Method and system for updating contents in newly-installed devices

• US 20060218220A1
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vvond, LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Prasanna, Rossmann, Alain, Miranz, Tony, Matloub, Shahriyar
• Application Number:
  US11/076,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

There are terminal devices, also referred to as boxes, either newly installed or put back onto a system after a period of time. The system is configured to offer media services. An original library in each of such boxes is updated with the most demanded titles first or the least amount of data possible so that a box may be in condition sooner to not only fulfill orders for the most demanded titles but also provide needed data to other boxes. Depending on implementation, the updating of the original library in a box may be carried out by receiving data chunks by a gossip protocol from other boxes that collectively have the latest titles or receiving proper release packages from a service provider via a broadcasting or multicasting infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method for updating contents in devices, the method comprising:

determining a number of outdated titles in a library when a box newly present in a system offering media services is detected, wherein the outdated titles are to be retired from the library;

determining a corresponding number of updated titles to add into the library;

causing the box to retrieve data initially pertaining to relatively new titles in the updated titles so that the box is ready for servicing an order of one of the relatively new titles; and

keeping the box retrieving data pertaining to remaining titles in the updated titles till the box is fully updated.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining of the number of outdated titles comprises rendering the outdated titles unavailable in the library even if data pertaining to the outdated titles is still available.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the causing of the box to retrieve the data comprises:

retrieving a header for each of the relatively newer titles; and

retrieving one of several segments for each of the relatively newer titles.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising making a title available for ordering or retrieval whenever the header for the title is successfully retrieved.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the causing of the box to retrieve the data comprises retrieving a header and one of several segments for each of the relatively newer titles in an order of declining popularity of the relatively newer titles.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising updating the library with a new title whenever the header for the title is successfully retrieved.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the library is classified into at least a high band and a low band based on popularity of the titles, the high band allocated for the relatively newer titles and the low band allocated for titles other than the relatively newer titles, and the method further comprising retiring a title from the first band to the second band whenever the new title becomes available for ordering from the first band.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the library is classified into at least a first band and a second band based on popularity of the titles, the first band allocated for the relatively newer titles and the second band allocated for titles other than the relatively newer titles, the first band is further classified into an H band for the most popular ones in the relatively newer titles, and an M band for the remaining ones in the relatively newer titles, and the method further comprising:

retrieving a header and at least one of several segments for each of the titles in the H band; and

retrieving a header for each of the titles in the M band and one of the several segments for none or only some of the titles in the M band.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising retrieving a header for each of the titles in the second band and one of the several segments for only a substantially small number of the titles in the second band.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein each of the titles corresponds to a file that is a collection of data together with auxiliary data, if there is such auxiliary data, the file is divided into a header and several segments, none of the titles in the library has all of the several segments in the box.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the keeping of the box retrieving data pertaining to remaining titles comprises:

causing the box to send a request to one or more other boxes;

if the one or more other boxes are available, starting to download pertinent data from the one or more other boxes to update the library;

if any one of the one or more other boxes is not available, looking for a substituting box; and

starting to download pertinent data from the substituting box and any of the one or more other boxes to update the library.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the pertinent data is a collection of data chunks.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the box is configured to retrieve at least some or all of the data chunks from one or more of the boxes should the box have not successfully received the at least some or all of the received data chunks.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the box is configured to stop receiving the data whenever there is a request for an existing title in the library therein.

6. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the relatively newer titles are a small portion of many titles in the library, titles other than the relatively newer titles are made available for ordering whenever a corresponding header is successfully retrieved.

16. A method for updating contents in devises, the method comprising:

sending a message from a box to a computing device configured to manage delivery of media services to a plurality of boxes in service;

receiving instructions including information on a number of outdated titles in a library to be discarded and a corresponding number of updated titles to add into the library;

updating the library with titles excluding the outdated titles such that any titles in the library as shown are still available for ordering by a user or uploading to other boxes, if requested; and

communicating with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles, wherein any pieces of data from a single one of the boxes does not represent a complete file for one of the updated titles.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the message indicates that the box is either newly-installed or out of services for a period of time, and includes Information on when the library in the box was updated.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the computing device is configured to determine how many titles have been released since the library in the box was updated.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein a file for each of the updated titles is fragmented as a header and several segments, the file is a collection of data together with auxiliary data, if there is such auxiliary data, and wherein the instructions indicate a number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved is equal to or greater than zero.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved is determined based on popularity of the each of the updated titles.

22. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the updating of the library with the titles excluding the outdated titles comprises rendering the outdated titles unavailable in the library even if data pertaining to the outdated titles is still available in the box.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein said communicating with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles comprises:

retrieving a header for each of the updated titles; and

making the each of the updated titles immediately available for ordering or uploading if requested, whenever the header is successfully retrieved.

24. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein said communicating with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles comprises:

retrieving a header for each of the updated titles;

retrieving none or at least one of segments for each of the updated titles;

making the each of the updated titles immediately available for ordering or uploading if requested, whenever the header and none or at least one of the segments are successfully retrieved.

25. A system for updating contents in devices, the system comprising

a computing device configured to manage delivery of media services to a plurality of boxes in service;

a box configured to send a message to the computing device, the box being either newly-installed or out of services for a period of time, in responding to instructions including information on a number of outdated titles in a library to be discarded and a corresponding number of updated titles to add into the library, the box updating the library with titles excluding the outdated titles such that any titles in the library as shown are still available for ordering by a user or uploading to other boxes, if requested, wherein the box is activated to communicate with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles, wherein any pieces of data from a single one of the boxes does not represent a complete file for one of the updated titles.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the message includes information on when the library in the box was last updated.

27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the computing device is configured to determine how many titles have been released since the library in the box was updated.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein a file for each of the updated titles is fragmented as a header and several segments, the file is a collection of data together with auxiliary data, if there is such auxiliary data, and wherein the instructions indicate a number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved.

29. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved is equal to or greater than zero.

30. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the number of the segments for each of the updated titles shall be retrieved is determined based on popularity of the each of the updated titles.

31. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the box is configured to render the outdated titles unavailable in the library even if data pertaining to the outdated titles is still available in the box.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein while communicating with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles, the box configured to perform operations of:

retrieving a header for each of the updated titles; and

making the each of the updated titles immediately available for ordering or uploading if requested, whenever the header is successfully retrieved, wherein the each of the updated titles is deemed to be highly demanded.

33. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein while communicating with some of the boxes to retrieve data pertaining to the updated titles, the box configured to perform operations of:

retrieving a header for each of the updated titles;

retrieving none or at least one of segments for each of the updated titles;

making the each of the updated titles immediately available for ordering or uploading if requested, whenever the header and none or at least one of the segments are successfully retrieved.