Method and apparatus for management and delivery of electronic content to end users
First Claim
1. An integrated content delivery system for storing, managing and delivering electronic content to a plurality of subscribers, comprising:
- a plurality of computer servers coupled together; and
a software platform distributed and collectively executed on the plurality of computer servers, comprising;
a content delivery platform including a plurality of modules that store electronic content and that provide selected electronic content for delivery;
an operating support system, interfaced to the plurality of subscribers, that performs network management and that facilitates delivery of electronic content to the end users;
a business support system, interfaced to the operating support system, that manages subscriber devices and electronic content delivery to subscribers and that performs billing functions associated with electronic content delivered to subscribers; and
a database platform, interfaced to the content delivery platform and the business support system, that serves as a repository for information flowing between the content delivery platform and the business support system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for the management and delivery of electronic/digital content including high bandwidth video, audio, games and data to end users. The electronic content is stored in an array of computer file/database servers. Integrated software systems provide subscriber management and billing, content management, security, targeting, bandwidth management, and delivery of requested content to end users. The system includes a user interface which simplifies operations for customers and tightly integrated commerce functions. The proposed method and apparatus would assist in the operation of a network that is connected to the Internet and has a plurality of customers (end users). Under current available technology, the proposed method and apparatus would best function over a wired network. However, as wireless technology becomes more robust and cost-effective, the current invention will be able to provide functionality for end users using wireless devices.
68 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An integrated content delivery system for storing, managing and delivering electronic content to a plurality of subscribers, comprising:
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a plurality of computer servers coupled together; and
a software platform distributed and collectively executed on the plurality of computer servers, comprising;
a content delivery platform including a plurality of modules that store electronic content and that provide selected electronic content for delivery;
an operating support system, interfaced to the plurality of subscribers, that performs network management and that facilitates delivery of electronic content to the end users;
a business support system, interfaced to the operating support system, that manages subscriber devices and electronic content delivery to subscribers and that performs billing functions associated with electronic content delivered to subscribers; and
a database platform, interfaced to the content delivery platform and the business support system, that serves as a repository for information flowing between the content delivery platform and the business support system.
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2. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the business support system further comprises:
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a subscriber management module that manages subscriber devices and electronic content delivery to subscribers including tracking and assigning subscriber devices at subscriber premises; and
a billing module that captures, rates, and generates billing information based on subscriber activity. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes an authentication, authorization and audit module that confirms the identity of each subscriber, that evaluates authorization of each subscriber to receive selected electronic content, and that tracks overall system usage by each subscriber.
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6. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes an event tracking and logging module that monitors usage of specific electronic content by each subscriber.
- 7. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a digital asset management module that stores, tracks and indexes metadata associated with digital assets.
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12. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a targeting and profiling module that tracks subscriber preferences and that develops targeted content which meets subscriber preferences.
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13. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a caching module that provides a storage and delivery solution for electronic content.
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15. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a high speed caching module to provide faster delivery and enhanced content richness to subscribers.
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16. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a formatting and transformation module that reconfigures video content for display on a selected subscriber device.
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18. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a stream manager module that stores video content and that delivers independent multiple video streams to subscribers upon request.
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20. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, further comprising:
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an advertising server; and
the integrated content delivery platform including an advertising insertion module that controls delivery of advertising from the advertising server to subscribers. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29)
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23. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes a bandwidth manager that tracks bandwidth usage by subscribers in real-time.
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24. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, wherein the integrated content delivery platform includes an address resolution server module that provides proxy facilities for multicast queries by redirecting multicast queries into unicast queries.
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26. The integrated content delivery system of claim 0, further comprising:
a user interface module that incorporates at least one module that is downloaded and executed on a subscriber device.
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30. An interactive content delivery system, comprising:
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a software platform that includes multiple types of electronic content for delivery to end users;
an end user interface, interfaced to the software platform, that facilitates delivery of the multiple types of electronic content; and
at least one end user interactive display device, interfaced to the end user interface, that receives and displays the multiple types of electronic content;
wherein the software platform and the end user device cooperate to deliver and display multiple types of content simultaneously on the end user device, the multiple types of content including broadband content and narrowband content, and wherein the end user device enables a user to interact with each of the multiple types of content simultaneously. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification