System and method for providing virtual video on demand

• US 20060037037A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Miranz, Tony
• Application Number:
  US10/867,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037037A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• 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 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A set top box, comprises storage storing the lead portion of one or more objects prior to receiving a request for consumption of one of the one or more objects; a user interface for receiving a request for consumption of the requested object; a communication interface for communicating with a remote device, the remote device initiating delivery of a balance portion of the requested object upon request; and a control module coupled to the storage device, to the user interface and to the communication interface for initiating consumption of the lead portion, for requesting delivery of the balance portion, and for receiving at least part of the balance portion of the object during consumption of the object. The size of the lead portion may be computed to reduce the likelihood of consumption interruption. The size of the lead portion may be computed based on communication channel conditions. The size of the lead portion may computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time. The size of the lead portion may be computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time. The size of the lead portion may be computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption. The size of the lead portion may be computed based on object popularity. The size of the lead portion may be increased based on the expected demand of the object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing a lead portion of an object on a set top box prior to receiving a request for consumption of the object;

receiving a request for consumption of the object;

initiating consumption of the lead portion; and

receiving at least some of a balance portion of the object during consumption of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes video.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes an electronic game.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes pure audio.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes text.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed periodically to reduce likelihood of consumption interruption.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on communication channel conditions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on object popularity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the lead portion is increased based on the expected demand of the object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing other lead portions of many other objects.

14. A set top box, comprising:

storage storing a lead portion of an object prior to receiving a request for consumption of the object;

a user interface for receiving a request for consumption of the object;

a communication interface for communicating with a remote device, the remote device initiating delivery of a balance portion of the object upon request; and

a control module coupled to the storage device, to the user interface and to the communication interface for initiating consumption of the lead portion, for requesting delivery of the balance portion, and for receiving at least part of the balance portion of the object during consumption of the object.

15. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the object includes video.

16. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the object includes an electronic game.

17. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the object includes pure audio.

18. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the object includes text.

19. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed periodically to reduce likelihood of consumption interruption.

20. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on communication channel conditions.

21. The set top box of claim 20, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time.

22. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time.

23. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption.

24. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on object popularity.

25. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the size of the lead portion is increased based on the expected demand of the object.

26. The set top box of claim 14, wherein the storage stores other lead portions of many other objects.

27. A method, comprising:

storing an object;

forwarding a lead portion of the object to a set top box;

receiving a request for a balance portion of the object, the request received after the lead portion has been forwarded to the set top box; and

forwarding the balance portion to the set top box.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the object includes video.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the object includes an electronic game.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the object includes pure audio.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the object includes text.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed periodically to reduce likelihood of consumption interruption.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on communication channel conditions.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on object popularity.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of the lead portion is increased based on the expected demand of the object.

39. The method of claim 27, further comprising storing many other objects.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of forwarding the balance portion includes streaming the balance portion.

41. A system, comprising:

storage storing an object; and

a distribution server for forwarding a lead portion of the object to a set top box, and for forwarding a balance portion of the object to the set top box after the lead portion has been forwarded to the set top box and after receiving a request from the set top box.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the object includes video.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the object includes an electronic game.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the object includes pure audio.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the object includes text.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed periodically to reduce likelihood of consumption interruption.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on communication channel conditions.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time.

49. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time.

50. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption.

51. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is computed based on object popularity.

52. The system of claim 41, wherein the size of the lead portion is increased based on the expected demand of the object.

53. The system of claim 41, further comprising storing many other objects.

54. The system of claim 41, wherein the distribution server forwards the balance portion by streaming the balance portion.

55. A system, comprising:

means for storing a lead portion of an object on a set top box prior to receiving a request for consumption of the object;

means for receiving a request for consumption of the object;

means for initiating consumption of the lead portion; and

means for receiving at least some of a balance portion of the object during consumption of the object.

56. A system, comprising:

means for storing an object;

means for forwarding a lead portion of the object to a set top box;

means for receiving a request for a balance portion of the object, the request received after the lead portion has been forwarded to the set top box; and

means for forwarding the balance portion to the set top box.

57. A method comprising:

storing a lead portion of an object on a first server prior to receiving a request for consumption of the object, the first server being geographically proximate to a set top box;

storing a balance portion of an object on at least one second server;

receiving a request for consumption of the object by the set top box;

requesting the lead portion to be forwarded from the first server to the set top box;

initiating consumption of the lead portion; and

receiving at least some of a balance portion of the object during consumption of the object.

58. A method, comprising:

storing an object;

forwarding a lead portion of the object to a first server, the first server being geographically proximate to a set top box;

receiving a request from the set top box for a balance portion of the object, the request received after the lead portion has been forwarded to the first server; and

forwarding the balance portion to the set top box.