Geography-based dynamic content packaging and delivery

• US 10,582,226 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong, Kotay, Sree
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US15/429,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64723 : Monitoring of network processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of network load traffic related reporting in data switching networks H04L43/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

To be accessed on different media players, requested content must be delivered in a format that is supported by the requesting device. A dynamic content packager for encrypting and packaging requested content for different requesting devices at the time of consumption is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

determine a content item stored at one or more content packagers;

determine a location of each of the one or more content packagers;

receive, from a device at a requesting location, a request for the content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the device; and

cause delivery of the content item from at least one first content packager of the one or more content packagers based at least in part on the device profile and a proximity between the device and the at least one first content packager.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

determine a content delivery route for the content item; and

select a content streamer along the content delivery route for delivery of the content item from the at least one first content packager.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause reformatting, based on the device profile, of the content item.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause, based on the device profile, the at least one first content packager to segment the content item.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the causing of the delivery of the content item from the at least one first content packager is further based on an availability status of the one or more content packagers.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the causing of the delivery of the content item from the at least one first content packager further comprises ranking the one or more content packagers by their distance from the device and causing delivery of the content item from the at least one first content packager based on the ranking.

7. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

determine a location of each of a plurality of content packagers;

receive, from a device, a request for a content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the device;

determine a geographic location of the device;

determine one or more of the plurality of content packagers storing the content item;

select one first content packager of the one or more content packagers based on the device profile and a proximity between the device and the one first content packager; and

cause delivery of the content item from the selected one first content packager to the device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

determine a content delivery route for the content item; and

select one or more content streamers along the content delivery route for delivery of the content item.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determining the content delivery route further comprises determining a network status that comprises “

on”

or “

off”

.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause, based on the device profile, reformatting of the content item.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause, based on the device profile, the selected one first content packager to segment the content item for delivery.

12. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

determine an index indicating an association between a content item and a plurality of content packagers storing the content item, wherein each of the plurality of content packagers is associated with a geographic location;

receive, from a device at a requesting location, a request for the content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the device;

select, from the index, one first content packager based at least in part on the device profile and a proximity between the device and the one first content packager; and

cause delivery of the content item from the selected one first content packager to the device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause, based on the device profile, reformatting of the content item.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

cause, based on the device profile, the selected one first content packager to segment the content item for delivery.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the selecting is further based on an availability status of the plurality of content packagers.

16. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

determine a content item stored at one or more content packagers;

determine a location of each of the one or more content packagers;

receive, from a requesting device at a requesting location, a request for the content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the requesting device; and

cause delivery of the content item from a first content packager of the one or more content packagers based at least in part on the capabilities of the requesting device and a proximity between the requesting device and the first content packager; and

the requesting device configured to receive the content item.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

determine a content delivery route for the content item; and

select a content streamer along the content delivery route for delivery of the content item from the first content packager.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause reformatting of the content item, based on the device profile.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause, based on the device profile, the first content packager to segment the content item.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the causing of the delivery of the content item from the first content packager is further based on an availability status of the first content packager.

21. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

determine a location of each of a plurality of content packagers;

receive, from a requesting device, a request for a content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the requesting device;

determine a geographic location of the requesting device;

determine one or more of the plurality of content packagers storing the content item;

select a first content packager of the one or more of the plurality of content packagers based on the device profile and a proximity between the requesting device and the first content packager; and

cause delivery of the content item from the first content packager to the requesting device; and

the requesting device configured to receive the content item.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

determine a content delivery route for the content item; and

select one or more content streamers along the content delivery route for delivery of the content item.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the determining the content delivery route further comprises determining a network status that comprises “

on”

or “

off”

.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause reformatting of the content item, based on the device profile.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause, based on the device profile, the selected first content packager to segment the content item for delivery.

26. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

determine an index indicating an association between a content item and a plurality of content packagers storing the content item, wherein each of the plurality of content packagers is associated with a geographic location;

receive, from a requesting device at a requesting location, a request for the content item;

determine a device profile indicating capabilities of the requesting device;

select, from the index, a first content packager based at least in part on the device profile and a proximity between the requesting device and the first content packager; and

cause delivery of the content item from the first content packager to the requesting device; and

the requesting device configured to receive the content item.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause reformatting of the content item, based on the device profile.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

cause, based on the device profile, the selected first content packager to segment the content item for delivery.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the selecting is further based on an availability status of the first content packager.