Distribution of content on a network

• US 20080072264A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clarendon Foundation (Cheshire Homes) Inc
• Original Assignee: Clarendon Foundation (Cheshire Homes) Inc
• Inventors: Crayford, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US11/830,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072264A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2351 involving encryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• 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 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for improved distribution of content on a communication network. The system and method are adapted to receive a video request message from a client, identify a location of the client, identify a location of one or more overlay nodes nearest to the client, identify a location of one or more network servers nearest to the client, generate network organization information, and publish the network organization information to at least the client.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for video from a user on a network;

streaming a first portion of the video to the user from a first node in the network;

separating a remaining portion of the video into one or more subsection portions;

searching one or more other nodes in the network for the subsection portions of the video; and

streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user from one or more other nodes in the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more subsection portions of the video includes a plurality of subsection portions of the video.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a video distribution network, and wherein the one or more other nodes comprise one or more overlay nodes in communication with the user via the video distribution network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more overlay nodes comprise one or mode other users in the network that are adapted to communicate with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node comprises an infrastructure node in the network adapted to communicate with the user and the one or more other nodes in the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the infrastructure node includes a server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring a service module to the user that is adapted to allow streaming of the video to the user from the first node in the network and the one or more other nodes in the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the remaining portion of the video into a plurality of subsection portions comprises performing a subsection algorithm on data related to the video so that one or more remaining subsection portions of the video are of a size that allows streaming from one or more other nodes in the network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the remaining portion of the video into a plurality of subsection portions comprises fragmenting data related to the video into subsection portions smaller than the first portion of the video streamed to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user comprises applying a video streaming protocol and algorithm to the subsection portions of the video to optimize a bitrate and bandwidth of the subsection portions of the video.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user comprises at least one of pipelining, prioritizing and load balancing video streams from the one or more other nodes in the network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user comprises managing a quality of service of streaming the one or more subsection portions of the video to the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsection portions of the video are streamed to the user in optimal order so that the video is viewed by the user in an uninterrupted manner, and wherein the optimal order is based on at least one of an available bandwidth of the user, download speed capability of the user, and available bitrate range of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a list of the one or more other nodes in the network that are nearest to the user; and

providing the generated list to the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein searching one or more other nodes in the network comprises searching the list for the one or more other nodes in the network for the subsection portions of the video.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user from one or more other nodes in the network comprises determining an optimal combination of the one or more subsection portions of the video so that the video is viewed by the user in an uninterrupted manner.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying topology of the network including the location of the one or more other nodes in the network.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying routing information of the network including routes between the one or more other nodes in the network; and

optimizing the routing information to find the shortest path between the one or more other nodes of the network.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an overload condition of resource contention between the one or more other nodes in the network.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying topology of the network including the location of the one or more other nodes in the network in relation to the user.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing quality of service of streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user from the one or more other nodes in the network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the one or more other nodes in the network for the subsection portions of the video comprises sorting the one or more other node in the network to achieve optimal streaming of the one or more subsection portions of the video to the user from one or more other nodes in the network.

23. A system comprising:

means for receiving a video request from a user on a network;

means for streaming a first portion of the video to the user from a first node in the network;

means for separating a remaining portion of the video into a plurality of subsection portions;

means for searching one or more other nodes in the network for the subsection portions of the video; and

means for streaming one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user from one or more other nodes in the network.

24. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

receive a video request from a user on a network;

stream a first portion of the video to the user from a first node in the network;

separate a remaining portion of the video into a plurality of subsection portions;

search one or more other nodes in the network for the subsection portions of the video; and

stream one or more of the subsection portions of the video to the user from one or more other nodes in the network.