METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING MULTI-MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20130024901A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mimik Technology Canada Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Disternet Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Sharif-Ahmadi, Seyed, Arjomandi, Fay
• Granted Patent: US 10,341,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0835 One way packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/42 Dynamic individual rates per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• 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 21/2665 : Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 : providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 : involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4335 : Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 21/437 : Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440245 : the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 : Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 : Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 : on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

A method and system for micro-cloud computing is described. An application serving node, which is a specifically configured piece of customer premises equipment such as a set-top box, is the server for a micro-cloud network. Various user devices that form part of the micro-cloud network, such as television sets and smart phones, communicate with the application serving node. The application serving node is configured with software that allows various heterogeneous types of data to be obtained and streamed to the user devices in multiple ways. The application serving node performs much of the processing necessary for such content streaming itself and thus represents an edge-based network architecture.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A system for processing of multi-media content for a user device independent of the user device location, comprising:

a serving node configured to receive the multi-media content from a content provider via a network and configured to deliver said multi-media content to a plurality of user devices registered with said serving node;

each of said user devices associated with at least one user selected from a plurality of users;

each of said users associated with a record in a database accessible by said serving node;

said database including content characterization of said user and preferences of said user, said content characterization and preferences of each of said user variable depending on said user device said user is using, wherein when the content is received by said serving node, said content is reformatted for display on one of said user devices selected by one of said users.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said serving node multiplexes the content to a plurality of user devices.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein said serving node determines a location associated with said user device, and if said user device is closer to a second serving node associated with the network, said serving node instructs said second serving node to deliver the content to said user device.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein if said user uses a second user device while experiencing the content, said serving node reformats the content for said second user device and displays the content on said second user device.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein said serving node stores data about usage patterns related to said plurality of users and said plurality of user devices in said database.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein said serving node has a plurality of television tuners for receiving a plurality of video streams, and displays at least two of said video streams simultaneously on said user device.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein said first and second serving nodes each have a television tuner and the content is a television signal.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein to associate a user and a plurality of user devices with a serving node, said user obtains an account with said serving node by registering said user with said serving node and said plurality of user devices with said serving node.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein said serving node uniquely distinguished each of said plurality of users by:

a. said user devices redirecting requests to said serving node through an unique identifier URL, said identifier URL including a MAC address, a physical location, and a serial number of said user device;

b. verifying a unique id that associated with said user device a username and a password; and

c. determining a type of network through an interface at which a request was received.

32. A method of processing multi-media content targeted for a user device independent of the user device location, the method comprising;

a. receiving, at a serving node, multi-media content from a content provider via a network and configured to deliver said content to a plurality of user devices registered to said serving node, said serving node collecting information by;

i. identifying characteristics of said content;

ii. inspecting each received packet of said content from the network layer to the application layer;

iii. inspecting a URL associated with said content, and identifying if the content is manually requested by said user device or automatically generated as a sub URL within the main original URL that was requested;

iv. identifying if said URL is a crawler or static main;

v. identifying the content type as video, image, text, audio or RSS feed;

vi. if said content is text, comparing said content against a keyword dictionary database; and

vii. storing said information in a database.

33. A method for processing of multi-media content targeted for a user device independent of the device location, providing a serving node configured to receive multi-media content from a content provider via a network and further configured to deliver the content to a plurality of user devices registered with said serving node, the method comprising:

a. identifying a user associated with one of said user devices;

b. identifying a type of device that said user is using for access;

d. identifying a network said user device is using for connectivity to said serving

e. identifying a state of said user,

f. recording a time and date of access;

g. identifying the type of content that the user device is requesting;

h. identifying the location of the user device by receiving GPS location

i. determining characteristics of said user within that context (state) based on current behaviour and past history, and

j. updating a user characteristics identifier table

34. A method for processing of multi-media content targeted for a user device independent of the device location, the method comprising

a. providing a serving node configured to receive multi-media content from a content provider via a network and deliver the content to a plurality of user devices registered with said serving node;

said serving node;

i. identifying a screen capability, memory, processing ability and player of said user device;

ii. determining acceptable formats of said player;

iii. identifying a type of network by which said user device is connected;

iv. identifying a type of content;

v. converting said multimedia content to a format acceptable to said player;

vi. converting a long page to multiple decks of page with page numbers on the bottom; and

vii. rearranging and resizing said content to fit a screen of said user device;

35. A method of processing multi-media content targeted for a user device independent of the device location, the method comprising:

a. providing a serving node configured to receive multi-media content from a content provider via a network and to deliver said content to a plurality of user devices registered to said serving node, said serving node;

i. receiving said content as a native TV input in a format;

ii. decoding said input to a RAW picture frame;

iii. converting said RAW picture frame to a RGB32 format picture frame;

iv. identifying a screen layout and player of said user device;

v. identifying a type of network by which said user device can receive said content;

vi. extracting additional content from a source to include in said content;

vii. overlaying said additional content to said RGB32 Raw picture frame;

viii. encoding said RGB32 Raw picture frame to a video stream supported by said user device; and

ix. sending said video stream to said user device.

36. A method for processing multi-media content for a user device independent of the device location, the method comprising:

a. requesting at a user device, content from a serving node with which said user device is registered;

b. passing, by said serving node, a location of said device to a server within the network;

c. identifying, by said server, a one or more serving nodes within said network having multi-media content;

d. calculating, by said server, a closest path from said user device to a serving node having said multi-media content, wherein said user device is not registered to said serving node having said multi-media content;

e. sending, from said server, a request for direct content distribution to said serving node having a closest path to said user device, and a location and an access address of said serving node to which said user device is registered;

f. sending, from said server, a notification to the serving node to which said user device is registered of the location and access address of the serving node having said content;

g. said serving node having said content sending said content to said serving node to which said user device is registered; and

h. said serving node to which said user device is registered redirecting said content to said user device.