BUFFER ORDERING BASED ON CONTENT ACCESS TRACKING

• US 20140114990A1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burba, Alexander, Morrison, Frank R. III, Akkurt, Mehmet, Hunt, Brandon, Justice, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed that relate to buffering portions of a digital content item in different orders for different users. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method of providing a buffer ordering for a digital content item. The method includes tracking content access information for each user of a plurality of users, the content access information for each user comprising information regarding how content portions of each of one or more digital content items were accessed by the user. The method further comprises providing a different buffer ordering for a first user of a selected digital content item than for a second user based upon the content access information.

Claims

1. On a computing device, a method of providing a buffer ordering for a digital content item, the method comprising:

tracking content access information for each user of a plurality of users, the content access information for each user comprising information regarding how content portions of each of one or more digital content items were accessed by the user; and

for a selected digital content item, providing a different buffer ordering for a first user than for a second user based upon the content access information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content access information for each user comprises information regarding an order in which content portions of each of the one or more digital content items were accessed by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each content portion comprises a specified portion of memory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping the plurality of users into groups of similar users based upon similarities in content access patterns, and wherein providing a different buffer ordering for a first user than for a second user based upon the content access information comprises providing a different buffering ordering to one or more users in a first group of similar users than to one or more users in a second group of similar users.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein grouping the plurality of users into groups of similar users based upon similarities in content access patterns comprises comparing asset access information of the plurality of users for a single digital content item.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein grouping the plurality of users into groups of similar users based upon similarities in content access patterns comprises comparing content access patterns of the plurality of users for a plurality of digital content items.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of digital content items are related by one or more of title and genre.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a first buffer ordering for the selected digital item for the first group of users and a second buffer ordering for the second group of users, the second buffer ordering being different than the first buffer ordering.

9. A computing device, comprising

a logic subsystem;

and

a storage subsystem comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to;

receive content access information for a first user of a first digital content item, the content access information for the first user showing content portions of the first digital content item accessed in a first order;

receive content access information for a second user of the first digital content item, the content access information for second user showing the content portions of the second digital content item accessed in a second, different order than the first order;

store the content access information for the first user and the content access information for the second user;

receive a request associated with the first user for a second digital content item;

receive a request associated with the second user for the second digital content item; and

based upon the content access information for the first user and the content access information for the second user, provide to the first user a different buffer ordering for the second digital content item than to the second user.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the content access information for each user comprises information regarding an order in which the content portions of the first digital content item were accessed by that user.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the first digital content item and second digital content item each comprises a video game.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein each content portion comprises a specified portion of memory.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable to compare the content access information for the first user and the content access information for the second user to content access information for a plurality of other users to identify a first group of users having similar content access patterns and a second group of users having similar content access patterns, the first group of users comprising the first user and the second group of users comprising the second user.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a first buffer ordering for the second downloadable item for the first group of users and a second, different buffer ordering for the second group of users.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to compare the content access information for the first user and the content access information for the second user to content access information for a plurality of other users by comparing content access information for a plurality of digital content items.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of digital content items are related by one or more of title and genre.

17. On a computing device, a method of presenting digital content items, the method comprising:

sending a request to download a first digital content item;

accessing portions of the first digital content item and tracking an order in which the portions of the first digital content item are accessed;

sending to a remote computing device information regarding the order in which the portions of the first video game are accessed;

sending a request to download a second digital content item;

receiving buffering information regarding a buffer ordering for accessing the second digital content item; and

accessing at least some portions of the second digital content item in an order specified by the buffering information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising accessing at least some portions of the second digital content item in a different order than the order specified in the buffering information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising sending information regarding the different order to the remote computing device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each portion comprises a specified portion of memory.