CONTENT-BASED ROUTING OF INFORMATION CONTENT

• US 20080285578A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Beadle, Edward R., DeLay, John L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A system to route media information content may include a router that analyzes predetermined content of a plurality of data packets of the media information content and prioritizes forwarding the plurality of data packets from the router based on applying at least one rule to the predetermined content.

Claims

1. A system to route media information content comprising:

a router that analyzes predetermined content of a plurality of data packets of the media information content and prioritizes forwarding the plurality of data packets from the router based on applying at least one rule to the predetermined content.

2. The system of claim 1, a rules engine programmed to apply the at least one rule to the predetermined content of each of the plurality of data packets to determine a prioritization in an output buffer for each data packet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the output buffer comprises a plurality of output queues, the system further comprising:

a queuing control component configured to send each of the plurality of data packets to one of the plurality of output queues based on control instructions that define the prioritization in the output buffer.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a rule generator configured to generate the at least one rule programmed to ascertain a category for each of the plurality of data packets according to the predetermined content, the rules engine employing the at least one rule to establish a prioritization hierarchy for forwarding the plurality of data packets from the router according to the category thereof.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the rule generator dynamically modifies the at least one rule based on at least one of an analysis of the predetermined content and resource utilization in the system.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a content analyzer programmed to analyze at least the predetermined content of the plurality of data packets, the content analyzer determining a condition associated with demand for each category of the media information content provided to the router for distribution in the system, the rule generator employing the condition determined by the content analyzer to dynamically modify the at least one rule.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising an electronic program guide control programmed to send program instructions to update an electronic program guide for a plurality of users, in response to the at least one rule being modified, to facilitate selection and receipt of desired media information content forwarded from the router.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined content comprises metadata inserted into each of the plurality of data packets, the router applying the at least one rule to the metadata to prioritize forwarding each of the plurality of data packets from the router.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a content generator operative to generate the metadata to define at least two different predetermined categories of the media information content, the metadata being inserted into the plurality of data packets to assign the media information content to at least one category of the at least two different predetermined categories.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a rule generator that generates the at least one rule, the at least one rule containing instructions to enable the router to ascertain which of the at least two different predetermined categories each of the plurality of data packets has been assigned according to the metadata in each respective data packet, the router forwarding the plurality of data packets according to which of the at least two different predetermined categories is associated with each of the plurality of data packets identified by the metadata thereof.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the media information content comprises multimedia data provided to the router as a stream of the plurality of data packets from a source of multimedia data in response to selection by at least one user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the source of multimedia data further comprises a packet builder that inserts the predetermined content into each of the plurality of data packets according to content assignment data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined content comprises metadata that defines a plurality of different categories, the router further comprising a content extractor that extracts the metadata from at least one predetermined field of each of the plurality of data packets and employs the at least one rule to identify to which of the plurality of different categories each respective data packet has been assigned.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of different categories is assigned a corresponding prioritization hierarchy for forwarding the plurality of data packets from the router as a stream of the media information content.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of different categories represents a different value associated with forwarding the media information content from the router at the corresponding prioritization hierarchy.

16. The system of claim 1, system further comprising a pattern detector that analyzes the predetermined content extracted from a plurality of data packets to ascertain a pattern, the router controlling how media information content is streamed from the router to at least a portion of a plurality of users based on the pattern detected by the pattern detector.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a source that provides the media information content to the router as the plurality of data packets, the source and the router cooperating to switch from a first type of media streaming to a second type of media streaming for at least one program of the media information content based on an application of a distribution rule to the pattern.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an electronic program guide control programmed to send instructions to modify an electronic program guide for a plurality of users to enable selection and receipt of the at least one program of the media information content.

19. A system to perform content-based routing of media information content, comprising:

a router that extracts predetermined content from a plurality of data packets corresponding to media information content, the router employing a rules engine to apply at least one rule to the extracted predetermined content to determine an output prioritization for forwarding each of the plurality of data packets from the router; and

a control system that defines the at least one rule applied by the rules engine according to at least one business objective.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a source that provides the media information content to the router as the plurality of data packets, the predetermined content being inserted into each of the plurality of data packets provided by the source to define a predefined one of at least two categories.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the control system further comprises a content generator programmed to generate the predetermined content as metadata, the metadata having a value that identifies one of the at least two categories, the metadata being inserted into the plurality data packets at the source based on an assignment data provided by the control system.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the control system further comprises a rule generator programmed to generate the at least one rule to define the output prioritization for each of the plurality of data packets based on the metadata inserted into each of the plurality of data packets.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the control system is programmed to cause the rule generator to dynamically modify the at least one rule based on detecting a pattern associated with at least one of the predetermined content and an aggregate subscriber demand for the media information content.

24. A system for performing content-based routing comprising:

means for extracting predetermined content at a router from a plurality of data packets;

means for applying at least one rule to the extracted predetermined content to determine a category associated with each of the plurality of data packets; and

means for forwarding each of the plurality of data packets from the router based on a priority assigned to the determined category.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for generating the predetermined content to define at least two categories of media information content;

means for generating the at least one rule, according to the generated predetermined content, to define different levels of priority for forwarding each of the plurality of data packets from the router.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for selectively inserting the predetermined content into each of the plurality of data packets according to a predefined assignment for each program of the media information content.

27. A method for performing content-based routing comprising:

receiving at a router a plurality of data packets of media content information provided by a source;

extracting predetermined content from the plurality of data packets;

applying at least one rule to the extracted predetermined content;

buffering each of the plurality of data packets for delivery from the router with a priority according to a result of the application of the at least one rule; and

forwarding each of the plurality of data packets from the router to a network according to the priority.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

generating the predetermined content to define at least two categories of media information content;

generating the at least one rule, according to the generated predetermined content, to define different categories used in routing the plurality of data packets according to a business objective.