METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR IMPLEMENTING MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS, DISTRIBUTION, AND RE-ALLOCATION SERVICES

• US 20070208789A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reichman, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• 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 21/25891 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for implementing media content analysis, distribution, and re-allocation services across a network are provided. The method includes analyzing factors that impact access to, and quality of, the media content provided over the network. The method also includes identifying a current storage location of the media content, creating decision criteria and metrics for re-allocating selected media content to an alternate storage location in response to the analyzing, and re-allocating the selected media content to the alternate storage location. The method further includes updating an inventory database to reflect the alternate storage of the selected media content.

Claims

1. A method for implementing media content analysis, distribution, and re-allocation across a network, comprising:

analyzing factors that impact access to, and quality of, the media content provided over the network;

identifying a current storage location of the media content;

creating decision criteria and metrics for re-allocating selected media content to alternate storage locations in response to the analyzing;

re-allocating the selected media content to a first alternate storage location in response to the analyzing; and

updating an inventory database to reflect the first alternate storage location of the selected media content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

iteratively reviewing the factors over a period of time to determine whether the media content continues to be impacted;

re-allocating the media content to a second alternate storage location in response to determining that the media content continues to be impacted; and

updating the inventory database to reflect the second alternate storage location of the media content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is an Internet Protocol television-enabled network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the factors include at least one of:

popularity of the media content;

costs of transporting the media content through the network;

timing of demand for the media content; and

costs of storage space.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing tiered storage locations for the media content based upon proximity of the storage locations to an Internet Protocol device;

wherein the selected media content is re-allocated to one of the tiered storage locations in response to the analyzing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the Internet Protocol device is a television.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content includes at least one of:

music;

video; and

data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein storage locations for the media content include at least one of:

an Internet Protocol television;

a central office storage facility;

a serving office storage facility;

a content provider facility; and

a video head end facility.

9. A system for implementing media content analysis, distribution, and re-allocation across a network, comprising, comprising:

a computer processing device; and

a neural network analyzer and reallocation application executing on the computer processing device;

the neural network analyzer and the reallocation application cooperatively implementing a method, comprising;

analyzing factors that impact access to, and quality of, the media content provided over the network;

identifying a current storage location of the media content;

creating decision criteria and metrics for re-allocating selected media content to alternate storage locations in response to the analyzing;

re-allocating the selected media content to a first alternate storage location in response to the analyzing; and

updating an inventory database to reflect the first alternate storage location of the selected media content.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the neural network analyzer and reallocation application further perform:

iteratively reviewing the factors over a period of time to determine whether the media content continues to be impacted;

re-allocating the media content to a second alternate storage location in response to determining that the media content continues to be impacted; and

updating the inventory database to reflect the second alternate storage location of the media content.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the network is an Internet Protocol television-enabled network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the factors include at least one of:

popularity of the media content;

costs of transporting the media content through the network;

timing of demand for the media content; and

costs of storage space.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the neural network analyzer and reallocation application further perform:

providing tiered storage locations for the media content based upon proximity of the storage locations to an Internet Protocol device;

wherein the selected media content is re-allocated to one of the tiered storage locations in response to the analyzing.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the Internet Protocol device is a television and the media content includes at least one of:

music;

video; and

data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein storage locations for the media content include at least one of:

an Internet Protocol television;

a central office storage facility;

a serving office storage facility;

a content provider facility; and

a video head end facility.

16. A computer program product for implementing media content analysis, distribution, and re-allocation across a network, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

analyzing factors that impact access to, and quality of, the media content provided over the network;

identifying a current storage location of the media content;

creating decision criteria and metrics for re-allocating selected media content to alternate storage locations in response to the analyzing;

re-allocating the selected media content to a first alternate storage location in response to the analyzing; and

updating an inventory database to reflect the first alternate storage location of the selected media content.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for performing:

iteratively reviewing the factors over a period of time to determine whether the media content continues to be impacted;

re-allocating the media content to a second alternate storage location in response to determining that the media content continues to be impacted; and

updating the inventory database to reflect the second alternate storage location of the media content.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the network is an Internet Protocol television-enabled network and the factors include at least one of:

popularity of the media content;

costs of transporting the media content through the network;

timing of demand for the media content; and

costs of storage space.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for providing tiered storage locations for the media content based upon proximity of the storage locations to an Internet Protocol device;

wherein the selected media content is re-allocated to one of the tiered storage locations in response to the analyzing; and

wherein further, the Internet Protocol device is a television.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the media content includes at least one of:

music;

video; and

data; and

wherein further, storage locations for the media content include at least one of;

an Internet Protocol television;

a central office storage facility;

a serving office storage facility;

a content provider facility; and

a video head end facility.