DENVER, LLC; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING FORT SMITH, LLC; TRIBUNE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE MEDIA COMPANY; TRIBUNE TELEVISION NEW ORLEANS, INC.; WDAF LICENSE, INC.; WDCW, LLC; WGHP, LLC; WGN CONTINENTAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC; WHNT, LLC; WJW TELEVISION, LLC; WNEP, LLC; WPIX, LLC; WQAD, LLC; WREG, LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 050438/0004 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 14, 2015
From: GRACENOTE, INC.; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 036354/0902 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 23, 2014
From: TRIBUNE COMPANY; CASTTV INC.; CHICAGO TRIBUNE COMPANY, LLC; CHICAGOLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY, LLC; LOS ANGELES TIMES COMMUNICATIONS LLC; SUN-SENTINEL COMPANY, LLC; THE BALTIMORE SUN COMPANY, LLC; THE HARTFORD COURANT COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC; TRIBUNE INTERACTIVE, LLC; TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE TELEVISION NEW ORLEANS, INC.; WDCW, LLC; WGN CONTINENTAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 032125/0204 →