Apparatus, System and Method for Resolving Bandwidth Constriction

• US 20120151042A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Garg, Amit, Brown, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 10,187,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method are disclosed for resolving bandwidth constriction using multiple bandwidths and/or multiple content delivery paths. The apparatus, system and method may include recording requested video content and/or delivering the recorded video content to resolve bandwidth constriction using alternate bandwidths or delivery paths.

Claims

1. A method for managing bandwidth, said method comprising:

receiving a request for content for delivery over a first content delivery path;

monitoring at least a first allocated bandwidth of the first content delivery path for sufficient bandwidth for delivery of the content;

querying a requester of the content, upon determining by said monitoring that sufficient bandwidth does not exist, for an acceptability of delivery of the content via a second allocated bandwidth of the first content delivery path;

based on an affirmative response to said querying, recording the content onto a storage device; and

,

delivering the content from the storage device, via the first content delivery path, when said monitoring determines availability of the second allocated bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bandwidth of the first content delivery path comprises a VOD allocated bandwidth.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first bandwidth of the first content delivery path comprises an SDV allocated bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said second allocated bandwidth of the first content delivery path comprises an SDV allocated bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said second allocated bandwidth of the first content delivery path comprises a VOD allocated bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said storage device comprises a network digital recorder.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second delivery path comprises a packet-switched network.

8. A system for managing bandwidth, comprising:

a bandwidth monitor adapted for monitoring a first bandwidth allocated for a first content delivery path and a second bandwidth allocated for a second content delivery path;

a message prompter adapted for querying a user for an acceptability of receiving requested content via a second content delivery path;

a storage device, remote from the user, adapted for recording the requested content based on communications from the user and said bandwidth monitor; and

,

a content delivery server adapted for delivering the requested content, via the first or second content delivery path, based on communications from said bandwidth monitor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the content delivery server is further adapted to deliver the requested content as recorded on said storage device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said storage device comprises a network digital recorder.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and the second content delivery paths comprises an SDV content delivery path.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and the second content delivery paths comprises a VOD content delivery path.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and the second content delivery paths comprises a packet-switched network.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said content delivery server comprises a video on demand server.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said content delivery server comprises a switched digital video server.

16. A method of resolving bandwidth constriction, said method comprising:

determining existence of a bandwidth constriction in a first content delivery path that hinders delivery of user-requested content;

recording the user-requested content;

determining whether sufficient bandwidth exists for delivery of the requested content via a second delivery path; and

,

delivering the content to the user upon the determination of sufficiency of the bandwidth for the second delivery path.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said recording comprises recording the recorded content to a network digital recorder.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first content delivery path comprises a VOD content delivery path.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first content delivery path comprises an SDV content delivery path.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the second content delivery path comprises a packet switched network.