Video on demand system that presents users with a selection list of proposed videos for which server and network resources are available to immediately serve the selected video

• US 6,438,596 B1
• Filed: 09/13/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamatani, Yukio, Hirose, Tsuguhiro, Ueno, Hideyuki, Shimojo, Yoshimitsu, Uetani, Yoshiharu, Omokawa, Mitsunori, Oku, Tadahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US09/394,103
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/219, 709/231, 725/87-89, 725/91, 725/93, 725/95-96, 725/98-99, 725/38-39, 725/50, 725/59
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2183 Cache memory caches in web servers or browsers G06F16/9574; intermediate storage and caching in data networks H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A video on demand system includes one or more hybrid fiber coax access networks connecting set top units to corresponding head end units. The head end unit for an access network is connected to an asynchronous transfer mode wide area network (ATM WAN). A hierarchical system of video servers, including at least one center server and at least one local server, or cache node, are also connected to the ATM WAN. When a user wishes to select a video, a service control unit coupled to the ATM WAN generates a selection list of proposed videos for which server and network resources are available to immediately serve the user-selected video. The service control unit determines whether server and network resources are available by sending separate queries to server and network resources management control units. Alternatively, the service control unit may generate the selection list based on whether the probability of a particular video being immediately served is greater than a threshold.

Claims

1. An information offer system comprising:

a plurality of data storage means, each storing real-time data, the order of which is managed in time series;

communication means for transmitting said real-time data;

reproduction means for receiving and reproducing said real-time data;

communication-network-resources management control means for managing communication resources of said communication means and for establishing a communication line between said data storage means and said reproduction means;

storage-resources management control means for managing the kind of said real-time data stored in said data storage means, and for managing the number of real-time data being able to be transmitted by said data storage means at the same time, to determine one of said plurality of data storage means, by which a required real-time data is to be transmitted; and

service control means for accepting a demand for services from a user, and for directing said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to reserve resources on the basis of the state of resources obtained by said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means, said service control means discriminating a real-time data, which is able to be offered immediately if selected, from real-time data which is not able to be offered, to inform the user of a real-time data to be selected.

2. An information offer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said service control means informs the user of said real-time data, which is able to be offered immediately if selected, as a candidate of real-time data being able to be offered immediately.

3. An information offer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein when the user selects a real-time data among said proposed real-time data being able to be offered immediately, said service control means directs said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to decide allotment for resources, which are necessary to offer said selected real-time data among said reserved resources, and to release unnecessary resources.

4. An information offer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said service control means informs the user of real-time data, which is not determined whether being able to be offered immediately if selected, as a conditional candidate of real-time data which is not guaranteed to be able to be offered immediately.

5. An information offer system as set forth in claim 4, wherein when the user selects a real-time data among said proposed real-time data being not guaranteed to be able to be offered immediately, said service control means determines whether being able to ensure resources necessary to offer said selected real-time data, and wherein when said resources are able to be ensured, said service control means directs said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to allot said resources, which are necessary to offer said selected real-time data, and to release unnecessary resources, and when said resources are not able to be ensured, said service control means informs the user of a rejection of the offering of said selected real-time data.

6. An information offer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said service control means informs the user of real-time data, which is not able to be ensured by at least one of storage resources and communication-network resources, as real-time data which is not able to offered immediately if selected.

7. An information offer system comprising:

a plurality of data storage means, each storing real-time data, the order of which is managed in time series;

communication means for transmitting said real-time data;

reproduction means for receiving and reproducing said real-time data;

communication-network-resources management control means for managing communication resources of said communication means and for establishing a communication path between said data storage means and said reproduction means;

storage-resources management control means for managing the kind of said real-time data stored in said data storage means, and for managing the number of real-time data being able to be transmitted by said data storage means at the same time, to determine one of said plurality of data storage means, by which a required real-time data is to be transmitted; and

service control means for accepting a demand for services from a user, and for directing said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to reserve resources on the basis of the state of resources obtained by said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means, said service control means discriminating real-time data, which is able to be offered at a greater probability than a certain value immediately if selected, from real-time data which is impossible to be offered, to inform the user of real-time data to be selected.

8. An information offer system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said service control means informs the user of said real-time data, which is able to be offered at a greater probability than a certain value immediately if selected, as a candidate of real-time data which is able to be offered immediately.

9. An information offer system as set forth in claim 8, wherein when the user selects a real-time data among said proposed real-time data being able to be offered immediately, said service control means directs said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to decide allotment for resources, which are necessary to offer said selected real-time data among said reserved resources, and to release unnecessary resources.

10. An information offer system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said service control means informs the user of real-time data, which is not determined whether being able to be offered at a greater probability than a certain value immediately if selected, as a conditional proposed real-time data which is not guaranteed to be able to be offered immediately.

11. An information offer system as set forth in claim 10, wherein when the user selects a real-time data among said proposed real-time data being not guaranteed to be able to be offered immediately, said service control means determines whether being able to ensure resources necessary to offer said selected real-time data, and wherein when said resources are able to be ensured, said service control means directs said communication-network-resources management control means and said storage-resources management control means to allot said resources, which are necessary to offer said selected real-time data, and to release unnecessary resources, and when said resources are not able to be ensured, said service control means informs the user of a rejection of the offering of said selected real-time data.

12. An information offer system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said service control means informs the user of real-time data, which is not able to be ensured by at least one of storage resources and communication-network resources, as real-time data which is not able to offered immediately if selected.