Systems and Methods for Internet Video Delivery

• US 20130132605A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kocks, Peter F., Wu, Ping-Hao, El Mawas, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 9,860,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for delivering video content over a network, such as the Internet. Videos are identified and pre-processed by a web service and then separated into a plurality of segments. Based on user interests, video segments may be pre-fetched and stored by a client associated with a user. Upon receiving a selection from a user to play a video, the first video segment may begin playing instantaneously from a local cache. While the first video segment plays, subsequent video segments are transmitted from the web service to the client, so that the subsequent video segments will be ready for viewing at the client when playback of the first video segment has finished.

Claims

1. A method of delivering video content over a network, comprising:

dividing a video into a plurality of segments;

determining a number n of first video segments to transmit to a client;

transmitting, over a network, the n first video segments to the client;

receiving a notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments; and

based on the received notification, transmitting at least one additional video segment to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the video into a plurality of segments comprises dividing the video into a plurality of segments of equal size.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing visual and audio components of the video; and

dividing the video into a plurality of segments based on the analysis of visual and audio components of the video.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a distance measure indicating a degree of change between a plurality of frames within the video;

comparing the distance measure to a threshold;

identifying a scene change when the distance measure exceeds the threshold; and

dividing the video into a plurality of segments based on the identified scene change.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein computing the distance measure indicating a degree of change between a plurality of frames within the video comprises computing the distance measure indicating a degree of change between the color histograms of each of a plurality of frames within the video.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing each of the plurality of segments in a database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the n first video segments to the client is completed prior to receiving the notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving usage data from the client;

identifying a video to send to the client based on the received usage data;

dividing the identified video into a plurality of segments; and

automatically transmitting the n first video segments from the identified video to the client without receiving an explicit request from the client for the identified video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client comprises transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client using hypertext transfer protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client comprises streaming the at least one additional video segment to the client.

11. A system of delivering video content over a network, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

divide a video into a plurality of segments;

determine a number n of first video segments to transmit to a client;

transmit, over a network, the n first video segments to the client;

receive a notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments; and

based on the received notification, transmit at least one additional video segment to the client.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to divide the video into a plurality of segments of equal size.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

analyze visual and audio components of the video; and

divide the video into a plurality of segments based on the analysis of visual and audio components of the video.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compute a distance measure indicating a degree of change between a plurality of frames within the video;

compare the distance measure to a threshold;

identify a scene change when the distance measure exceeds the threshold; and

divide the video into a plurality of segments based on the identified scene change.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to compute the distance measure indicating a degree of change between the color histograms of each of a plurality of frames within the video.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a database;

wherein the processor is further configured to store each of the plurality of segments in the database.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to complete transmitting the n first video segments to the client prior to receiving the notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive usage data from the client;

identify a video to send to the client based on the received usage data;

divide the identified video into a plurality of segments; and

automatically transmit the n first video segments from the identified video to the client without receiving an explicit request from the client for the identified video.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the at least one additional video segment to the client using hypertext transfer protocol.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to stream the at least one additional video segment to the client.

21. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions for delivering video content over a network, which, when executed, perform steps comprising:

dividing a video into a plurality of segments;

determining a number n of first video segments to transmit to a client;

transmitting, over a network, the n first video segments to the client;

receiving a notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments; and

based on the received notification, transmitting at least one additional video segment to the client.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the step of dividing a video into a plurality of segments comprises dividing the video into a plurality of segments of equal size.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions, which, when executed, perform steps comprising:

analyzing visual and audio components of the video; and

dividing the video into a plurality of segments based on the analysis of visual and audio components of the video.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions, which, when executed, perform steps comprising:

computing a distance measure indicating a degree of change between a plurality of frames within the video;

comparing the distance measure to a threshold;

identifying a scene change when the distance measure exceeds the threshold; and

dividing the video into a plurality of segments based on the identified scene change.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the step of computing the distance measure indicating a degree of change between a plurality of frames within the video comprises computing the distance measure indicating a degree of change between the color histograms of each of a plurality of frames within the video.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions, which, when executed, perform the step of storing each of the plurality of segments in a database.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the step of transmitting the n first video segments to the client is completed prior to receiving the notification that the client has starting playing the n first video segments.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions, which, when executed, perform steps comprising:

receiving usage data from the client;

identifying a video to send to the client based on the received usage data;

dividing the identified video into a plurality of segments; and

automatically transmitting the n first video segments from the identified video to the client without receiving an explicit request from the client for the identified video.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the step of transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client comprises transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client using hypertext transfer protocol.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the step of transmitting the at least one additional video segment to the client comprises streaming the at least one additional video segment to the client.