Media content redirection

• US 10,582,230 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Swan, Mark, Mao, Weidong, Kotay, Sree, Vickers, Mark, Roowalla, Mohsin, Kennedy, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierorazio, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US15/867,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20180338165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 725 5
• 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 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

A content delivery server may allow users to redirect browsed content from one system to another. A user may install or activate a plug-in to a browser, such as an Internet browser, and the plug-in may be linked to the user'"'"'s account on another service. As the user browses content from the browser, the user may select a command to cause the browsed content to be delivered to the other service, ingested by the other service, and made available to the user from the other service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device and from a first device, a request to make multimedia content available to a second device, wherein the request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content;

determining, based on a request to output the multimedia content via the second device, that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption;

causing retrieval, using the resource address and based on the determination that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption, of a segment of the multimedia content;

receiving, by the computing device, the segment of the multimedia content;

transcoding, by the computing device and based on characteristics of the second device, the segment of the multimedia content; and

sending, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the transcoded segment of the multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to make the multimedia content available to the second device comprises a request to cause display, at the second device, of an indication of the multimedia content along with an indication identifying the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting between a file-based and a chunk-based ingestion process for ingestion of the multimedia content, wherein the selecting is based on a determination of when the multimedia content is to be consumed at the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to output the multimedia content via the second device comprises a playback request received at the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on a request to add additional multimedia content to a list of content available via the second device, causing retrieval of an entirety of the additional multimedia content; and

transcoding, based on the characteristics of the second device, the entirety of the additional multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device comprises a request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device without initiating playback of the additional multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption is based on determining that the request to output the multimedia content via the second device was received within a predetermined amount of time.

8. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

receive, from a first device, a request to make multimedia content available to a second device, wherein the request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content;

determine, based on a request to output the multimedia content via the second device, that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption;

cause retrieval, using the resource address and based on the determination that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption, of a segment of the multimedia content;

receive the segment of the multimedia content;

transcode, based on characteristics of the second device, the segment of the multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the transcoded segment of the multimedia content.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the request to make the multimedia content available to the second device comprises a request to cause display, at the second device, of an indication of the multimedia content along with an indication identifying the first device.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the request to make the multimedia content available to the second device comprises a request to add the multimedia content to one or more of:

a favorites list at the second device, a listing of recorded content at the second device, or a listing of video on demand content at the second device.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the request to output the multimedia content via the second device comprises a playback request received at the second device.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

cause retrieval, based on a request to add additional multimedia content to a list of content available via the second device, of an entirety of the additional multimedia content; and

transcode, based on the characteristics of the second device, the entirety of the additional multimedia content.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device comprises a request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device without initiating playback of the additional multimedia content.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to determine that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption based on determining that the request to output the multimedia content via the second device was received within a predetermined amount of time.

15. A system comprising:

a computing device and a first device,

wherein the first device comprises;

one or more processors; and

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

send, to the computing device, a request to make multimedia content available to a second device, wherein the request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content, and

wherein the computing device comprises;

one or more processors; and

memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, cause the computing device to;

receive, from the first device, the request to make multimedia content available to the second device;

determine, based on a request to output the multimedia content via the second device, that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption;

cause retrieval, using the resource address and based on the determination that the multimedia content is needed for current consumption, of a segment of the multimedia content;

receive the segment of the multimedia content;

transcode, based on characteristics of the second device, the segment of the multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the transcoded segment of the multimedia content.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the request to make the multimedia content available to the second device comprises a request to cause display, at the second device, of an indication of the multimedia content along with an indication identifying the first device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the request to make the multimedia content available to the second device comprises a request to add the multimedia content to one or more of:

a favorites list at the second device, a listing of recorded content at the second device, or a listing of video on demand content at the second device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the request to output the multimedia content via the second device comprises a playback request received at the second device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the second instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

cause retrieval, based on a request to add additional multimedia content to a list of content available via the second device, of an entirety of the additional multimedia content; and

transcode, based on the characteristics of the second device, the entirety of the additional multimedia content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device comprises a request to add the additional multimedia content to the list of content available via the second device without initiating playback of the additional multimedia content.