Systems and Methods for Cost Effective Distribution of Files to User Devices Using Combination of Broadcast and Two-Way Communication Paths

• US 20150271247A1
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Michalski, Richard A., Marko, Paul D., Rindsberg, Mark, Cox, Stuart, Patsiokas, Stelios J., Mantel, David G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,567,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Hybrid file delivery systems and methods divide one or more files into parts for transmission to plural user devices during a first transmission phase employing one or more one-to-many communication paths (e.g., broadcast or multicast), and then transmit missing file parts to designated user devices during a second transmission phase employing respective one-to-one communication paths. User devices are configured with specified criteria for when and how to report file delivery status to a file delivery center that maintains a database of target user devices, file delivery campaigns, and statuses of file delivery completion at the user devices. The file delivery center can employ the database information to determine cost benefit for delivery of a file using two different transmission modalities and control when to switchover to or commence the second transmission phase after the first transmission phase.

Claims

1. A method of delivering files to user devices using plural transmission phases and hybrid distribution modes comprising:

designating a plurality of user devices targeted to receive a file;

preparing the file to be transmitted to targeted user devices by processing the file to obtain a plurality of file parts that can be used to reassemble the file;

transmitting the file parts corresponding to the file in a first transmission phase using a first transmission mode that employs at least one of a broadcast and a multicast;

storing information comprising an identifier corresponding to the file or its delivery instance;

receiving communications from at least a subset of the targeted user devices comprising at least one of a request for missing file parts and an indication of how much of the file has not been received by the corresponding targeted user device;

updating the stored information by storing information relating to at least each of the targeted user devices for which communications were received, the updated information indicating how much of the file parts have been received at each of the targeted user devices based on the received communications; and

transmitting one or more of the file parts in a second transmission phase using a second transmission mode that employs one-to-one communication with at least a designated one of the plurality of user devices to send it the file parts that it is missing based on the updated stored information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing comprises storing information for each of the designated user devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein designating comprises at least one of entering identifiers for each of the targeted user devices, and entering other user criteria with which a database of user information can be searched to identify each of the targeted users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein designating comprises transmitting user specifications to a plurality of user devices via the first transmission mode, and further comprising operating the user devices to determine if they are a designated targeted user based on the user transmitted specifications.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when to transmit using the second transmission phase based on a selected number of the target user devices having failed to receive a selected percentage of the file during the first transmission phase as indicated by the stored updated information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising commencing transmitting using the second transmission phase after a specified percentage of the targeted user devices have indicated via the communications that they have received the file completely during the first transmission phase.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein storing information further comprises storing criteria for when to transmit using the second transmission phase.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the criteria comprises at least one of a selected number of the targeted user devices that failed to completely receive the file during the first transmission phase, a selected time period after commencement of the first transmission phase, a selected number of broadcast or multicast retransmissions during the first transmission phase, and a selected portion of the file that has yet to be transmitted during the first transmission phase.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the user devices to transmit interim status updates at predetermined time intervals after commencement of the first transmission phase, or after different selected percentages of the file have been received.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein configuring comprises providing the user devices with control data indicating when or how often to perform at one operation selected from the group consisting of send a file delivery acknowledgement, request or report missing file parts, and report status of received incomplete file.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the file comprises withholding a part of the file, and further comprising delivering the withheld part of the file to a user device at a later time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the file targeted to be received by the designated user devices comprises a set of files to be delivered to each of the target user devices.

13. A system of delivering files to user devices using plural transmission phases and hybrid distribution modes comprising:

at least one communication interface configured to interface with a first transmission system that employs at least one of a broadcast and a multicast to send a file to a plurality of user devices, and a second transmission system that can perform one-to-one communications with respective ones of the plurality of user devices;

a human machine interface configured to receive user inputs specifying a file to be delivered to targeted ones of the plurality of users, the file having been divided into file parts that can be used to reassemble the file;

a memory device for storing information comprising an identifier corresponding to the file or its delivery instance; and

a processing device configured to control transmission of the file parts during a first transmission phase that uses the first transmission system, to receive communications from at least some of the target user devices via the second interface that comprise at least one of a request for missing file parts and an indication of how much of the file has not been received by the corresponding targeted user device, to control updating the stored information in the memory device with information relating to at least each of the target user devices for which communications were received and that indicates how much of the file parts have been received at each of the targeted user devices based on the received communications, and to transmit one or more of the file parts in a second transmission phase using the second transmission system that employs one-to-one communication with at least a designated one of the plurality of user devices to send it the file parts that it is missing based on the updated information in the memory device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing device is configured to control the human machine interface to generate display screens or windows to guide a requesting party to identify one or more files to transmit, to select the targeted user devices, and to specify criteria for commencing the second transmission phase after the first transmission phase.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory device is configured to store information corresponding to the file to be transmitted, information about each of the target user devices, and the criteria.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the criteria stored in the memory device comprises at least one of selected number of the targeted user devices that failed to completely receive the file during the first transmission phase, a selected time period after commencement of the first transmission phase, a selected number of broadcast or multicast retransmissions during the first transmission phase, and a selected portion of the file that has yet to be transmitted during the first transmission phase.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory device is configured to store criteria specifying when the targeted user devices are to transmit their communications, the criteria configuring the targeted user devices to perform at least one of transmitting interim status updates at predetermined time intervals after commencement of the first transmission phase, transmitting a status update indicating that a selected percentage of the file has been received, transmitting interim status updates after different selected percentages of the file have been received, transmitting only an acknowledgement when file delivery is complete, and transmitting a request for missing file parts after a selected portion of the file has been received.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing device is configured to instruct the targeted user devices when to send the communications based on the specified criteria.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing device is configured to instruct the targeted user device regarding the criteria for the communications using at least one of in-band signaling during the first transmission phase, out-of-band signaling during the first transmission phase, and one-to-one communication with the targeted device via the second transmission system.