Velostream/U.S. Patent 12,581,137
U.S. Patent No. 12,581,137 B2 · granted March 17, 2026
Video management system for video files and live streaming content.
The issued patent behind the way Velostream builds streaming platforms: one automated pipeline for live signals and file-based media. Invented by Stephen Hird, Velostream’s chief technology officer, and built and operated by the Velostream team during its engagement with Vidgo.
- Number
- US 12,581,137 B2
- Title
- Video management system for video files and live streaming content
- Inventor
- Stephen Hird
- Priority
- September 9, 2022
- Filed
- September 11, 2023 · App. No. 18/465,086
- Published
- July 4, 2024 · US 2024/0223821 A1
- Granted
- March 17, 2026
- Claims
- 10
- Term
- Listed through December 22, 2043
- Assignee
- Arivo Entertainment LLC, of record
- Source
- Google Patents · USPTO Patent Public Search
What the patent covers
Most streaming platforms run two systems: one for live signals and another for files. The claimed invention is a single video management system that takes both, decides how to process each source on its own terms, and carries the result through security, delivery and expiry without a person in the loop. Independent claim 1 describes a method that:
- builds a dynamic transcoding profile for each source that preserves the original resolution rather than forcing it onto a fixed ladder;
- applies the requested security at ingest, encrypts the output files and uploads them to a content delivery network;
- converts and carries the metadata through the pipeline;
- serves multiple viewing groups from the same asset, each with its own expiration date;
- updates, retains and expires content automatically, without operator intervention.
In practice that is the difference between a platform that needs an operations desk for every channel launch and one that runs more than 500 live channels with the same small team. The wording above is a plain-English summary; the issued claims control.
Timeline
- Sept 9, 2022Priority date. First provisional application filed.
- Mar 2, 2023Second provisional application filed.
- Sept 11, 2023Non-provisional application 18/465,086 filed.
- July 4, 2024Application published as US 2024/0223821 A1.
- Mar 17, 2026Patent granted as US 12,581,137 B2, 10 claims.
- Dec 22, 2043Listed term end, per the public record.
The inventor
Stephen Hird is Velostream’s chief technology officer and the named inventor. He led engineering for the Vidgo platform, from the live headend to dynamic ad insertion and the device applications, and was previously with The Walt Disney Company. Leadership
Assignee of record: Arivo Entertainment LLC
The assignee of record on the issued patent is Arivo Entertainment LLC. Velostream does not own U.S. Patent No. 12,581,137 and makes no claim to it. Velostream’s relationship to the ’137 patent is that of the inventor’s firm: the engineering team that designed, built and operated the system the claims describe, and the people who can explain it to counsel, a licensee or a court.
Working with the inventor
When a patent is licensed or enforced, the strongest technical witness is the engineer who built the system. Velostream provides:
- Inventor access. The named inventor, available to counsel.
- Claim mapping. Element-by-element charts against accused products and services.
- Infringement and validity analysis. Technical reads of products, prior art and file histories.
- Source-level review. Code review under protective order by engineers who wrote production streaming systems.
- Declarations and testimony. Technical declarations, deposition and trial support, tutorials for the court.
- Reconstruction. Rebuilding and demonstrating the claimed system for licensing discussions and proceedings.
Questions
What is U.S. Patent No. 12,581,137?
An issued United States patent titled “Video management system for video files and live streaming content.” It was granted on March 17, 2026 on application 18/465,086, filed September 11, 2023, with a priority date of September 9, 2022. It has 10 claims and a listed term through December 22, 2043.
Who invented the video management system it describes?
Stephen Hird, Velostream’s chief technology officer, is the named inventor. He invented the system during Velostream’s engagement with Vidgo, where the Velostream team designed, built and operated the platform the claims describe.
Who owns the patent?
The assignee of record on the issued patent is Arivo Entertainment LLC. Velostream does not own the patent. Velostream is the inventor’s firm and the engineering team behind the system.
Is this the Vidgo patent?
The system claimed in the patent is the one the Velostream team designed, built and operated for Vidgo, the live television service with more than 500 channels. People searching for the Vidgo patent are usually looking for this record.
What does the patent cover, in plain English?
A single video management system that handles live signals and file-based media in one automated pipeline: it builds a transcoding profile for each source that preserves the original resolution, applies security at ingest, encrypts and delivers the output to a content delivery network, carries metadata through, serves multiple viewing groups from the same asset with separate expiration dates, and updates and expires content without operator intervention.
How do I reach the inventor?
Write to hello@velostream.com. Velostream provides inventor access, claim mapping, infringement and validity analysis, source-level review, declarations and testimony, and reconstruction of the claimed system for counsel, licensees and courts.
Related
Talk to the team that built it.
For licensing discussions, technical support on patent matters, or platform engineering.