Methods and Apparatus For Controlled Removal of Content from A Distributed Network

• US 20120011174A1
• Filed: 07/09/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Dham, Vikram, Asnis, Ilya
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/813
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Described herein are techniques for managing content stored on a distributed network. Content is initially placed onto the network and populated across one or more nodes. The content is distributed in association with decay parameters that define a lifetime for the population of the content on the network. Various communication nodes of the distributed network are configured to process the content decay parameters to determine whether to delete the content during subsequent time periods.

Claims

1. A method for managing content in a distributed network, the method comprising:

receiving content and metadata associated with the content at a communication node during a first time period, the metadata specifying at least one content decay parameter for the content on the distributed network;

storing the content and the metadata at the communication node;

processing the content decay parameter at the communication node during a second time period to determine whether to delete the content from the communication node; and

responsive to determining that the content is to be deleted, deleting the content during the second time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the content is not to be deleted during the second time period, processing the content decay parameter at the communication node during a third time period to determine whether to delete the content; and

responsive to determining that the content is to be deleted, deleting the content during the third time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the content decay parameter further comprises:

computing a first value, at the communication node during the second time period, based on the content decay parameter of the content;

computing a second value, at the communication node, using a random number generator; and

determining whether to delete the content based on the first value and the second value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether to delete the content based on the first value and the second value further comprises:

determining whether the second value is greater than the first value, the content being designated for deletion if the second value is greater than the first value.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the content decay parameter comprises an equation specifying a half-life cycle of the content on the distributed network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein variables of the half-life cycle equation include:

a seed time designating when the content was placed onto the distributed network;

a current time; and

a mean lifetime of the content on the distributed network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updated metadata associated with the content, the updated metadata specifying at least one updated content decay parameter for the content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the content and the metadata further comprises:

receiving the content; and

requesting the metadata associated with the content separately from a remote server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein requesting the metadata associated with the content separately from the remote server further comprises:

requesting the metadata associated with the content separately from the remote server during the second time period.

10. A communication node comprising:

a communication interface operable to receive a plurality of content and metadata associated with each of the content from a distributed network, the metadata associated with each of the content specifying a content decay equation for the content on the distributed network;

a storage medium operable to store the plurality of content and the metadata associated with each of the content; and

a processor operable to;

compute at least one first value using a random number generator;

periodically process the content decay equation for each of the content to calculate a second value for each of the content;

determine whether to delete at least one of the content from the communication node based on the at least one first value and the plurality of second values; and

initiate deletion of the at least one of the content from the storage medium.

11. The communication node of claim 10, wherein the processor is operable to:

compute a first value for each of the plurality of content; and

determine whether to delete each of the plurality of content based on a comparison of the associated first and second values for each of the content.

12. The communication node of claim 10, wherein the content decay equation specifies a mean lifetime for the content on the distributed network.

13. The communication node of claim 10, wherein the content decay equation specifies a half-life for the content on the distributed network.

14. The communication node of claim 13, wherein the half-life of the content is defined as P(t)=A+K*exp̂

(−

(t−

T_seed−

T_offset)/T_m), wherein t is a current time, T_seed is a time that the content is launched onto the distributed network, T_offset is a time offset defined for growth of the content on the distributed network and T_m, is a mean lifetime for the content on the distributed network.

15. A method for managing content in a distributed network, the method comprising:

receiving content at a communication node during a first time period;

receiving metadata associated with the content at the communication node, the metadata specifying a half-life cycle for the content on a distributed network;

computing a first value, at the communication node during a second time period, based on the half-life cycle of the content;

computing a second value, at the communication node, using a random number generator;

determining whether to delete the content from the communication node based on the first value and the second value; and

responsive to determining that the content is to be deleted, deleting the content during the second time period.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the content is not to be deleted during the second time period, computing a third value, at the communication node during a third time period, based on the half-life cycle of the content;

computing a fourth value, at the communication node, using the random number generator;

determining whether to delete the content based on the third value and the fourth value; and

responsive to determining that the content is to be deleted, deleting the content during the third time period.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the content at a communication node and receiving the metadata associated with the content at the communication node further comprises:

receiving the content and the metadata together.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the metadata associated with the content further comprises:

requesting the metadata associated with the content separately from a remote server.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein computing the first value based on the half-life cycle of the content further comprises:

computing the first value based on a seed time designating when the content was placed onto the distributed network, a current time and a mean lifetime of the content on the distributed network.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the half-life cycle of the content is defined as P(t)=A+K*exp̂

(−

(t−

T_seed−

T_offset)/T_m), wherein t is a current time, T_seed is a time that the content is launched onto the distributed network, T_offset is a time offset defined for growth of the content on the distributed network and T_m is a mean lifetime for the content on the distributed network.