Method and apparatus for content download

• US 20060095854A1
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAN Simeon Films, LLC
• Original Assignee: SAN Simeon Films, LLC
• Inventors: Shannon, Steve, Funk, James M.
• Application Number:
  US10/968,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095854A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/749
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided to send information to a video-on-demand (VOD) server. A VOD client device retrieves this information and performs download of multimedia content using this information for subsequent viewing. In one embodiment, this information is provided to the VOD server by a content server upon a user'"'"'s request made from a computer system other than the VOD client device. In another embodiment, this information is provided to the VOD server by a user'"'"'s computer system other than the VOD client device; such information having been obtained by the user'"'"'s computer system from the content server.

Claims

1. A method, comprising transferring, in response to a user command initiated from a first computer system, an instruction from a second computer system to a third computer system, the instruction including information required by a fourth computer system to download multimedia content;

and synchronizing the third computer system with the fourth computer system so as to transfer the information required by the fourth computer system to download the multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user command comprises selection of an element of a Web page.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the instruction includes metadata regarding the multimedia content and an indication of where the multimedia content can be accessed for download by the fourth computer system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein synchronizing the third computer system with the fourth computer system comprises synchronizing a content management application hosted at the fourth computer system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the synchronizing is performed in response to a query by the content management application.

6. A method, comprising receiving, at a first computer system from a second computer system, an instruction to schedule a download of multimedia content by a third computer system, and synchronizing the first computer system with the third computer system so as to transfer information required by the third computer system to download the multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein synchronizing the third computer system comprises synchronizing a content management application hosted at the third computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronizing is performed in response to a query by the content management application to the first computer system.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first computer system hosts a video-on-demand (VOD) electronic program guide (EPG) that includes metadata describing VOD content available for download via the Internet to the third computer system from multiple disparate content sources.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically downloading the multimedia content to the third computer system.