SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING CONTENT TO MULTIPLE USERS

• US 20040254999A1
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bulleit, Douglas A., Roden, Barbara J., Bye, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US10/605,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254999A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A content distribution system including a content source and a plurality of consumer networks including a controller and a consumer storage device. A distribution network couples the content source to the controllers of the consumer networks. The distribution network includes network storage devices and network processors. A grid computing platform includes the controllers, the network processors, the consumer storage devices and the network storage devices. The grid computing platform provides storage of the content across network storage devices and consumer storage devices and distribution of the content to one or more of the consumer networks.

Claims

1. A content distribution system comprising:

a content source;

a plurality of consumer networks including a controller and a consumer storage device;

a distribution network coupling said content source to said controller of said consumer networks, said distribution network including network storage devices and network processors;

a grid computing platform including said controllers, said network processors, said consumer storage devices and said network storage devices, said grid computing platform providing storage of said content across network storage devices and consumer storage devices and distribution of said content to one or more of said consumer networks.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said grid computing platform compresses content prior to said distribution of said content to one of said consumer networks.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said grid computing platform encodes content prior to said distribution of said content to one said consumer networks.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

one of said consumer networks specifies a quality of service, delivery of said content being billed in response to said quality of service.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said distribution of said content includes distributing content from a first consumer network to a second consumer network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said distribution of said content includes delivering a first portion of said content from a first content source, delivering a second portion of said content from a second content source, and assembling said first portion and said second portion at a first consumer network.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

said first content source is said network storage device and said second content source is a second consumer network.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein:

said first portion is video and said second portion is video.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein:

said first portion is even video frames and said second portion is odd video frames.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said distribution of said content includes delivering a first portion of said content prior to viewing said content and streaming a second portion of said content in realtime when said content is viewed.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

said second portion of said content is audio.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

said second portion of said content is a component of a video signal.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said distribution of said content is performed in response to distribution network performance.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein:

said distribution network performance is determined based on bandwidth to one of said consumer networks.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

content is delivered prior to viewing or for realtime viewing in response to said bandwidth to one of said consumer networks.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the number of active content delivery sessions to one of said consumer networks is determined based on said bandwidth.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said distribution network includes at least one of DSL, cable and wireless networks.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said content is associated with a content profile and said consumer network is associated with a consumer profile, said content being distributed to said consumer network in response to said content profile and said consumer profile.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein:

said consumer network includes a device for displaying said content, said content being distributed to said consumer network in response to said content profile, said consumer profile and said device profile.