CONTENT DISTRIBUTION BASED ON A VALUE METRIC

• US 20130238751A1
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Partners II LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory, Tellado, Jose
• Granted Patent: US 9,503,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, systems and apparatuses for distributing content over a communication network based on a value metric, are disclosed. One method includes managing, by at least one content distribution server, a plurality of content. The method further includes assisting preloading of at least a portion of a content to a storage element as directed by a service provider, wherein the content is selected from the plurality of content based on a value metric, wherein the value metric includes a cost parameter, and wherein the storage element is coupled to the at least one content distribution server over the communication network.

Claims

1. A method of distributing content over a communication network, comprising:

managing, by at least one content distribution server, a plurality of content; and

assisting preloading of at least a portion of a content to a storage element as directed by a service provider, wherein the content is selected from the plurality of content based on a value metric, wherein the value metric comprises a cost parameter, and wherein the storage element is coupled to the at least one content distribution server over the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider selects the content, and wherein the assisting preloading comprises assisting pushing, by the at least one content distribution server, the at least a portion of the content to the storage element over the communication network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assisting pushing comprises directly pushing the content to the storage element.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the assisting pushing comprises the service provider assisting a content provider push the content to the storage element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting preloading comprises:

broadcasting, by the at least one content distribution server, at least a subset of the plurality of content.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising

selecting, by a processor associated with the storage element, the content based on the value metric.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting preloading comprises:

multicasting, by the at least one content distribution server, at least a subset of the plurality of content, for reception by a plurality of storage elements, at least a subset of the plurality of content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a processor associated with the storage element selects the content based on the value metric, and the service provider assists the storage element in preloading the content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein assisting preloading as directed by the service provider comprises software on a processor associated with the storage element operable to:

perform the selecting based on the value metric; and

assist the storage element preload the at least a portion of the content over the communication network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to access an additional portion of the content, wherein the additional portion of the content in conjunction with the at least a portion of the content allows the user to consume the content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional portion comprises a security element, wherein the security element allows the user to consume the content.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating business rules to the content, wherein the business rules of the content influence the content consumption.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises information associated with other content available on the storage element.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost parameter comprises information associated with at least one of a communication network assisting in the preloading of the content, the storage element.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost parameter comprises information associated with at least one of a communication network assisting in presenting the content at a user device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an association of the storage element with a plurality of user devices, and wherein the value metric is based on the plurality of user devices or a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user devices.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises at least one parameter, wherein at least one of the parameters provides an estimate of a likelihood that one or more users associated with the storage element will consume the content.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises a function or model of one or more value metric parameters, wherein a selection of the function or model or selection of the one or more value metric parameters is based on the service providers perspective, wherein the service provider comprises at least one of a content broker or a content provider.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises a function or model of one or more value metric parameters, wherein a selection of the function or model or selection of the one or more value metric parameters is based on a user'"'"'s perspective.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric further comprises a parameter associated with one or more of the plurality of content.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the parameter associated with one of more of a plurality of content comprises at least one of a content cost, a content size, a content type, a content format, content software or hardware requirements for content playback.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises a parameter associated with the storage element.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the parameter associated with the storage element comprises at least one of a storage element cost, a storage element opportunity cost, a storage element size, an available storage element size, a storage element type, a storage element access speed, a storage element latency, a storage element throughput, a communication network parameter of the storage

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the value metric comprises a parameter associated with the communication network.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising assisting in deleting of at least a portion of a second content available on the storage element.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising selecting the at least a portion of the second content to delete based on a second value metric.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising assisting in moving at least a portion of a second content available on the storage element to a second storage element associated with a user or user device.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising preloading content to at least one of a plurality of storage elements, wherein the plurality of storage elements includes the storage element, comprising:

classifying each of the plurality of storage elements based on a plurality of content parameters;

preloading based on the classifications.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the classifying each of the plurality of storage elements influences the value metric, wherein the value metric influences which of the plurality of content is selected.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the classifying of each of the plurality of storage elements comprises evaluating a communication network between at least one associated user device and one or more of the plurality of storage elements.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the service provider, a permission before preloading the at least a portion of the content;

compensating, by the service provider, an entity with financial ownership of the storage element.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the service provider, a permission before preloading the at least a portion of the content;

receiving compensation, from a user of the content, for consumption of the content preloaded on the storage element or the service of preloading content to the storage element.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising assisting in presentation of information related to the content to a user device associated with the storage element.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the information is based on communication network parameters between the user device and the storage element,

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the information is based on user device parameters.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the information includes content parameters of the content.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user associated with the storage element that the content has been preloaded.

38. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining information associated with the value metric for the content based on prior preloading of the content, and evaluating interaction with the preloaded content.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the evaluated interaction comprises at least one of a purchase, a consumption, a selection, a clicking, a browsing, a searching, a placing in a cart.

40. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a first plurality of storage elements;

preloading at least a portion of the content onto the first plurality of storage elements, wherein the first plurality of storage elements are associated with a first plurality of user devices;

obtaining information associated with the value metric from the content preloaded onto the first plurality of storage elements.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the information associated with the value metric comprises one or more of likelihood of consumption of the content preloaded onto the first plurality of storage elements, a cost associated with the of the content, a cost associated with the communication network.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

selecting a second plurality of storage elements based on the information associated with the value metrics obtained from the content preloaded onto the first plurality of storage elements and the second plurality of storage elements; and

preloading the content onto the second plurality of storage elements.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider comprises a content broker, and further comprising the content broker assisting distribution of content, comprising:

obtaining, by the at least one content distribution server, storage element value metric information of a plurality of storage elements, associated with a plurality of user devices;

assisting, by the one or more content distribution servers, a content provider in preloading at least a portion of a content onto one or more of the plurality of storage elements associated with the plurality of user devices based on the storage element value metric information.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises an advertisement, and further comprising:

selecting the advertisement;

assisting in presentation of the advertisement at a user device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the selecting of advertisement comprises selecting from preloaded advertisements.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the selecting is based on one or more of user devices, a content being presented, a parameter of a user consuming the content.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein a cost for consuming the content is based on a value metric cost parameter associated with the storage element or a communication network.

48. A method of a user device receiving content over a communication network, comprising:

receiving over the communication network a plurality of content from a service provider server;

preloading, as directed by software operable on the user device associated with a storage element, a content selected from the plurality of content, comprising;

selecting the content from the plurality of content based on a value metric, wherein the value metric comprises a cost parameter; and

assisting the user device to preload at least a portion of the content to the storage element over the communication network.

49. A content distribution system, comprising:

at least one content distribution server coupled over a communication network to a storage element;

the at least one content distribution server comprising at least one processor configured to;

manage a plurality of content; and

assist preloading of at least a portion of a content to the storage element, wherein the content is selectable from the plurality of content, wherein the selection is based on a value metric, and wherein the value metric comprises a cost parameter.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the value metric comprises information associated with other content available on the storage element.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the cost parameter comprises information associated with at least one of a communication network assisting in the preloading of the content, the storage element.

52. The system of claim 49, wherein the cost parameter comprises information associated with at least one of another communication network assisting in presenting the content at a user device.

53. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element determining an association of the storage element with a plurality of user devices, and wherein the value metric is based on the plurality of user devices or a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user devices.

54. The system of claim 49, wherein the value metric comprises a parameter associated with the storage element.

55. The system of claim 49, wherein the value metric comprises a parameter associated with the communication network.

56. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element assisting in deleting of at least a portion of a second content available on the storage element.

57. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element assisting in moving at least a portion of a second content available on the storage element to a second storage element associated with a user or user device.

58. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element preloading content to at least one of a plurality of storage elements, wherein the plurality of storage elements includes the storage element, comprising:

classifying each of the plurality of storage elements based on a plurality of content parameters;

preloading based on the classifications.

59. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element assisting in presentation of information related to the content to a user device associated with the storage element.

60. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element obtaining information associated with the value metric for the content based on prior preloading of the content, and evaluating interaction with the preloaded content.

61. The system of claim 49, further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element operative to:

select a first plurality of storage elements;

preload at least a portion of the content onto the first plurality of storage elements, wherein the first plurality of storage elements are associated with a first plurality of user devices;

obtain information associated with the value metric from the content preloaded onto the first plurality of storage elements.

62. The system of claim 49, wherein the service provider comprises a content broker, and further comprising the content broker assisting distribution of content, comprising the at least one content distribution server operative to:

obtain storage element value metric information of a plurality of storage elements, associated with a plurality of user devices;

assist a content provider in preloading at least a portion of a content onto one or more of the plurality of storage elements associated with the plurality of user devices based on the storage element value metric information.

63. The system of claim 49, wherein the content comprises an advertisement, and further comprising the at least one content distribution server or a processor associated with the storage element operative to:

select the advertisement;

assist in presentation of the advertisement at a user device.

64. The system of claim 49, wherein a cost for consuming the content is based on a value metric cost parameter associated with the storage element or a communication network.

65. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of distributing content over a communication network, the method comprising:

managing a plurality of content; and

assisting preloading of at least a portion of a content to a storage element, wherein the content is selected from the plurality of content based on a value metric, wherein the value metric comprises a cost parameter, and wherein the storage element is connected to the service provider server over the communication network.