Video-on-demand (VOD) management system and methods

• US 20040103120A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deluxe Media Inc., Softitler Net, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ascent Media Group LLC (Ascent Capital Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fickle, Richard C., Aron, Timothy Bruce, Royo, Jose A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,027,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

The present invention provides for closed loop multimedia content management systems and methods to ensure accurate and timely delivery of VOD content from multiple content providers using multiple distribution systems. The present invention provides for a method of distributing multimedia content using a VOD management system by receiving a multimedia asset data file and associated metadata from a content provider and/or a MSO, tracking the delivery of the multimedia asset data file to a MSO, tracking the upload of the multimedia asset data file to a VOD server maintained by the MSO, and providing usage reports relating to usage of multimedia asset data files by end users of the MSO. Usage reports are prepared by receiving data from the VOD servers regarding the files requested by end users, creating a master reporting database using that data, and generating the usage reports using the data contained in the master reporting database.

Claims

1. A method of delivering multimedia content in the form of multimedia asset data files using a video-on-demand (“

VOD”

) management system, the method comprising;

receiving metadata associated with a multimedia asset data file from a content provider and a multiple systems operator (“

MSO”

);

uploading the multimedia asset data file and associated metadata to a VOD server maintained by the MSO, wherein uploading the multimedia asset data file comprises

scheduling the uploading of the multimedia asset data file and associated metadata to a server maintained by the MSO, and

tracking the uploading of the multimedia asset data file and associated metadata to the server maintained by the MSO; and

providing usage reports relating to usage of multimedia asset data files by end users of the MSO.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein metadata associated with a plurality of multimedia asset data files are received from a plurality of content providers and a plurality of MSOs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the uploading step comprises:

tracking receipt of the multimedia asset data file from the content provider in elements, the elements comprising a feature file, a preview file, a graphic file, and associated basic metadata, wherein the associated basic metadata comprises information on the elements used to confirm delivery of the elements;

receiving an identification of the MSOs scheduled to receive the multimedia asset data file from the content provider; and

receiving delivery dates for delivery of the multimedia asset data file to each of the MSOs identified by the content provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading step is conducted using a delivery group, the delivery group comprising a plurality of multimedia asset data files.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

registering the multimedia asset data file in order to identify the file, wherein registering the multimedia asset data file comprises;

assigning a provider identification number to a content provider, and

assigning a unique identifier to a multimedia asset data file provided by the content provider based upon the provider identification number and a provider asset identification, the provider asset identification being included with the multimedia asset data file by the content provider.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising, prior to the upload step, the steps of:

staging the multimedia asset data file by entering a name for the multimedia asset data file into a staging directory; and

providing a master XML file for the multimedia asset data file, the master XML file comprising distribution information, scheduling information, content information, and an identification for the multimedia asset data file, wherein the content information comprises data to enable retrieval of a plurality of elements to assemble the multimedia asset data file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the elements used to assemble the multimedia asset data file comprise a movie/feature file, a preview file, and a graphic file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia asset data file comprises a plurality of elements, and the upload step comprises:

tracking transmission of the elements of the multimedia asset data file to the MSO using a pitcher appliance;

tracking receipt of the elements of the multimedia asset data file using a catcher appliance; and

transmitting an alarm signal to the VOD management system if any elements of the multimedia asset data file are not successfully received by the catcher appliance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia asset data file is identified with an asset URL, and the upload step comprises:

providing the asset URL to the VOD server;

providing a schedule to the VOD server comprising instructions for the VOD server to request the multimedia asset data file from a catcher and metadata from the VOD management system; and

tracking retrieval of the multimedia asset data file and associated metadata by initiating file transfers using the asset URL.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the file transfer is a file transfer protocol (“

FTP”

) transfer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia asset data file comprises a feature element identified by a first asset URL, a preview element identified by a second asset URL, and a graphic element identified by a third asset URL, and the upload step comprises:

providing the first, second, and third asset URLs to the VOD server;

submitting the first asset URL from the VOD server to a catcher appliance;

tracking transmission of the feature element from the catcher appliance to the VOD server using the first asset URL to retrieve the feature element;

submitting the second asset URL from the VOD server to the catcher appliance;

tracking transmission of the preview element from the catcher appliance to the VOD server using the second asset URL to retrieve the preview element;

submitting the third asset URL from the VOD server to the catcher appliance; and

tracking transmission of the graphic element from the catcher appliance to the VOD server using the third asset URL to retrieve the graphic element.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

determining whether the feature element is properly received by the VOD server and transmitting an alarm signal to the VOD management system if the feature element was not properly received.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising:

determining whether the preview element is properly received by the VOD server and transmitting an alarm signal to the VOD management system if the preview element was not properly received.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising:

determining whether the graphic element is properly received by the VOD server and transmitting an alarm signal to the VOD management system if the graphic element was not properly received.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein providing usage reports comprises:

receiving from the VOD server at regular intervals data on feature elements requested by end users of the MSO;

creating a master reporting database using the data on feature elements requested by end users; and

generating a usage report using the data contained in the master reporting database.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

restricting access by content providers to the data contained in the master reporting database using business rules provided by the MSO.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

analyzing the usage report to determine end user viewing characteristics; and

generating an advertising play list targeted to an end user based upon the viewing characteristics of the end user, wherein the advertising play list comprises advertising selected based upon the viewing characteristics of the end user.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

supplementing a multimedia asset data file with data contained in the usage report, wherein the usage report comprises usage data for the multimedia asset data file.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

analyzing the usage report to determine end user viewing characteristics;

selecting multimedia asset data files based upon end user viewing characteristics; and

performing a campaign management function chosen from the group consisting of bundling selected multimedia asset data files, setting pricing for selected multimedia asset data files, and setting promotions for selected multimedia asset data files.

20. A method of using a VOD management system to distribute multimedia asset data files from a plurality of content providers to a plurality of multiple systems operators (“

MSOs”

), the method comprising;

receiving a plurality of multimedia asset data files from a plurality of content providers;

receiving metadata associated with the plurality of multimedia asset data files from the plurality of content providers and a plurality of MSOs;

uploading the multimedia asset data files to video-on-demand (“

VOD”

) servers maintained by the MSOs using an asset URL assigned to each multimedia asset data file;

tracking the uploading of the multimedia asset data files; and

providing usage reports relating to usage of multimedia asset data files by end users of the MSOs.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that the multimedia asset data files are successfully received from the content providers by comparing the received multimedia asset data files with business rules provided by the MSOs.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the uploading step comprises:

uploading the associated metadata for the multimedia asset data files to the VOD servers;

distributing a localized master schedule to each MSO; and

providing a schedule update from the VOD management system to each MSO at regular intervals.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the tracking step comprises:

tracking the upload of the multimedia asset data files to the VOD servers by reference to each MSO'"'"'s localized master schedule; and

tracking the upload of the associated metadata to the VOD servers by reference to each MSO'"'"'s localized master schedule.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein each schedule update comprises instructions for inserting and deleting multimedia asset data files from each MSO'"'"'s localized master schedule.