Video data distributing device by video on demand

• US 6,211,901 B1
• Filed: 05/21/1996
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Yuji, Imajima, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US08/650,985
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 455/4.2, 455/4.1, 455/5.2, 455/7, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.3, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 370/76, 370/73
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A requested title recognizing mechanism recognizes the title of a video requested by the subscriber. A VOD service state monitoring mechanism determines whether or not the broadcast of the video is to be provided in the FVOD or the NVOD service, and if there is any available channel for the broadcast. If the broadcast has not been switched from the FVOD service to the NVOD service, then a busy state monitoring mechanism checks the number of the current simultaneous subscribers for the video. If the number is equal to or larger than a threshold, then the busy state monitoring mechanism instructs an NVOD service providing mechanism to broadcast the requested video in the NVOD service. If the number is smaller than the threshold, then the busy state monitoring mechanism instructs an FVOD service providing mechanism to broadcast the requested video in the FVOD service.

Claims

1. A video data distributing device having at least one video server including a video data storage device for storing video data and a streaming unit reading the video data from the video data storage device to perform a video streaming process on the video data, said video data distributing device providing a subscriber with a video-on-demand service at a request from the subscriber, comprising:

a load state management unit managing a load in a process of each video server and determining if spare capacity exists on the video server;

a full-video-on-demand service providing unit providing a requested video data through a full-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in the video data storage device along one channel, wherein the broadcasted video data is played upon a request of the subscriber;

a near-video-on-demand service providing unit providing said requested video data through a near-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in video data storage device along plural channels at predetermined time intervals;

a service switch determining unit determining, upon receipt of a request to watch a video from the subscriber, whether a broadcast of the requested video is to be serviced in the full-video-on-demand service or the near-video-on-demand service depending on management information managed by said load state management unit including whether spare capacity exists on the server as determined by said load state management unit; and

a broadcast unit broadcasting the requested video by said full-video-on-demand service providing unit or said near-video-on-demand service providing unit for the subscriber according to a determination result from said service switch determining unit.

2. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

said load state management unit manages a number of video programs being processed by each video server; and

said service switch determining unit switches a service for the subscriber from the full-video-on-demand service to the near-video-on-demand service when the requested video is newly broadcast and the number of the video programs managed by said load state management unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

said load state management unit manages a number of video programs being accessed by the streaming unit in each video server and stored in the video data storage device;

and

said service switch determining unit switches a service for the subscriber from the full-video-on-demand service to the near-video-on-demand service when the requested video is newly broadcast and the number of the video programs managed by said load state management unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

said load state management unit manages a number of current subscribers to each video whose data is stored in the video data storage device in each video server;

and

said service switch determining unit switches a service for the subscriber from the full-video-on-demand service to the near-video-on-demand service when the requested video is newly broadcast and the number of the subscribers managed by said load state management unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a subscriber number management unit managing a number of subscribers watching in the near-video-on-demand service each video whose data is stored in the video data storage device in each video server, wherein

said broadcast unit stops broadcasting the video according to management information managed by said subscriber number management unit when it is determined that no subscriber is watching the video being broadcast in the near-video-on-demand service.

6. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a title selection control unit providing an interactive inputting operation for selecting a title of a video requested and displayed on a monitor of a receiving terminal device on a subscriber side in a same format in the full-video-on-demand service and the near-video-on-demand service.

7. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a subscriber storage unit storing a list of subscribers when a video is to be broadcast after being switched to the near-video-on-demand service by said service switch determining unit and when another subscriber issues a request to watch the video before an actual broadcast of the video after switching to the near-video-on-demand service, wherein

said broadcast unit provides said list of subscribers stored in said subscriber storage unit with the video in the near-video-on-demand service.

8. The video data distributing device according to claim 7, wherein

said subscriber storage unit stores the list of subscribers in the order in which requests are received.

9. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a subscriber-demand-by-title storage unit receiving service switch information from said service switch determining unit and storing the number of subscribers of a video whose data is stored in the video data storage device of each video server separately for the full-video-on-demand service and the near-video-on-demand service.

11. The video data distributing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a service information broadcast unit broadcasting various service information to the subscriber after switching by said service switch determining unit a broadcast of a video from the full-video-on-demand service to the near-video-on-demand service until an actual broadcast of the video starts in the near-video-on-demand service.

10. A video data distributing device having at least one video server including a video data storage device for storing video data and a streaming unit reading the video data from the video data storage device to perform a video streaming process on the video data, said video data distributing device providing a subscriber with a video-on-demand service at a request from the subscriber, comprising:

a load state management unit managing a load in a process of each video server and determining if spare capacity exists on the video server;

a full-video-on-demand service providing unit providing a requested video data through a full-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in the video data storage device along one channel, wherein the broadcasted video data is played upon a request of the subscriber;

a near-video-on-demand service providing unit providing said requested video data through a near-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in the video data storage device along plural channels at predetermined time intervals;

a first service switch determining unit determining, upon receipt of a request to watch a video from the subscriber, whether a broadcast of the requested video is to be serviced in the full-video-on-demand service or the near-video-on-demand service depending on management information managed by said load state management unit including whether spare capacity exists on the server as determined by said load state management unit;

a second service switch determining unit determining, upon receipt of a request to watch a video from the subscriber, whether a broadcast of the requested video is to be serviced in the full-video-on-demand service or the near-video-on-demand service depending on a reception time; and

a broadcast unit broadcasting the requested video by said full-video-on-demand service providing unit or sail near-video-on-demand service providing unit to the subscriber according to a determination result from either said first or second service switch determining unit.

12. A video data distributing method, comprising:

determining, at a request from a subscriber for a video-on-demand service, whether or not video data can be provided in a full-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in the video data storage device along one channel, wherein the broadcasted video data is played upon a request of the subscriber; and

providing the video data in a near-video-on-demand service which broadcasts said video data stored in the video data storage device along plural channels at predetermined time intervals, when the video data cannot be provided in the full-video-on-demand service.

13. A video data distributing device to transmit video programs to subscribers having at least one video server, comprising:

a load state management unit to determine a load and whether any excess capacity exists on said video server by monitoring the number of video programs being broadcast and the number of subscribers viewing each of the video programs being broadcast;

a full-video-on-demand service providing unit providing a requested video data through a full-video-on-demand service which broadcasts the video data stored in the video server along one channel, wherein the broadcasted video data is played upon a request of a subscriber;

a near-video-on-demand service providing unit providing said requested video data through a near-video-on-demand service which broadcasts a the video data stored in the video server along plural channels for near video on demand at predetermined time intervals;

a service switch determining unit to receive program requests from said subscribers, to determine to provide the video program immediately via full-video-on-demand service to the subscribers when the load determined by said load state management unit indicates that excess capacity on the video server exists, and to determine to provide the video program at a later time period using a near-video-on-demand service when the load determined by said load state management unit indicates that insufficient capacity exists in said video server for the full-video-on-demand service; and

a broadcasting unit to transmit the video program immediately along the one channel for full video on demand when said service switch determining unit determines to provide the video program via the full-video-on-demand service and to broadcast the video program in the later time period along the plural channels for near video on demand when said service switch determining unit determines to provide the video program via the near-video-on-demand service.

14. A method of distributing video data over a video server, comprising:

receiving a program request from a subscriber;

determining whether spare capacity exists on the video server to deliver the program requested to the subscriber in full video on demand;

transmitting a requested video data, corresponding to the program, stored in the video server immediately to the subscriber along one channel for full video on demand when spare capacity exists on the video server;

informing the subscriber of a viewing time for the program in near video on demand when spare capacity does not exist on the video server, the viewing time included in plural viewing times separated by corresponding predetermined time intervals;

determining if the subscriber agrees to receive the program at the viewing time in near video on demand when spare capacity does not exist on the video server; and

broadcasting said requested video data stored in the video server along plural channels for near video on demand upon arrival of the viewing time when the subscriber agrees to receive the program in near video on demand at the viewing time.