System and method of deferring multimedia content delivery

• US 20080285936A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rys, Stephen, Klein, Adam, Yampanis, Mark, Britt, Austin
• Granted Patent: US 8,079,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Systems and methods of deferred multimedia content delivery are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving a request from a first customer premises equipment (CPE) device to receive multimedia content. The method also includes selectively recording the multimedia content at a server based on a comparison of a measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device and a bandwidth threshold. The method may also include delivering the multimedia content to the first CPE device from a network when measured bandwidth is available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a first customer premises equipment (CPE) device to receive multimedia content; and

selectively recording the multimedia content at a server based on a comparison of a measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device and a bandwidth threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring the measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device; and

recording the multimedia content at the server when the measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device is greater than or equal to the bandwidth threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the multimedia content to the first CPE device when the measured bandwidth associated with the first CPE device no longer exceeds the bandwidth threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the multimedia content to the first CPE without a subsequent request from the first CPE device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting access to the multimedia content to the first CPE device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to distribute the multimedia content to multiple CPE devices.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the multimedia content to more than one of the multiple CPE devices that requested the multimedia content within a time period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time period is selected from one of a first time period prior to a scheduled start of the multimedia content, a second time period after the scheduled start that is less than a total scheduled time of the multimedia content, and a third time period that is prior to a scheduled end of the multimedia content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for the multimedia content from at least a second CPE device; and

providing the multimedia content to the second CPE device when a bandwidth associated with the second CPE device is available;

wherein the multimedia content is provided to the second CPE device independent of the first CPE device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request to record the multimedia content at the first CPE device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth threshold comprises a number of concurrent multimedia streams to the first CPE device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the number of concurrent multimedia streams based on a bit rate of each stream being provided to the first CPE device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving an instruction at a first customer premise equipment (CPE) device to record multimedia content at the first CPE device; and

sending a request to record the multimedia content at a server of a multimedia content distribution network when a storage size of the multimedia content exceeds an available storage capacity at the first CPE device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the multimedia content from the server when the first CPE device has sufficient available storage capacity.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the multimedia content from the server when the first CPE device has an available bandwidth to receive the multimedia content.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the multimedia content at a lower than requested resolution.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the multimedia content at the lower than requested resolution when the available bandwidth to receive the multimedia content is insufficient to receive the multimedia content at the requested resolution.

18. The method of claim of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a first portion of the multimedia content at a first resolution;

receiving a second portion of the multimedia content at a second resolution; and

wherein the second resolution is higher than the first resolution

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first portion and the second portion are sequentially received.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the first CPE device includes a set-top box device.

21. A device comprising:

a memory;

an interface to receive data from multiple customer premises equipment (CPE) devices; and

a processor, the memory and the interface accessible to the processor, the memory having instructions to cause the processor to execute a method comprising;

receiving a request via the interface to provide multimedia content to a first CPE device of the multiple CPE devices;

determining a capability of the first CPE device to receive the multimedia content; and

initiating a recording of the multimedia content when the first CPE device is unable to receive the multimedia content based on the capability.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the capability of the first CPE device is determined based on a number of input streams to the first CPE device.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the capability of the first CPE device is determined based on an available storage space of the first CPE.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises initiating a data stream to provide the multimedia content to the first CPE device, and wherein a bit rate of the data stream is at least partially based on a total rate of data transfer to the first CPE device.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein the recording is performed at a second CPE device of the multiple CPE devices and wherein the multimedia content is transferred from the second CPE device to the first CPE device.

26. A device comprising:

a processor;

a network interface accessible to the processor; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory having instructions to cause the processor to execute a method comprising;

receiving an instruction via a user interface to record scheduled multimedia content; and

sending a request via the network interface to record the scheduled multimedia content at a server of a multimedia content distribution network when a storage size of the multimedia content exceeds an available storage capacity at the device.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises receiving the multimedia content from the server when the device has sufficient available storage capacity and available input bandwidth.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a first portion of the multimedia content at a first bit rate;

receiving a second portion of the multimedia content at a second bit rate; and

wherein the second bit rate is higher than the first bit rate, wherein the first portion of the multimedia content is received concurrently with multiple input streams via the network interface, and wherein the second portion of the multimedia content is received when at least one of the multiple input streams terminates.

29. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions to cause a processor to execute a method comprising:

requesting to receive a first number of input streams concurrently from a multimedia content provider network, wherein the first number of input streams exceed a threshold;

receiving a second number of the input streams that were requested, wherein the second number is less than the first number; and

receiving at least one input stream of the first number of input streams that were requested when at least one of the second number of input streams has terminated.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one input stream is from a recording device coupled to the multimedia content provider network.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the input streams correspond to scheduled multimedia content provided via an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) access network.