Method and system for distributed content management and delivery

• US 20050172340A1
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Arkados Incorporated (Iota Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arkados Incorporated (Iota Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ebert, Brion, Logvinov, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US10/938,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20050172340A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

Management and control of distribution of multiple, simultaneously occurring audio and video data content streams in a communications network, as well as of the bandwidth used for distributing the content of the network, is performed at a master content server module to provide that content source and content rendering client devices operate in unison. Distribution of content is managed to economize use of network bandwidth and maximize network performance to provide that enhanced features associated with content distribution can be readily made available with the content at the client devices.

Claims

1. A system for managing distribution of content on a communications network having a predetermined bandwidth and a real time capacity and to which a plurality of client devices are coupled, the system comprising:

a master content management server module including a content management engine coupled to a broadband interface and a network interface, wherein the broadband interface is for receiving content and the network interface is for coupling to the communications network and generates communications network performance characteristics; and

a content rendering engine contained within each of the client devices coupled to the network, wherein the content rendering engine transmits content request information to the master module,

wherein the content management engine manages distribution of content to the client devices and optimizes allocation of the predetermined network bandwidth based on the content request information and the communications network performance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management engine selectively performs compression and encoding on the content based on the real time capacity of the communications network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management engine reserves bandwidth in view of active and scheduled streams and data transfers represented by the content request information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content rendering engine includes a memory whose size is modifiable in anticipation of congestion in the network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management engine determines patterns of media behavior and resulting media capacity based on the communications network performance characteristics.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a powerline communications network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the content management engine and the content rendering engine in a first client device controls Digital Rights Management (DRM) of content, and wherein at least one of the master module and the first client device functions as a DRM sub-agent.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the content management engine and the content rendering engine performs user authentication.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device performing rendering of content performs user authentication.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the master module includes a memory for storing content, wherein the content management engine performs transcoding functions and wherein the client devices do not include local storage.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the master module includes a network attached storage (NAS) coupled to the content management engine via a network interface, wherein the NAS is for storing content.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the content management engine, based on source data associated with content and including at least one of content metadata, external information feed data, special indexes and pre-configured or dynamically created associations, generates content related information and programming guide information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the content management engine superimposes the content related information and the programming guide information over the content.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the superimposing of the information provides that the information is presented separately on a same display as the content itself, and wherein the display is associated with the client device receiving the content.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the content related information and the programming guide information are presented on a remote control device equipped with a presentment interface, and wherein the remote control is associated with the client device receiving the content.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the transcoding is implemented on at least one of the master module and a client device containing or interfaced with a storage device for optimizing network bandwidth usage.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the master module and the client devices coupled to the network control transcoding for content distribution on the network.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the master module and the client device perform content transformation from one transport protocol into another and perform security protocol mediation.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the content management engine synchronizes playback of the content among a plurality of the client devices using a specialized time synchronization protocol.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the content playback is phase aligned among the plurality of the client devices.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein the content management engine allocates bandwidth to content based on prior knowledge of the bandwidth demands for the network.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management engine performs a specific middleware that abstracts specific content types and storage devices to provide that any type of content type can be accessed by any of the client devices through a unified interface.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the network is a power line network.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the content management engine encodes the content and the programming guide information for presentment based on presentment capabilities of the client device that will render the content.