Providing excess resources as a service

Abstract

An integrated content production environment includes a connected services framework providing connectivity to a set of applications that produce content for the media industry. Users in their roles use the integrated environment to perform setting up, ingesting, logging, selecting, editing, reviewing, playout, distributing, and archiving activities. Notifications are dynamically triggered to users when their action is requested. The notifications may be instant messages, e-mails, voice mails, etc. Throughout the production of content, actions by both users the applications are tracked and stored in a log file for processing. The action data in the log file may include payload data from messages. When one or more applications or when one or more users of the environment have excess capacity, that capacity can be leveraged. External users can purchase or bid on the excess capacity and can then access the environment through available web services.

1 - 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . A method for leveraging excess capacity in an integrated content production environment, comprising:
 providing an integrated content production system comprising a plurality of applications connected by an enterprise service bus, wherein the plurality of applications are run by at least one production user;   identifying capacity in the integrated content production system;   receiving a content asset from a system that is external to the integrated content production system;   instructing the at least one production user to act upon the content asset for generating a deliverable asset; and   sending the deliverable asset to the external system.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising exposing a web service for enabling the system that is external to the integrated content production system to access functionality. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 ,
 wherein the step of identifying capacity comprises identifying capacity for an aggregated series of activities by the at least one production user; and   wherein the step of instructing the at least one production user comprises instructing the at least one production user to perform an aggregated series of activities upon the content asset.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising receiving payment for the deliverable asset. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising auctioning off the capacity. 
     
     
         46 . A system for leveraging excess capacity in an integrated content production environment, comprising:
 an integrated content production system comprising a plurality of applications connected by an enterprise service bus, wherein the plurality of applications are run by at least one production user;   a capacity module for identifying capacity in the integrated content production system;   a receiving module for receiving a content asset from a system that is external to the integrated content production system;   a management module for instructing the at least one production user to act upon the content asset for generating a deliverable asset; and   a sending module for sending the deliverable asset to the external system.   
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , further comprising a web service for enabling the system that is external to the integrated content production system to access functionality. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 46 ,
 wherein the capacity module identifies capacity for an aggregated series of activities by the at least one production user; and   wherein the management module instructs the at least one production user to perform an aggregated series of activities upon the content asset.   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 46 , further comprising a payment module for receiving payment for the deliverable asset. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 46 , further comprising an auction module for auctioning off the capacity. 
     
     
         51 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for leveraging excess capacity in an integrated content production environment, comprising:
 an integrated content production system comprising a plurality of applications connected by an enterprise service bus, wherein the plurality of applications are run by at least one production user;   a computer code segment for identifying capacity in the integrated content production system;   a computer code segment for receiving a content asset from a system that is external to the integrated content production system;   a computer code segment for instructing the at least one production user to act upon the content asset for generating a deliverable asset; and   a computer code segment for sending the deliverable asset to the external system.   
     
     
         52 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 51 , further comprising a web service for enabling the system that is external to the integrated content production system to access functionality. 
     
     
         53 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 51 ,
 wherein the computer code segment for identifying capacity identifies capacity for an aggregated series of activities by the at least one production user; and   wherein the computer code segment for instructing instructs the at least one production user to perform an aggregated series of activities upon the content asset.   
     
     
         54 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 51 , wherein the computer program further comprises a computer code segment for receiving payment for the deliverable asset. 
     
     
         55 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 51 , wherein the computer program further comprises a computer code segment for auctioning off the capacity. 
     
     
         56 . A system for leveraging excess capacity in an integrated content production environment, comprising:
 an integrated content production system comprising a plurality of applications connected by an enterprise service bus, wherein the plurality of applications are run by at least one production user;   means for identifying capacity in the integrated content production system;   means for receiving a content asset from a system that is external to the integrated content production system;   means for instructing the at least one production user to act upon the content asset for generating a deliverable asset; and   means for sending the deliverable asset to the external system.   
     
     
         57 . The system of  claim 56 , further comprising means for enabling the system that is external to the integrated content production system to access functionality. 
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 56 ,
 wherein the means for identifying identifies capacity for an aggregated series of activities by the at least one production user; and   wherein the means for instructing instructs the at least one production user o perform an aggregated series of activities upon the content asset.   
     
     
         59 . The system of cairn  56 , further comprising means for receiving payment for the deliverable asset. 
     
     
         60 . The system of  claim 56 , further comprising means for auctioning off the capacity.