System and method for preloading content segments to client devices in an electronic network

• US 20080208985A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: SONY CORPORATION AND SONY ELECTRONICS INC.
• Inventors: Nguyen, Djung, Georgis, Nikolaos, Hwang, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1061 using node-based peer discovery mechanisms static access to replicated servers H04L67/1006; service discovery H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/472 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system and method for supporting content distribution in an electronic network includes a peer-to-peer network of electronic devices. The electronic devices are initially preloaded in a distributed manner with various content segments from corresponding content items. When a system user selects a particular content item on a corresponding electronic device, a download manager of the electronic device may automatically generate content segment requests to other appropriate electronic devices in the peer-to-peer network. The download manager may then download and automatically reassemble the content segments to produce the selected content item for utilization by the system user.

Claims

1. A system for supporting content distribution in an electronic network, comprising:

client devices that are initially configured to locally store preloaded content segments of content items in a distributed manner; and

a download manager of an electronic device, said download manager generating content segment requests to target devices from among said client devices for downloading required content segments to reassemble a selected content item.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tracking server from which said download manager obtains current storage locations of said required content segments, said current storage locations specifically identifying said target devices to said download manager.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said client devices and said electronic device are implemented as personal computer devices.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said content items include electronically-encoded high-resolution motion picture programs.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said client devices and said electronic device are configured in a peer-to-peer network that supports direct bi-directional communications between any of said electronic device and said client devices.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said content items include entertainment programming, movies, video data, audio data, digital photographs, still image data, graphics, web pages, program guide information, and software programs.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein a segmented content preloading procedure is performed to provide said preloaded content segments to said client devices.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure is initiated by defining a set of content items.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining a total number of said content items for preloading onto said client devices.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes selecting specific titles of said content items for preloading onto said client devices.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining a total number of said preloaded content segments into which each of said content items are subdivided.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining, for each of said content items, relative sizes of respective ones of said preloaded content segments.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes creating a mapping scheme for associating said preloaded content segments with corresponding subsets of said client devices.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes preloading said preloaded content segments onto the said corresponding subsets of said client devices according to said mapping scheme.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein a content reassembly procedure is performed by said download manager to recreate said selected content item from said required content segments.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said electronic device identifies said selected content item from an extensive content catalogue of said content items.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said download manager sends a segment location request to a tracking server through an Internet network, a tracker module of said tracking server returning segment locations to said download manager to specifically identify current locations of said required content segments.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said download manager sends said content segment requests to said target devices that were identified by a tracking server as currently storing said required content segments for reassembling said selected content item.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said download manager receives said required content segments from said target devices through a peer-to-peer network, said download manager reassembling said content segments to produce said selected content item.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein a recommendation engine of said electronic device analyzes content recommendation criteria received from a tracking server for automatically identifying said selected content item and initiating a content segment download procedure to obtain said required content segments from said target devices.

21. A method for supporting content distribution in an electronic network, comprising the steps of:

configuring client devices to locally store preloaded content segments of content items in a distributed manner;

utilizing a download manager of an electronic device for generating content segment requests to target devices from among said client devices; and

downloading required content segments from said target devices to reassemble a selected content item.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising a tracking server from which said download manager obtains current storage locations of said required content segments, said current storage locations specifically identifying said target devices to said download manager.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said client devices and said electronic device are implemented as personal computer devices.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein said content items include electronically-encoded high-resolution motion picture programs.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein said client devices and said electronic device are configured in a peer-to-peer network that supports direct bi-directional communications between any of said electronic device and said client devices.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein said content items include entertainment programming, movies, video data, audio data, digital photographs, still image data, graphics, web pages, program guide information, and software programs.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein a segmented content preloading procedure is performed to provide said preloaded content segments to said client devices.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure is initiated by defining a set of content items.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining a total number of said content items for preloading onto said client devices.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes selecting specific titles of said content items for preloading onto said client devices.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining a total number of said preloaded content segments into which each of said content items are subdivided.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes defining, for each of said content items, relative sizes of respective ones of said preloaded content segments.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes creating a mapping scheme for associating said preloaded content segments with corresponding subsets of said client devices.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said segmented content preloading procedure includes preloading said preloaded content segments onto the said corresponding subsets of said client devices according to said mapping scheme.

35. The method of claim 21 wherein a content reassembly procedure is performed by said download manager to recreate said selected content item from said required content segments.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said electronic device identifies said selected content item from an extensive content catalogue of said content items.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein said download manager sends a segment location request to a tracking server through an Internet network, a tracker module of said tracking server returning segment locations to said download manager to specifically identify current locations of said required content segments.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein said download manager sends said content segment requests to said target devices that were identified by a tracking server as currently storing said required content segments for reassembling said selected content item.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said download manager receives said required content segments from said target devices through a peer-to-peer network, said download manager reassembling said content segments to produce said selected content item.

40. The method of claim 21 wherein a recommendation engine of said electronic device analyzes content recommendation criteria received from a tracking server for automatically identifying said selected content item and initiating a content segment download procedure to obtain said required content segments from said target devices.

41. A system for supporting content distribution in an electronic network, comprising:

means for storing preloaded content segments of content items in a distributed manner;

means for generating content segment requests to target devices from among said means for storing; and

means for downloading required content segments from said target devices to reassemble a selected content item.

42. A system for supporting content distribution in an electronic network, comprising:

client devices that are initially configured to locally store preloaded content segments of content items in a distributed manner;

a tracking server that stores current storage locations of said preloaded content segments; and

a download manager of an electronic device, said download manager initially downloading said current storage locations from said tracking server, said download manager then generating content segment requests to target devices from among said client devices for downloading required content segments to reassemble a selected content item.

43. An electronic device for reproducing a content item, comprising:

a download manager that receives a content selection from a system user for reproducing said content item, said download manager responsively generating content segment requests to target devices in a peer-to-peer network, said target devices being preloaded in a distributed manner with content segments from said content item, said electronic device then downloading said content segments from said target devices, said download manager utilizing said content segments to reassemble said content item.