System and Method for Providing a Content Distribution Network

• US 20140195644A1
• Filed: 01/06/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ritchie, Grant, Marin, Sergey
• Granted Patent: US 9,774,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for providing a content distribution network. In an embodiment, the system and method helps organizations share content as a content source, and manage multiple feeds of content from various other content sources, keeping specific information private while integrating shared updates. For example, the content may be local business information kept by numerous different organizations for their own locality. By sharing this location information through a shared content distribution network, the organizations are able to update the location information of their users and obtain a higher quality of data. In an embodiment, an organization may prioritize the content in a private feed in order to override crowd sourced external data.

Claims

1. A computer system implemented method for distributing content using a content distribution network, characterized in that the method comprises:

a. one or more rights holders using an Internet connected computer platform to establish one or more content repositories on a database or databases linked to the computer platform;

b. the computer platform configuring the content repositories using a universal content interface implemented to the computer platform so as to map the content repositories to a common meta information structure;

c. the one or more rights holders defining one or more subscription rules for platform users to subscribe to feeds established by operation of the computer platform (“

subscribers”

); and

d. one or more subscribers initiating the computer platform to automatically configure one or more feeds for their use based on the subscription rules, wherein the feeds may be based on one or more content repositories from one or more rights holders, configured automatically by the computer platform for consumption by the subscribers.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of the rights holders or their designees updating their content repositories from time to time, and these updates being automatically integrated to any subscriber feeds based on the content repositories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein platform users can share content through the computer platform, despite their respective content repositories being subject to different schema, by mapping their respective content repositories to the universal content interface.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of platform clients using one or more tools that are part of the computer platform to create, manage and update content records that are part of the content repositories.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of creating for each rights holder an account linked to the database for tracking transactions based on consumption of content or broadcasting of content through the computer platform, and processing transactions based on one or more transaction rules associated with the account.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of managing one or more crowd source campaigns for creating, managing or updating content using a crowd utility linked to the computer platform.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of configuring a dashboard for each user of the computer platform to manage their content creation, management, and updating activities through the computer platform, and subscriptions to feeds and broadcast of feeds through the computer platform.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer platform enables users to:

a. merge different databases or files into an integrated content repository;

b. correct or otherwise modify content; and

c. combine one or more content repositories, or segment of one or more content repositories to form one or more feeds for broadcasting through the computer platform.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of two or more users establishing a content sharing partnership and associated transaction arrangements through the computer platform, and upon activation of the content sharing partnership on the computer platform, the computer platform automatic-ally implementing the content sharing and transaction arrangements made as part of the content sharing partnership.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content repository includes one or more of:

a. databases or files licensed form third parties;

b. publicly available databases or files, including publicly available content compilations obtained through the computer platform;

c. content sources created by the user, including content sources created and managed using one or more tools that are part of the computer platform.

11. A computer system for distributing content using a content distribution network, characterized in that the computer system comprises:

a. a database linked to one or more computers, operable to store one or more content repositories associated with one or more rights holders; and

b. one or more computer implemented utilities for enabling;

i. configuring the content repositories using a universal content interface implemented to the computer platform so as to map the content repositories to a common meta information structure;

ii. defining one or more subscription rules for platform users to subscribe to one or more feeds configured by operation of the computer platform (“

subscribers”

); and

iii. based on a request from one or more subscribers automatically configuring one or more feeds for their use based on the subscription rules, wherein the feeds may be based on one or more content repositories from one or more rights holders configured automatically for consumption by the subscribers.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer implemented utilities further enable the rights holders or their designees to update their content repositories from time to time using the computer platform, and these updates being automatically integrated to any subscriber'"'"'s feeds based on the content repositories.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein computer system users can share content through the platform, despite the fact that their respective content repositories are subject to different schema by mapping their respective content repositories to the universal content interface.

14. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a data record manager that enables platform clients to map their content repositories inbound from the universal content interface, and outbound to the universal content interface.

15. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a data exchange utility that enables computer system users to define one or more rules governing the distribution of feeds based on the computer system user'"'"'s content repository or content repositories.

16. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a transaction utility that creates for each computer system user an account linked to the database for tracking transactions based on consumption of feeds or broadcasting of feeds through the computer system, and processing transactions and crediting/debiting the account based on one or more transaction rules.

17. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising an analytics tool that enables computer system users to access analytics regarding demand for content via the content distribution network, and based on such analytics optimize their content creation, management, and distribution activities.

18. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a crowd module that enables the creation and management of one or more crowd source campaigns for creating, managing or updating content using a crowd utility that is made accessible to crowd users linked to the computer system.

19. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a dashboard configured for each computer system user to enable management of their content creation, content mapping, management, and updating activities through the computer system, and subscriptions to feeds and broadcast of feeds through the computer system.