Methods and apparatus for predictive delivery of content over a network

• US 20090193485A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rieger, Remi, Brooks, Paul D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,060,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6338 directed to network
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for optimizing bandwidth utilization in a cable network. In one embodiment, the method comprises predicting which content will be requested by a set of users based upon the exhibited viewing habits of those users (and/or others). A server process gathers viewership data comprising a listing of programs requested by users at various times of the day. The server process aggregates the viewership data, identifies patterns within the aggregated data, and extrapolates a schedule of programs likely to be requested. In certain embodiments, the server process additionally gathers the capabilities of each cable device in an associated subnetwork. Based upon these capabilities, and based upon the total bandwidth predicted to remain available in the network over a target broadcast period, the server process may also select an optimal compression scheme and video quality level before broadcasting a certain program.

Claims

1. A network apparatus adapted to determine which of a plurality of content elements to distribute over a cable network at a given future time, the apparatus comprising:

logic adapted to collect viewership data from a plurality of cable devices; and

logic adapted to determine which of said plurality of content elements are to be delivered over said network to the plurality of cable devices at said future time based at least in part upon said viewership data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said viewership data comprises data indicating which of a plurality of channels were requested at given parts of a day.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said viewership data comprises data indicating which of a plurality of programs were requested at given parts of a day.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising logic adapted to receive capability-related data from at least a portion of the plurality of cable devices;

wherein the logic adapted to determine which of said plurality of content elements are to be delivered makes said determination based at least in part upon the viewership data and based at least in part upon the capability data.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said capability data comprises the decoding capabilities of at least a portion of said plurality of cable devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising logic adapted to select an optimal codec for compressing the content based at least in part upon the decoding capabilities.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said capability data comprises the display resolution capabilities of at least a portion of said plurality of cable devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said apparatus if further adapted to select an optimal bit rate for transmitting the content based at least in part upon said display resolution capabilities.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic adapted to determine which of said plurality of content elements are to be delivered is further adapted to discover at least one pattern in the viewership data, and generate at least one prediction or projection based at least in part on said at least one pattern.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content at a certain time of day.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content during a certain day of the week.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content during a certain period of a year.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content provided on a certain channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content comprising a certain program.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a pattern of at least one user requesting content comprising programs with popularity ratings exceeding a certain threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising logic adapted to prioritize respective ones of patterns discovered in the viewership data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the logic adapted to prioritize patterns is further adapted to assign higher priority to more recent viewing patterns than that assigned to older viewing patterns.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising logic adapted to synthesize patterns discovered in the viewership data so as to create a synthesized pattern, wherein the logic adapted to determine which of said plurality of content elements are to be delivered is further adapted to determine the content to be delivered using at least said synthesized pattern.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the logic adapted to synthesize patterns assigns a certain amount of weight to each pattern.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic adapted to determine which of the content elements are to be delivered is further adapted to determine the content based at least in part upon said viewership data and bandwidth available in said network at the time of said delivery.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising logic adapted to replace a lower quality version of a content element with a higher quality version of said element.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising logic adapted to replace a higher quality version of a content element with a lower quality version of a content element.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising logic adapted to provide designated services to the plurality of cable devices when sufficient bandwidth is available.

24. A method of determining which of a plurality of content elements to distribute over a cable network at a given time, the method comprising:

receiving viewership data from a plurality of cable devices regarding past or present content viewing; and

determining which of said plurality of content elements are to be subsequently delivered over said network to the plurality of cable devices based at least in part upon said viewership data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said viewership data comprises data indicating which channels were requested at certain times of day.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said viewership data comprises data indicating which programs were requested at certain times of day.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving capability data from the plurality of cable devices, wherein said determining which of the plurality of content elements are to be delivered is based at least in part upon said capability data.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said determining which of the plurality of content elements are to be delivered comprises identifying at least one pattern in the viewership data, and basing said determination at least in part on said at least one pattern.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising prioritizing patterns discovered in the viewership data.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising identifying at least one pattern in the viewership data;

wherein said determining the content elements to be delivered comprises determining the content elements to be delivered based at least in part on said at least one pattern.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said at least one pattern comprises a plurality of patterns, and said determining based at least in part on said at least one pattern comprises assigning a certain amount of weight to each of said plurality of patterns.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein said determining which of the plurality of content elements to be delivered is based at least in part upon available bandwidth in the network.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising replacing a lower quality version of a content element with a higher quality version of the same content element if:

(i) each cable device from said plurality can accommodate the higher quality version, and (ii) there is sufficient bandwidth available for replacing the lower quality version with the higher quality version.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising replacing a higher quality version of a content element with a lower quality version of a content element when:

(i) there is insufficient bandwidth available to sustain broadcasting the higher quality version to the plurality of cable devices, or (ii) at least some of said plurality of cable devices are not capable of decoding or utilizing the higher quality version.

35. For use in a content-based distribution network adapted to deliver content to a plurality of client devices, an apparatus comprising:

first logic adapted to receive viewership data from a plurality of client devices;

second logic adapted to determine, based at least in part on said viewership data, content elements to deliver over said network at a particular time; and

third logic adapted to select at least one content element for delivery that is not predicted to be requested at said particular time.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the second logic further comprises:

logic adapted to discover at least one request or use pattern in the viewership data; and

logic adapted to create at least one prediction based at least in part upon said patterns.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising logic adapted to prioritize different ones of said patterns discovered in the viewership data over others of said patterns.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising logic adapted to receive capability data from the plurality of client devices;

wherein the second logic determines said content elements to be delivered based at least in part upon the capability data.

39. A method of operating a content-based network, comprising:

predicting based at least in part on historical data the content elements to be delivered over the network to a plurality of client devices at a given point in time; and

operating at least one of said client devices without communicating data from said at least one device to the network.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said operating without communicating comprises operating said at least one device without a functional upstream communication channel.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said operating at least one of said client devices without communicating data from said at least one device to the network comprises operating different ones of said plurality of devices without communicating data at different times.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said act of predicting is based at least in part on viewership data obtained from said plurality of client devices.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein said viewership data comprises data relating to the same time of day, but for different calendar days.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said method further comprises weighting respective ones of said data relating to the same time of day, but for different calendar days, differently.

45. For use in a content-based network, client premises apparatus adapted to operate without an upstream communication channel, comprising:

a network interface, said network interface adapted to at least receive signals from said network, said signals comprising at least one RF carrier having content encoded thereon;

an RF tuner;

a processor;

a computer program adapted to run on said processor, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions that when executed;

process a received channel or program request;

determine, based at least in part on said processing, whether said requested channel or program request can be serviced locally by said apparatus; and

if said channel or program request can be serviced locally by said apparatus, causing said tuner to tune to an RF carrier in order to service said request.

46. The client premises apparatus of claim 45, wherein said determination of whether said request can be serviced locally comprises accessing a local channel map, said channel map comprising at least one association between a program channel and an RF carrier.

47. The client premises apparatus of claim 46, wherein said local channel map is received by said apparatus via said network interface.

48. The client premises apparatus of claim 45, wherein said local servicing of said request comprises said tuner tuning to an RF carrier currently being delivered, said currently delivered RF carrier comprising the requested channel or program stream.

49. The client premises apparatus of claim 48, wherein said requested channel or program stream is not presently requested by any other apparatus within the same service group as said client premises apparatus, yet it is predictively or speculatively inserted onto said RF carrier currently being delivered.