APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING DELIVERY OF MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20090070408A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: WHITE, SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/851,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070408A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to receive primary multimedia content from available multimedia content where a determination of the primary multimedia content is based at least in part on monitored user activity associated with the set top box, store the primary multimedia content, and present the primary multimedia content in response to a request from a user. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring user activity associated with a set top box;

determining primary multimedia content and secondary multimedia content from available multimedia content based at least in part on the user activity;

transmitting the primary multimedia content to the set top box for storage therein; and

providing the set top box with selective access to the secondary multimedia content from a remote source.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the user activity is at least one among scheduled recordings, playback of recordings, and viewing of regularly scheduled programming.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

transmitting the primary multimedia content to the set top box by way of a first mode of communication; and

providing the set top box with the access to the secondary multimedia content by way of a second mode of communication, wherein the first and second modes of communication utilize different communication protocols.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for adjusting a time for the transmitting of the primary multimedia content to the set top box based at least in part on the user activity.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for at least one of monitoring the user activity associated with the set top box based at least in part on a user profile for a user of the set top box and determining the primary multimedia content based at least in part on the user profile.

6. A server, comprising a controller to:

monitor user activity associated with a set top box;

determine primary multimedia content from available multimedia content based at least in part on the user activity; and

transmit the primary multimedia content to the set top box for storage therein.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the user activity is at least one among scheduled recordings, playback of recordings, and viewing of regularly scheduled programming.

8. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to:

determine secondary multimedia content from the available multimedia content; and

provide the set top box with selective access to the secondary multimedia content from a remote source.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to:

transmit the primary multimedia content to the set top box by way of a first mode of communication; and

provide the set top box with the access to the secondary multimedia content by way of a second mode of communication, wherein the first and second modes of communication utilize different communication protocols.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the first mode of communication is satellite communication and the second mode of communication is broadband.

11. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to adjust a time for the transmitting of the primary multimedia content to the set top box based at least in part on the user activity.

12. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to monitor the user activity associated with the set top box based at least in part on a user profile for a user of the set top box.

13. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to determine the primary multimedia content based at least in part on a user profile for a user of the set top box.

14. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller is adapted to receive from a user of the set top box a preference associated with the primary multimedia content, and wherein the determining of the primary multimedia content is based at least in part on the preference.

15. A set top box, comprising a controller to:

receive primary multimedia content from available multimedia content, wherein a determination of the primary multimedia content is based at least in part on monitored user activity associated with the set top box;

store the primary multimedia content; and

present the primary multimedia content in response to a request from a user.

16. The set top box of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to:

selectively access from a remote source secondary multimedia content from the available multimedia content; and

present the secondary multimedia content in response to a request from the user.

17. The set top box of claim 16, wherein the controller is adapted to:

receive the primary multimedia content by way of a first mode of communication; and

access the secondary multimedia content by way of a second mode of communication, wherein the first and second modes of communication utilize different communication protocols.

18. The set top box of claim 17, wherein the first mode of communication is satellite communication and the second mode of communication is broadband.

19. The set top box of claim 15, wherein a time for transmitting of the primary multimedia content to the set top box is based at least in part on the monitored user activity.

20. The set top box of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a user profile associated with the user of the set top box, wherein the monitored user activity is based at least in part on the user profile.

21. The set top box of claim 15, wherein the determination of the primary multimedia content is based at least in part on a user profile for the user of the set top box.

22. The set top box of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to receive from the user of the set top box a preference associated with the primary multimedia content, and wherein the determination of the primary multimedia content is based at least in part on the preference.

23. A method, comprising:

monitoring user activity associated with a set top box;

determining primary and secondary multimedia content based at least in part on the user activity;

transmitting the primary multimedia content to the set top box for storage therein; and

providing the set top box with selective access to the secondary multimedia content from a remote source.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

transmitting the primary multimedia content to the set top box by way of a first mode of communication; and

providing the set top box with the access to the secondary multimedia content by way of a second mode of communication, wherein the first and second modes of communication utilize different communication protocols.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising:

monitoring the user activity associated with the set top box based at least in part on a user profile for a user of the set top box; and

determining the primary multimedia content based at least in part on the user profile.