Methods, systems and storage medium for distributing content based on user communities

• US 20050149619A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Littrell, Kim, Cowan, Keith O.
• Application Number:
  US10/743,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method of distributing content to consumers includes allowing a consumer to join a community and monitoring access to content by members of the community. A community interest in the content is determined in response to members of the community accessing the content. The content is automatically distributed to the consumer over a distribution network in response to the community interest.

Claims

1. A method of distributing content to consumers, the method comprising:

allowing a consumer to join a community;

monitoring access to content by members of the community;

determining a community interest in the content in response to members of the community accessing the content; and

automatically distributing the content to the consumer over a distribution network in response to the community interest.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the community interest is determined based on the percentage of members in the community that have accessed the content.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the community interest is compared to a reference to initiate the automatically distributing

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the automatically distributing includes storing the content on a consumer storage device associated with the consumer.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

notifying the consumer that the content is available on the consumer storage device; and

billing the consumer upon the consumer accessing the content on the consumer storage device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the automatically distributing the content is dependent on a consumer preference to receive automatically distributed content.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the content includes at least one of video, audio and consumer-generated content.

7. A system for distributing content to consumers, the system comprising:

a network clement receiving a request from a consumer to join a community;

a database coupled to the network element maintaining records of one or more communities associated with the consumer;

a consumer network in communication with the network element;

the network element monitoring access to content by members of the community, the network element determining a community interest in the content in response to members of the community accessing the content;

the network element automatically distributing the content to the consumer network in response to the community interest.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the community interest is determined based on the percentage of members in the community that have accessed the content.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the community interest is compared to a reference to initiate the automatically distributing

10. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the consumer network includes a consumer storage device;

the network element automatically distributing the content to the consumer storage device associated with the consumer.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the network element notifies the consumer that the content is available on the consumer storage device;

the network element billing the consumer upon the consumer accessing the content on the consumer storage device.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the network element automatically distributes the content in dependence on a consumer preference to receive automatically distributed content.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the network element includes a plurality of network elements arranged in a grid computing network.

14. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for distributing content to consumers, the storage medium including instructions for causing at least one network element to implement a method comprising:

allowing a consumer to join a community;

monitoring access to content by members of the community;

determining a community interest in the content in response to members of the community accessing the content; and

automatically distributing the content to the consumer over a distribution network in response to the community interest.

15. The storage medium of claim 14 wherein:

the community interest is determined based on the percentage of members in the community that have accessed the content.

16. The storage medium of claim 15 wherein:

the community interest is compared to a reference to initiate the automatically distributing

17. The storage medium of claim 14 wherein:

the automatically distributing includes storing the content on a consumer storage device associated with the consumer.

18. The storage medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions for causing at least one network element to implement:

notifying the consumer that the content is available on the consumer storage device; and

billing the consumer upon the consumer accessing the content on the consumer storage device.

19. The storage medium of claim 14 wherein:

the automatically distributing the content is dependent on a consumer preference to receive automatically distributed content.

21. (canceled)

22. A controller for controlling distribution of content, the controller comprising:

means for receiving input from a consumer to join a community, means for receiving content having a community interest in the content in response to members of the community accessing the content; and

means for notifying the consumer that the content is available.