Customizing and Distributing Data in Network Environments

• US 20080270567A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Stiers, Todd, de Bonet, Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US11/694,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Various techniques and mechanisms allow customization of data for delivery to different end users. The data can be provided as a series of chunks. In some instances, a server has a number of modules used to customize and select chunks of data using a variety of factors such as user preferences, network bandwidth, subscription levels, etc. The chunks are distributed in and across a variety of network architectures such as client server, mesh, point-to-point, peer-to-peer, etc.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving media stream at a network device, wherein the media stream is transcoded into a plurality of chunks, each of the plurality of chunks including a portion of the media stream;

modifying one of the plurality of chunks using customization information to generate a customized chunk;

sending the plurality of chunks and the customized chunk to a plurality of network nodes, wherein a user obtains the customized chunk and ones of plurality of chunks to receive the media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein customization information is associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein customization information is associated with user preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein customization information is associated with group preferences.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein customization information is associated with network constraints.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises augmenting one of the plurality of chunks with additional content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises removing content to meet network constraints.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises generating a plurality of customized chunks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of chunks is reduced in size to meet network constraints.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of chunks is associated with timing information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chunks are sent to a plurality of network nodes connected in a peer-to-peer network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized chunk includes advertising information targeted to the particular user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is associated with a mobile device.

14. A system, comprising:

an interface operable to receive a media stream, wherein the media stream is transcoded into a plurality of chunks;

a processor operable to modify one of the plurality of chunks using customization information to generate a customized chunk;

wherein the interface is further operable to send the plurality of chunks and the customized chunk to a plurality of network nodes, wherein a user obtains the customized chunk and ones of plurality of chunks to receive the media stream.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein customization information is associated with the user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein customization information is associated with user preferences.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein customization information is associated with group preferences.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein customization information is associated with network constraints.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises augmenting one of the plurality of chunks with additional content.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises removing content to meet network constraints.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein modifying one of the plurality of chunks comprises generating a plurality of customized chunks.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of chunks is reduced in size to meet network constraints.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of chunks is associated with timing information.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of chunks are sent to a plurality of network nodes connected in a peer-to-peer network.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the customized chunk includes advertising information targeted to the particular user.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the user is associated with a mobile device.

27. A system, comprising:

means for receiving media stream, wherein the media stream is transcoded into a plurality of chunks, each of the plurality of chunks including a portion of the media stream;

means for modifying one of the plurality of chunks using customization information to generate a customized chunk;

means for sending the plurality of chunks and the customized chunk to a plurality of network nodes, wherein a user obtains the customized chunk and ones of plurality of chunks to receive the media stream.

28. A computer readable storage medium having computer code embodied therein, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

computer code for receiving media stream;

computer code for transcoding the media stream into a plurality of chunks, each of the plurality of chunks including a portion of the media stream;

computer code for modifying one of the plurality of chunks using customization information to generate a customized chunk;

computer code for sending the plurality of chunks and the customized chunk to a plurality of network nodes, wherein a user obtains the customized chunk and ones of plurality of chunks to receive the media stream.