System and method for configuring a state of an internet protocol television network

• US 20070112575A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Zhi, Ou, Canhui, Savoor, Raghvendra
• Application Number:
  US11/280,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112575A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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

Abstract

A system for configuring an IPTV network is provided. The system includes a computer program accessible to a video server that includes instructions to configure the network to a first state, collect subscriber data for a plurality of geographical regions, correlate the subscriber data to available channels, compute video server and transport costs, and configure the network to a second state to provide video servers in one or more of the geographical regions.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network database for storing a first state for an IPTV network and for storing subscriber activity data for the IPTV network;

a processor having access to the database;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor; and

a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to collect the subscriber activity data from a plurality of geographic regions in a first state of the IPTV network;

instructions to correlate available channels with the subscriber activity data for each of the plurality of geographic regions;

instructions to determine a set criterion for placement of a video server in a geographic region related from the plurality of geographic regions for providing an available channel correlated to the subscriber activity data; and

instructions to configure the first state to a second state placing the video server in geographic the selected region based on the set criterion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a revenue opportunity for the placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to the second state based on the revenue opportunity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a quality of service for the placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to a second state if the calculated quality of service meets a set level.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a reliability for the placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to the second state if the calculated reliability meets a set reliability level.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set criterion comprises a cost for the video server and cost for transporting a channel to the selected regions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to characterize each of the plurality of geographic regions according to a regional interest and demographics; and

instructions to correlate the available channels with the regional interest and demographics.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions to correlate further comprise instructions to correlate targeted advertising with the plurality of geographic regions.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein configuring the IPTV network to the second state further comprises migrating a content relating to the additional channel from the first server to the second server.

8. A method for configuring a state of an internet protocol television (IPTV) network, comprising:

configuring the IPTV network to a first state that provides a set of channels from available channels to a plurality of geographic regions;

estimating a demand for an additional channel from the available channels for a selected geographic region from the plurality of geographic regions;

determining costs relating placement of a video in the IPTV network and for transporting the additional channel to the selected region; and

configuring the IPTV network from the first state to a second state to provide the additional channel to the selected geographic region.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring the IPTV network to the first state further comprises providing a first server that provides the set of channels.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring the IPTV network to the first state further comprises configuring the IPTV network to provide the set of channels at a base quality of service.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein configuring the IPTV network to the second state to provide the additional channel at the base quality of service.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

estimating a revenue opportunity associated with the estimated demand; and

configuring the IPTV network to the second state if the estimated revenue opportunity exceeds the costs.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring the IPTV network to the second state further comprises providing a second server in the second state to provide the additional channel.

15. A computer readable medium accessible to a processor, comprising:

a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to access a subscriber activity data from a database relating to a plurality of geographic regions in a first state of an IPTV network;

instructions to correlate available channels with the subscriber activity data for each of the plurality of geographic regions;

instructions to determine a set criterion for placement of a video server in a selected geographic region from the plurality of geographic regions for providing a channel from the available channels correlated to the subscriber activity data for the selected geographic region; and

instructions to configure the first state to a second state placing the video server in the selected geographic region based on the set criterion.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a revenue opportunity for the placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to the second state based on the revenue opportunity.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a quality of service for placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to the second state if the calculated quality of service meets a set level.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a reliability for placement of the video server; and

instructions to configure the first state to the second state if the calculated reliability meets a set reliability level.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein set criterion includes cost of the video server and cost to transport the available channel according to the second state of the IPTV network.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to characterize each of the plurality of geographic regions according to regional interest and demographics; and

instructions to correlate the available channels with each of the geographic regions based on the regional interest and demographics.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to correlate available channels further comprise instructions to correlate targeted advertising with each of the plurality of geographic regions.

22. An IPTV network comprising:

a plurality of high speed digital communication links connecting a plurality of IPTV network geographic regions;

a plurality of video servers placed in a selected subset of the plurality of geographic regions wherein the video servers are placed based on a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises;

instructions to collect subscriber activity data from the plurality of geographic regions in a first state of the IPTV network;

instructions to correlate available channels with the subscriber activity data for each of the plurality of geographic regions;

instructions to determine a set criterion for placement of a video server in each of the plurality of geographic regions for providing an available channel correlated to the subscriber activity data for each of the plurality of geographic regions; and

instructions to configure the IPTV network first state to a second state having the video server in a geographic region selected from the plurality geographic regions based on the set criterion.

23. The network of claim 22, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to calculate a revenue opportunity for the placement of the video server in and instructions to configure the IPTV network first state to the second state based on the calculated revenue opportunity.

24. The network of claim 22, wherein the computer program further comprises

instructions to calculate a quality of service for the placement of the video server and instructions to configure the IPTV network first state to the second state based on the calculated quality of service.

25. The network of claim 22, wherein the computer program further comprises

instructions to calculate a reliability for placement of the video server;

and

instructions to configure the IPTV network first state to a second state based on the calculated reliability.

26. The network of claim 22, wherein the set criterion comprises a transport cost and video server cost.