Methods and apparatus for providing virtual content over a network

• US 20080092181A1
• Filed: 06/11/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Britt, Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for selecting, purchasing and delivering content to users of a network so that the user has “virtual” ownership of and access to the content, thereby obviating the need for physical media (e.g., DVDs or CDs). In an exemplary embodiment, the network comprises a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, and on-demand (OD) sessions or broadcast modes are used to deliver the virtual content stored at the head-end (or hub site) to the requesting owner. The purchased content is associated with one or more users when stored, thereby providing the owner(s) unlimited access thereto, without the costs and effort associated with renting/purchasing and maintaining DVDs. The content may also comprise new release content, which would otherwise not be available over the network at that time but for the purchase and delivery mechanisms of the invention. Various other complementary features for enhancing the user'"'"'s virtual ownership experience are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of providing virtual ownership of content delivery over a network, comprising:

receiving content from a content source;

storing said content at a storage location;

associating said content with at least one owner; and

selectively causing said content to be transmitted from a server entity associated with said server location to consumer premises equipment (CPE) operatively coupled to said network, said CPE being associated with said at least one owner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of associating comprises:

receiving a selection by said at least one owner of said content for purchase;

processing a purchase transaction for said content; and

generating a record of an association between said content and said at least one owner.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said server entity comprises an on-demand server, and said act of transmitting comprises creation of a session between said server entity and said CPE, said session being used to transmit said content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting copyright protection data into at least portions of said content before said content is stored.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting copyright protection data into at least portions of said content after said storage but before said content is transmitted over said network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said act of inserting copyright protection data comprises:

generating first data uniquely related to at least one of said at least one owners; and

inserting said first data into said content before said transmission.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said network comprises a cable network having a plurality of security features, said security features being used for protecting at least portions of said content during transmission over said network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said protecting of said at least portions comprises providing both content integrity and confidentiality protection.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising processing said content into an MPEG packet stream before transmitting.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising encoding said content according to one of a plurality of possible coding formats before transmitting.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said encoding comprises determining said one of a plurality of formats based at least in part on data received from a client device on which said content will be played.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one of a plurality of network interfaces for delivery of said content to said CPE.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a descriptive metadata structure relating to said content, said metadata structure comprising extensible markup language (XML) metadata;

establishing a substantially dedicated session and in-band downstream transmission pathway from said server to said CPE based at least in part on a request received from software operating on said CPE; and

transmitting the descriptive structure and content over said dedicated pathway as part of said session.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein said content comprises new release content, and said creation of said session is restricted to a temporal coordinate corresponding generally to the release of said content via another distribution channel.

15. A method of providing virtual ownership of new release content via a network, comprising:

receiving said content;

storing at least a portion of said content so that said purchaser may receive said content a plurality of times; and

selectively transmitting said content over said network to said purchaser, said transmitting being based at least in part on a request by said purchaser to receive said content;

wherein said transmitting of said content is restricted to occur only after a certain temporal coordinate.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising associating said stored content with a purchaser, and wherein said act of transmitting comprises transmitting said content using a VOD infrastructure of said network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said act of transmitting over said network comprises transmitting over a network having at least portions which are physically secure.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said act of transmitting over said network comprises transmitting over a network utilizing application layer security.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said act of transmitting over said network comprises transmitting over a network providing at least confidentiality and integrity protection for said content.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising inserting copyright protection data into at least portions of said content before said content is transmitted.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said certain temporal coordinate corresponds with a release date of said content via retail distribution channels.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said transmitting comprises:

transmitting said content to said purchaser at a first location over a cable network based on a first request; and

transmitting said content to said purchaser at a second location over a packet-switched network based on a second request.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said transmitting comprises:

broadcasting said content over a cable network radio frequency channel; and

selectively tuning a tuner of said purchaser to said radio frequency channel;

wherein said tuner of said purchaser comprises the only tuner which is tuned to said channel.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said act of storing said content comprises storing said content at a distribution node or hub of said network;

and

said transmitting comprises transmitting said content stored at said node or hub to said purchaser from said node or hub.

25. Network apparatus adapted to obtain and store content, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage device in data communication with said processor;

a network interface in data communication with said processor, said network interface being adapted to at least receive said content from said network; and

at least one computer program operative to run on said apparatus, said at least one computer program being adapted to;

provide a user with a user interface configured to enable user selection of at least one of a plurality of content for purchase;

forward said selection to a node of said network;

cause payment information to be provided to complete said purchase of said selected content; and

customize at least one aspect of said content before delivery.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said network apparatus comprises consumer premises equipment (CPE), and said at least one customized aspect comprises selecting one of a plurality of encoding formats.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least one program is further adapted to forward information to said node relating to the decoding capabilities of said CPE.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said at least one program is further adapted to forward information to said node relating to the conditional access capabilities of said apparatus.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said at least one program is further adapted to establish a trusted or authorized service domain within at least said apparatus for protection of said content.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said at least one customized aspect comprises adding annotations to one or more portions of said content, said annotations being viewable on subsequent playback of said content.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said at least one computer program is further adapted to:

receive at least one user-specified customization; and

customize at least one aspect of said content before said delivery based at least in part on said at least one user-specified customization.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said content comprises audio or music content relating to a plurality of artists, and at least one computer program is further adapted to deliver at least selected portions of said content to said user based on one or more configurations specified by said user.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more configurations are selected from the group consisting of:

(i) substantially randomized play;

(ii) genre play; and

(iii) artist play.

31. Network server apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device in data communication with said processor;

a network interface in data communication with said processor, said network interface being adapted to at least transmit said content via said network; and

at least one computer program operative to run on said apparatus, said at least one computer program being adapted to;

receive at least one purchase selection for content from a user;

store said user selected content at a storage location accessibly by said apparatus;

associate at least said user with said stored content; and

selectively deliver said content to said user over said network.

35. A network architecture for use in delivering content to a user, comprising:

a server operatively coupled to said network; and

a plurality of nodes operatively coupled to said network, said nodes each comprising at least a portion of said content;

wherein said server is operative to;

receive a purchase transaction for said content from said user;

cause retrieval of said at least portions of said content from respective ones of said nodes; and

deliver said content to said user.

36. The network architecture of claim 35, wherein said delivery of said content to said user comprises assembling said at least portions of said content before transmitting said content to said user over said network.

37. The network architecture of claim 35, wherein said delivery of said content to said user comprises assembling said at least portions of said content at a client premises device of said user.

38. A method of doing business, comprising:

receiving content from a source;

storing at least a portion of said content so that a purchaser thereof may receive said content a plurality of times; and

selectively providing said content to said purchaser, said act of providing being based at least in part on a request by said purchaser to receive said content.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said transmitting of said content is restricted to occur only after a certain temporal coordinate.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said purchaser may preview at least a portion of said content before said purchaser agrees to purchase said content.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein said selectively providing comprises encoding said content before delivery based at least in part on data received relating to said purchaser'"'"'s consumer premises equipment (CPE).

42. The method of claim 38, wherein said act of storing comprises storing said at least portion of said content within a virtual content database according to an algorithm, said algorithm dynamically varying the contents of said virtual content database based on at least one parameter.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said at least one parameter comprises a metric related to the estimated subscriber demand for said content.

44. A method of providing a virtual hard drive for a computerized device disposed at a first location and in communication with a cable network, comprising:

receiving a plurality of files from said computerized device via said cable network;

storing at least a portion of said files at a second location within said network and substantially remote from said first location; and

selectively providing said files to said device via said network, said act of providing being based at least in part on a request by said device to receive or access said files.

45. A method of providing updates to virtual content of an owner over a network, comprising:

receiving first content from a content source;

storing said first content at a storage location;

associating said first content with at least one owner;

receiving an update to said first content;

storing said update at a storage location; and

selectively causing either of said first content or update to be transmitted to consumer premises equipment (CPE) operatively coupled to said network, said CPE being associated with said at least one owner;

wherein said act of selectively causing is based at least in part on a preference received from said at least one owner.

46. A method of providing virtual ownership of content via a network, comprising:

storing first content so that it is associated with a first subscriber, said first subscriber having purchased said first content;

storing second content so that it is associated with a second subscriber, said second subscriber having purchased said second content; and

allowing said first and second subscribers to trade ownership of said first and second content using said network.

47. Content storage and distribution apparatus for use in a content-based network, comprising:

a storage device for storing content data; and

distribution apparatus in data communication with said storage device;

wherein said content storage and distribution apparatus are disposed at the premises of the operator of said network, yet controlled by a customer of said network.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein at least one aspect of the hardware or software configuration of said apparatus is determined by said customer at a time of purchase of said apparatus.