Method and system for managing digital content, including streaming media

• US 20040215718A1
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kazmi, Syed Noman, Turner, William David, Polavarapu, Vinay
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods and systems for uploading, managing and delivering digital content, including streaming media. The system according to one embodiment allows receives digital content from the client, assigns a stream identifier (ID) to the content and stores the content. The client is given a playlist uniform resource locator (URL) for publishing on its web site, the URL including the stream ID. Activation of the URL by an end user causes the stream to be served to the end user, without the client receiving or providing an indication of the specifics of where the content was stored. An embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method that defines one or more remote sites associated with each client.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating access by users to digital content of one or more clients, the clients having client identifying information, the system comprising:

one or more remote sites, each comprising one or more first servers configured to receive digital content from clients, the digital content to be available to users via the remote sites; and

a central site geographically remote from the remote sites , the central site comprising one or more ingest queue servers to direct transfer of digital content to one or more of the first servers based on the client identifying information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each client is associated with a particular remote site, the particular remote site storing digital content of the client.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client identifying information includes a location, the remote site proximate to the location.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the location is a location of probable users of the client'"'"'s digital content, the remote site and the client'"'"'s digital content thus proximate to the location of probable users.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

associating a character set within a language with a remote site; and

using the associated character set in connection with the digital content at the remote site.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein two or more remote sites have a relationship to each other based on geographic location.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein transfer of digital content is based on the relationship between the two or more remote sites.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each remote site further comprises:

one or more second servers for managing digital content at the remote site;

one or more storage servers configured to store digital content received by the remote site; and

one or more media servers coupled to at least one of the storage servers, the one or more media servers configured to receive a request to access an item of digital content from a user and in response to the request, and read the item of digital content stored on the at least one storage server.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the client identifying information is a location of the client.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the client identifying information is an amount of digital content that the client has transferred.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the central site further comprises:

one or more first servers configured to receive digital content and make digital content available to users.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein transfer of digital content is caused by a user'"'"'s request to experience the content.

13. A method for facilitating access by users to digital content of one or more clients, the clients having client identifying information, the method comprising:

receiving information about digital content at a central site from the clients;

analyzing the client identifying information; and

directing transfer of digital content to one or more of the remote sites based on the client identifying information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each client is associated with a particular remote site, the particular remote site storing digital content of the client.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the client identifying information includes a location, the remote site proximate to the location.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the location is a location of probable users of the client'"'"'s digital content, the remote site and the client'"'"'s digital content thus proximate to the location of probable users.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

associating a character set within a language with a remote site; and

using the associated character set in connection with the digital content at the remote site.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein two or more remote sites have a relationship to each other based on geographic location.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein transfer of digital content is based on the relationship between the two or more remote sites.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

managing the digital content at the remote site;

storing digital content received by the remote site; and

receiving a request to access an item of digital content from a user and in response to the request, reading the stored item of digital content.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the client identifying information is the location of the client.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the client identifying information is the amount of digital content that the client has transferred.

23. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving digital content at the central site;

making the digital content available to users from the central site.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein transfer of digital content is in response to a request from a user to experience the content.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein transfer is to a remote site located proximate to the user making the request.

26. A method for managing digital content and providing digital content to end users the method comprising:

receiving digital content from a client having one or more characteristics;

assigning a unique identifier to the digital content based on the characteristics;

copying the digital content to one or more media servers based upon the characteristics.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the subject matter of the content.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the owner of the content.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the geographic storage location of the content.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the size of the content.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the media type of the content.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the characteristics include the amount of time the content has been requested in a given period of time.

33. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

grouping together one or more servers;

associating a criterion with the one or more servers; and

utilizing a server from the grouped servers whenever the criterion is met.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the criterion includes the client from whom the digital content was received.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the criterion includes the size of the digital content.

36. A method of efficiently managing content received from a client the method comprising:

receiving first content from a client;

associating an identifier with the first content;

storing the first content at a first location;

receiving subsequent content from the client;

retrieving the identifier;

associating the identifier with the first location; and

storing the subsequent content at the first location.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the first location is a group of one or more storage devices.

38. A method for managing digital content of one or more clients, and providing the digital content to end users, the method comprising:

assigning one or more unique message queue to each client;

moving requests to access each client'"'"'s digital content to the message queue assigned to the client; and

processing the requests received in one of each client'"'"'s assigned message queues.

39. The method of claim 39 wherein the request to access the client'"'"'s digital content is made by the client.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the client request includes a request to delete the content.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the client request includes a request to move the content.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein the client request includes a request to copy the content.