Method and apparatus for supporting file sharing in a distributed network

• US 20080282298A1
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vudu Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Prasanna, Rossmann, Alain, Miranz, Tony, Matloub, Shahriyar, Sze, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,810,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/92
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

To facilitate instant playback of an ordered title (e.g., a movie), a file pertaining to the title is fragmented into a header and segments. The header is seeded in all boxes in service and none, one or more segments are distributed to the network of boxes. When the title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are streamed in respectively from the boxes having the segments to enable continuous playback of the ordered title. Should one of the boxes fails to deliver the segment according to a certain requirement (e.g., a lower transmission rate), the box gets immediately replaced by a substitute machine that continues to supply the segment from where it was stopped.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a file in a distributed system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an ordering box that locally stores a plurality of residing objects, each pertaining to a beginning portion of one of titles being offered in a library so that a corresponding one of the residing objects is played back as soon as an order for a title is placed with the ordering box;

identifying at least two boxes to provide respective distributed objects pertaining to the title to the ordering box, each of the boxes configured to be able to order one of the titles; and

causing a substitute box to continue to provide one of the distributed objects to the ordering box when one of the at least two boxes fails to continue to provide the one of the distributed objects to the ordering box.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying whether the order is authorized upon receiving the request; and

determining, in accordance with a scheme, the at least two boxes designated to supply the distributed objects to the ordering box, after the order is authorized.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scheme is based on one or more of geographic location, time zone, and working status of the at least two boxes such that selections of the at least two boxes ensure respective downloading of at least some of the distributed objects from the at least two boxes to the subscriber ordering box.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification that one of the at least two boxes fails to a distributed object per a requirement, the notification recording where in the distributed object the one of the at least two boxes has filed;

initiating a backup machine to start to continue supplying the distributed object from where the one of the at least two boxes filed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the requirement includes a required bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the required bandwidth drops or a transmission rate is no longer satisfied, a downloading of the distributed object is considered to have filed.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the backup machine is another box or a server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed objects are concurrently fetched into the ordering box from the at least two boxes boxes.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein data from the distributed objects being concurrently fetched from the at least two boxes is multiplexed with data from the residing object, if any, to recover the remaining portion of the file and continue playback of the title.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the length of the residing object is determined so that the playback of the residing object lasts long enough to ensure continuous playback of the entire title and to overcome any possible instabilities.

11. A method for sharing a file in a distributed system, the method comprising:

enabling a selection from a library of titles in a box associated with a user that locally stores a plurality of residing objects, each pertaining to a beginning portion of one of the titles being offered in the library so that a corresponding one of the residing objects is played back as soon as an order for a title is placed with the box;

generating a request when one of the titles is ordered, the request including title information pertaining to the ordered title;

transmitting the request over a network to a server configured to formulate a response, the response including source information identifying at least two boxes to provide respectively one or more distributed objects pertaining to the ordered title, wherein each of the boxes is configured to be able to order one of the titles by a user thereof;

initiating a playback of one of the residing objects in the box pertaining to the ordered title;

receiving the one or more distributed objects from the at least two boxes, and switching to a substitute machine whenever one of the at least two boxes fails to supply a distribute object properly per a requirement; and

initiating a playback of the one or more distributed objects together with any other residing objects pertaining to the ordered title, if there are such other residing objects, as soon as the playback of the one of the residing objects is finished.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

initiating respective requests to the at least two boxes in accordance with the source information from the server; and

receiving concurrently the distributed objects from the at least two boxes should each of the at least two boxes respond to the requests.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving concurrently of the distributed objects comprises:

examining a downloading speed for each of the distributed objects; and

switching to the substitute machine if the one of the at least two boxes cannot arrive at a desired speed.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving concurrently the distributed objects from the at least two boxes should each of the at least two boxes be available.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving concurrently of the distributed objects comprises:

examining a downloading speed for each of the distributed objects; and

switching to the substitute machine if one of the distributed objects cannot arrive at a desired speed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein none of the distributed objects are provided by the server for playback.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the substitute machine is another box or a server.

18. A system for sharing a file in a distributed system, the system comprising:

a plurality of boxes, respectively coupled to a network, each box associated with a user and providing a library of titles, each box including a storage space to locally cache a plurality of headers and a plurality of segments to reside therein so that a corresponding one of the headers is played back as soon as an order for a title is placed with one of the boxes, each box configured to be able to order one of the titles and provide a request including title selection information; and

a server coupled to the network and configured to provide a response to a request from an ordering box being one of the boxes, the response including source information identifying a set of the boxes designated to provide respective distributed segments pertaining to the title to the ordering box,

wherein, in responding to the response, the ordering box initiates a playback of one of the headers pertaining to the selected title while downloading the respective distributed segments from the set of the boxes, and any one of the set of boxes gets replaced by a substitute machine whenever the one of the set of boxes fails to deliver a distributed segment per a requirement.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the server is configured not to provide a complete file or any of the distributed segments pertaining to the selected title in response to the selection.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the response includes identifiers identifying a set of backup boxes, each backup box backing up at least one of the boxes designated to provide the respective distributed segments pertaining to the title to the subscriber ordering box.