IP Library Granted Patent US 10,321,176
Granted Patent B1
US 10,321,176 · App. 14/493,627 · Granted Jun 11, 2019

System and method for retrieving one of multiple media-components associated with a single broadcasting traffic log entry

Inventor: Hank J. Hundemer (Bellevue, KY)
Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC
H04N21/262H04N21/232H04N21/435
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,321,176
App. No.
14/493,627
Granted
Jun 11, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system and method for retrieving one of multiple media-components associated with a single traffic log entry. In one example, a method for retrieving a video-component (VC) in a television-broadcasting environment is disclosed. The method includes (i) associating an identifier with an evergreen VC, a time-sensitive VC, and an expiration time of the time-sensitive VC; (ii) determining whether the expiration time has lapsed; (iii) if the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC; (iv) if the expiration time has not lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC; (v) selecting a log entry; (vi) determining that the selected entry includes the identifier; and (vii) responsive to determining that the selected entry includes the identifier, retrieving from a data storage, the one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC that the identifier corresponds to.

Claims (41)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of a set of functions to facilitate operation of a television-broadcasting system comprising a master control system and an air-chain system, the set of functions comprising:

associating, by the master control system, an identifier with an evergreen video-component (VC), a time-sensitive VC, and an expiration time of the time-sensitive VC;

determining, by the master control system, whether the expiration time has lapsed;

based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining, by the master control system, that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC, wherein if the determination is that the expiration time has lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC and if the determination is that the expiration time has not lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC;

selecting, by the master control system, a log entry from a television-broadcast traffic-log that specifies a sequence of video components scheduled to be broadcast by the master control system, wherein the selected log entry includes the identifier and a scheduled broadcast start-time;

retrieving, by the master control system, from a data storage, the one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC that the identifier in the selected log entry was determined to correspond to; and

sending, by the master control system, the retrieved VC to the air-chain system for television broadcast, wherein the air-chain system is configured to (i) receive the VC, encode the received VC, and broadcast the encoded VC.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has not lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the expiration time has lapsed comprises determining whether the expiration time has lapsed based on a software interrupt event of the expiration time lapsing.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is included in a house-number field in the selected log entry.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the air-chain system comprises a transmitter, and wherein sending the retrieved VC to an air-chain system for television broadcast comprises sending the retrieved VC to the transmitter.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is an identifier A, the selected log entry is a log entry A, and the log entry A further includes a start time A;

wherein the traffic-log further includes a log entry B, the log entry B includes an identifier B and a start time B, and the identifier B maps to a VC B; and

wherein the start time A precedes the start time B, the time-sensitive VC promotes the VC B, and the expiration time is approximately the start time B.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the VC B is a news program.

9. A method to facilitate operation of a television-broadcasting system comprising a master control system and an air-chain system, the method comprising:

associating, by the master control system, an identifier with an evergreen video-component (VC), a time-sensitive VC, and an expiration time of the time-sensitive VC;

determining, by the master control system, whether the expiration time has lapsed;

based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining, by the master control system, that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC, wherein if the determination is that the expiration time has lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC and if the determination is that the expiration time has not lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC;

selecting, by the master control system, a log entry from a television-broadcast traffic-log that specifies a sequence of video components scheduled to be broadcast by the master control system, wherein the selected log entry includes the identifier and a scheduled broadcast start-time;

retrieving, by the master control system, from a data storage, the one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC that the identifier in the selected log entry was determined to correspond to; and

sending, by the master control system, the retrieved VC to the air-chain system for television broadcast, wherein the air-chain system is configured to (i) receive the VC, encode the received VC, and broadcast the encoded VC.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has not lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining whether the expiration time has lapsed comprises determining whether the expiration time has lapsed based on a software interrupt event of the expiration time lapsing.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the identifier is included in a house-number field in the selected log entry.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the air-chain system comprises a transmitter, and wherein sending the retrieved VC to an air-chain system for television broadcast comprises sending the retrieved VC to the transmitter.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the identifier is an identifier A, the selected log entry is a log entry A, and the log entry A further includes a start time A;

wherein the traffic-log further includes a log entry B, the log entry B includes an identifier B and a start time B, and the identifier B maps to a VC B; and

wherein the start time A precedes the start time B, the time-sensitive VC promotes the VC B, and the expiration time is approximately the start time B.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the VC B is a news program.

17. A method to facilitate operation of a television-broadcasting system comprising a master control system and an air-chain system, the method comprising:

determining, by the master control system, whether an expiration time of a time-sensitive video-component (VC) has lapsed;

based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining, by the master control system, that an identifier corresponds to a particular one of an evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC, wherein if the determination is that the expiration time has lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC and if the determination is that the expiration time has not lapsed, the master control system determines that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC;

selecting, by the master control system, a log entry from a television-broadcast traffic-log that specifies a sequence of video components scheduled to be broadcast by the master control system, wherein the selected log entry includes the identifier and a scheduled broadcast start-time;

retrieving, by the master control system, from a data storage, the one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC that the identifier in the selected log entry was determined to correspond to; and

sending, by the master control system, the retrieved VC to the air-chain system for television broadcast, wherein the air-chain system is configured to (i) receive the VC, encode the received VC, and broadcast the encoded VC.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the evergreen VC.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein based on the determination of whether the expiration time has lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to a particular one of the evergreen VC and the time-sensitive VC comprises based on a determination that the expiration time has not lapsed, determining that the identifier corresponds to the time-sensitive VC.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the air-chain system comprises a transmitter, and wherein sending the retrieved VC to an air-chain system for television broadcast comprises sending the retrieved VC to the transmitter.

Assignments (5)
PARTIAL RELEASE - REEL/FRAME 034231/0333 Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE MEDIA COMPANY
Reel/Frame 050475/0410 →
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 Nov 13, 2014
From: GRACENOTE, INC.; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC; TRIBUNE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; TRIBUNE MEDIA COMPANY
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 034231/0333 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 24, 2014
From: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY
To: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC
Reel/Frame 033812/0483 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2014
From: HUNDEMER, HANK J.
To: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 033804/0890 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 13629485 · Sep 27, 2012
Provisional Application 61542103 · Sep 30, 2011