Method and System for Redirecting an Electronic Content Request to an Alternate Content Transport Mechanism or Storage Site

• US 20090240787A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Denny, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US12/478,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240787A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20

Abstract

A method includes receiving content from a provider, storing the content at a location of a local cache, and transmitting a request for the content from a user device to a transport proxy server. The method also includes receiving an indicator from the transport proxy server, and accessing the content from the location of the local cache.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, using a user device of an end-user site, content from a content provider;

storing the content at a location of a local cache of the end-user site;

transmitting a request for the content from the user device to a transport proxy server remote to the end-user site responsive to user input representing a request to review the content, the request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with a website providing the content;

receiving an indicator from the transport proxy server at the user device responsive to transmitting the request, the indicator representative of the location of the local cache; and

accessing, using the user device, the content from the location of the local cache based on the indicator to present the content to a user at the end-user site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the content from the content provider comprises receiving the content from the content provider via a first transport mechanism;

transmitting the request for the content to the transport proxy server comprises transmitting the request to the transport proxy server via a second transport mechanism; and

receiving the indicator from the transport proxy server comprises receiving the indicator from the transport proxy server via the second transport mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transport mechanism comprises one of a satellite-based media broadcast mechanism or a cable-based media broadcast mechanism and the second transport mechanism comprises an Internet-based mechanism.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the end-user site and the transport proxy server are connected via a cable network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the content from the content provider comprises receiving the content from the content provider via a transport mechanism;

transmitting the request for the content to the transport proxy server comprises transmitting the request to the transport proxy server via the transport mechanism; and

receiving the indicator from the transport proxy server comprises receiving the indicator from the transport proxy server via the transport mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises at least one of audio content or video content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, at the transport proxy server, a plurality of uniform resource locators (URLs), wherein each URL of the plurality of URLs is associated with a corresponding website of a plurality of websites providing the content; and

transmitting the indicator from the transport proxy server to the user device in response to determining a match between the URL of the request and a URL of the plurality of URLs stored at the transport proxy server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user device comprises one of a personal computer, a set top box, a personal digital assistant, or a television.

9. A system comprising:

an end-user site comprising;

a user device to;

receive content from a content provider;

store the content at a location of a local cache of the end-user site;

transmit a request for the content to a transport proxy server remote to the end-user site responsive to user input representing a request to review the content, the request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with a website providing the content;

receive an indicator from the transport proxy server responsive to transmitting the request, the indicator representative of the location of the local cache; and

access the content from the location of the local cache based on the indicator to present the content to a user at the end-user site.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the user device receives the content from the content provider via a first transport mechanism;

the user device transmits the request for the content to the transport proxy server via a second transport mechanism; and

the user device receives the indicator from the transport proxy server via the second transport mechanism.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transport mechanism comprises one of a satellite-based media broadcast mechanism or a cable-based media broadcast mechanism and the second transport mechanism comprises an Internet-based mechanism.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the end-user site and the transport proxy server are connected via a cable network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the user device receives the content from the content provider, transmits the request to the transport proxy server, and receives the indicator from the transport proxy server via a same transport mechanism.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the end-user site and the transport proxy server are connected via one of a digital subscriber line or a cable network.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

the transport proxy server, wherein the transport proxy server is to;

store a plurality of uniform resource locators (URLs), wherein each URL of the plurality of URLs is associated with a corresponding website of a plurality of websites providing the content; and

transmit the indicator from the transport proxy server to the user device in response to determining a match between the URL of the request and a URL of the plurality of URLs stored at the transport proxy server.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

the content provider, wherein the content provider is to;

publish the content at the plurality of websites prior to providing the plurality of URLs to the transport proxy server.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the user device comprises one of a personal computer, a set top box, a personal digital assistant, or a television.

18. A system comprising:

an end-user site; and

a transport proxy server remote to the end-user site, the transport proxy server to;

store a plurality of uniform resource locators (URLs) associated with content stored at the end-user site and published at a plurality of websites, each URL of the plurality of URLs associated with a corresponding website of the plurality of websites; and

redirect the end-user site to a location of a content cache of the end-user site for content requested by the end-user site in response to determining a URL associated with the content requested by the end-user site matches a URL of the plurality of URLs.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the end-user site receives the content from a content provider via a first transport mechanism; and

the transport proxy server and the end-user site communicate via a second transport mechanism.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first transport mechanism comprises one of a satellite-based media broadcast mechanism or a cable-based media broadcast mechanism and the second transport mechanism comprises an Internet-based mechanism.