APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING DELIVERY OF CONTENT IN A NETWORK WITH LIMITED BANDWIDTH USING PRE-CACHING

• US 20150245108A1
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pfeffer, Howard, Stoller, Daniel, Stengrim, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for managing provision of content to devices in a content delivery network. In one exemplary embodiment, content with a high probability of viewership is sent to consumer premises equipment (CPE) during off-peak periods and stored prior to viewing. An application is utilized to manage decisions related to content provision. The computer program will identify content that is likely to be of interest users associated with respective CPE, and schedule provision of that content in advance of viewing. Then, the system will develop a plan for optimal scheduling of transmission of content to CPEs, often including the use of trickle downloads. The scheduling plan is based collected statistical and historical data on network resource demand to make scheduling decisions. The system allows for the shifting of bandwidth utilization from periods of high demand to those of low demand, and increased performance with regard to user experienced latency.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A method of operating a content delivery network, said method comprising:

identifying high probability of viewership (HpoV) content; and

scheduling transmission of said HpoV content to said one or more CPE during an expected period of low network demand;

wherein said transmission comprises a transmission rate less than that associated with a real-time presentation of said HpoV content.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said HpoV content comprises content aggregated by a multiple systems operator (MSO) associated with said content delivery network.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said HpoV content comprises over-the-top (OTT) content from a third-party content source.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein said HpoV content is associated with one or more consumer premises equipment (CPE).

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising determining whether said HpoV content is available for transmission.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein said act of identifying comprises using classification data comprising one or more of:

a type associated with said HpoV content;

a description of a subject matter of said HpoV content; and

/or

a genre of said HpoV content.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein said act of identifying comprises using classification data comprising one or more of:

demographic information related to a typical audience of said HpoV content;

a suitability for an audience of said HpoV content; and

/or

a total runtime associated with said HpoV content.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein said at of identifying comprises using classification data comprising one or more of:

a release date associated with said HpoV content;

a creator of said HpoV;

an uploader of said HpoV content; and

/or

lists of other content directly related to said HpoV content.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein said act of identifying further comprises using data associated with one or more CPE associated with said HpoV content.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein said expected period of low demand comprises a specific period in a 24 hour day which is predicted to have low demand.

46. The method of claim 36, wherein said act of scheduling is based at least in part on an occurrence of an event, said event comprising network resource demand falling below a predetermined threshold.

47. The method of claim 36, wherein said HpoV content is transmitted in a substantially incomplete form so as to provide at least one of:

(i) frustration of user access or viewing; and

/or (ii) reduced quality previewing.

48. An apparatus for management and distribution of content in a content delivery network, said apparatus comprising:

at least one interface configured to communicate with a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE) operatively coupled to said content delivery network;

one or more storage apparatus configured to;

store a plurality of content for distribution to subsets of said plurality of CPE;

store one or more rules to guide said distribution of individual ones of said plurality content; and

store classification information related to said individual ones of said plurality said content; and

a processing unit in data communication with said interface and said one or more storage apparatus, said processing unit configured to;

based at least in part on said classification information, identify individual ones of said plurality of content that are high probability of viewership (HpoV) content for one of said subsets of said plurality of CPE;

identify one or more rules to guide said distribution of said HpoV content from among said one or more rules to guide said distribution of said individual ones of said plurality said content; and

schedule transmission of one or more of (i) said HpoV content and (ii) said one or more rules to guide distribution of said HpoV content to said one of said subsets of said plurality of CPE.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein:

said scheduled transmission complies with said one or more rules to guide said distribution of said HpoV content; and

said scheduled transmission occurs within an expected period of low network resource demand.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said scheduled transmission comprises a trickle download.

51. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein:

said storage apparatus is further configured to store data associated with individuals ones of said plurality of CPE; and

said identification of said HpoV content is based at least in part on said data associated with said individuals ones of said plurality of CPE.

52. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said classification information includes one or more of:

(i) a description of a subject matter of said individual ones of said plurality of said content, (ii) a list of other content related to said individual ones of said plurality of said content, and (iii) demographic information related to said individual ones of said plurality of said content.

53. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said processing unit is further configured to increase a rate of said transmission at least in part in response to a determination that at least one user associated with at least one of said subset of said plurality of CPE has initiated a presentation of said HpoV content at a client device.

54. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said wherein said processing unit is further configured to transmit said one or more of said HpoV content to a first CPE of said plurality of CPE, said first CPE configured to operate as a peer to one or more second CPE disposed at a respective different premises from said first CPE and configured to transmit said HpoV content to said one or more second CPE.

55. A method of operating a content delivery network, said method comprising:

identifying content with a high probability of viewership;

during a period of predicted low network demand, providing said content in an incomplete form and storage rules for said content at a transmission rate less than that associated with a real-time presentation of said content, said content in said incomplete form rendered un-viewable without combination with a remaining portion of said content;

when a demand for network resources peaks during said provision of said content in said incomplete form;

stopping provision of said content; and

rescheduling provision of said content in said incomplete form to a future time of predicted low network demand; and

providing said remaining portion of said content.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising increasing a rate of said provision of said content at least in part in response to a determination that at least one user has initiated a presentation of said content at a client device.