System and method for distribution of content over a network

• US 7,987,479 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Day, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Shang; Annan Q
• Application Number:
  US10/108,539
• Time in Patent Office: 3,407 Days
• Field of Search: 725 34- 36, 725 87-116, 709217-231
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Mechanisms and techniques provide a method for distributing content over a network includes receiving content elements form content sources, queuing the elements for distribution on a transmission channel, and distributing the content elements over the transmission channel to a self-selecting network. distribution of the content elements can be based upon payment information or content characteristics of the content elements. These mechanisms and techniques provide an opportunity for the distribution of content, produced by individual providers, to a wide audience.

Claims

1. A method for distributing content, comprising:

queuing, in a content distributor, a plurality of content elements within a queue that specifies a predetermined order in which to distribute the plurality of content elements on a transmission channel that is selected from a plurality of transmission channels each having a different channel content type, wherein the transmission channel is selected based on a first property of at least one content element in the plurality of content elements;

receiving, in the content distributor, a user-created content element from a first user over a network;

inserting the received user-created content element into the plurality of content elements, at a position determined based on at least one of (i) a second property of the received user-created content element or (ii) a characteristic associated with the first user; and

distributing, by the content distributor, the user-created content element over the transmission channel to a self-selecting destination, responsive to receiving, from the self-selecting destination, a request that specifies the channel content type of the transmission channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one property of the at least one content element comprises payment information related to the at least one content element.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the payment information determines at least one distribution characteristic of the content element.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the distribution characteristic is chosen from the group consisting of a transmission channel for distribution of a content element, a fidelity of distribution of a content element, a duration of distribution of a content element, or a frequency of distribution of a content element.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a first payment information characteristic for a first content element;

receiving a second payment information characteristic for a second content element; and

arranging the first content element and the second content element within the queue based upon a comparison between the first payment information and the second payment information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the position at which the user-created content element is inserted into the plurality of content elements is determined based at least in part on payment information related to the first user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one property of the at least one content element comprises at least one content characteristic, and wherein the content characteristic is chosen from the group consisting of a title of a content element, a description of a content element, a type of a content element, a source of a content element, a transmission channel designation for distribution of a content element, or a length of a content element.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising arranging the at least one content element within the queue according to the content characteristic of the content element.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein distribution of the content element on a transmission channel is based upon the content characteristic of the content element.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the presence of at least one content element within the queue.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising, in the presence of at least one content element within the queue, distributing a transitional element over the transmission channel before the distribution of a content element, located within the queue, over the transmission channel.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising distributing a default element over the transmission channel in the absence of at least one content element within the queue.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining a transition point for the default element in the presence of at least one content element within the queue.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the content source determines the transmission channel for distribution of the content element.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a queue mechanism determines the transmission channel for distribution of the content element.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of repeating the steps of receiving, queuing, inserting and distributing for a plurality of content elements such that the transmission channel supplies a continuous stream of content to a plurality of self-selecting destinations.

17. A computerized device, comprising:

at least one communications interface;

a memory;

a processor; and

an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface, the memory and the processor;

wherein the memory is encoded with a distribution application that when performed on the processor, produces a distributor process that causes the computerized device to perform the operations of;

queuing, in a content distributor, a plurality of content elements within a queue that specifies a predetermined order in which to distribute the plurality of content elements on a transmission channel that is selected from a plurality of transmission channels each having a different channel content type, wherein the transmission channel is selected based on a first property of at least one content element in the plurality of content elements;

receiving, in the content distributor, a user-created content element from a first user over a network;

inserting the received user-created content element into the plurality of content elements, at a position determined based on at least one of (i) a second property of the received user-created content element or (ii) a characteristic associated with the first user;

distributing, by the content distributor, the user-created content element over the transmission channel, via the at least one communications interface, to a self-selecting destination, responsive to receiving, from the self-selecting destination, a request that specifies the channel content type of the transmission channel;

determining the presence of at least one content element within the queue, and in the presence of at least one content element within the queue, distributing a transitional element over the transmission channel before the distribution of a content element located within the queue over the transmission channel, and determining a transition point for the default element; and

in the absence of at least one content element within the queue, distributing a default element over the transmission channel.

18. The computerized device of claim 17 further comprising performing the operation of receiving payment information from the content source, the payment information related to the at least one content element.

19. The computerized device of claim 18 wherein the payment information determines at least one distribution characteristic of the content element.

20. The computerized device of claim 19 wherein the distribution characteristic is chosen from the group consisting of a transmission channel for distribution of a content element, a fidelity of distribution of a content element, a duration of distribution of a content element, or a frequency of distribution of a content element.

21. The computerized device of claim 17 further comprising performing the operation of:

receiving a first payment information for a first content element;

receiving a second payment information for a second content element; and

arranging the first content element and the second content element within the queue based upon a comparison between the first payment information and the second payment information.

22. The computerized device of claim 17 wherein the position at which the user-created content element is inserted into the plurality of content elements is determined based at least in part on payment information related to the first user.

23. The computerized device of claim 17 wherein the content element comprises at least one content characteristic, and wherein the content characteristic is chosen from the group consisting of a title of a content element, a description of a content element, a type of a content element, a source of a content element, a transmission channel designation for distribution of a content element, or a length of a content element.

24. The computerized device of claim 23 further comprising performing the operation of arranging the at least one content element within the queue according to the content characteristic of the content element.

25. The computerized device of claim 23 wherein distribution of the content element on a transmission channel is based upon the content characteristic of the content element.

26. The computerized device of claim 17 wherein the content source determines a transmission channel for distribution of the content element.

27. The computerized device of claim 17 wherein a queue mechanism determines a transmission channel for distribution of the content element.

28. The computerized device of claim 17 further comprising performing the operation of repeating the steps of receiving, queuing, inserting and distributing for a plurality of content elements such that the transmission channel supplies a continuous stream of content to a plurality of self-selecting destinations.

29. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon that, when performed on a processor in a computerized device having a coupling of a memory, a processor, and at least one communications interface provides a method for performing the operations of:

queuing, in a content distributor, a plurality of content elements within a queue that specifies a predetermined order in which to distribute the plurality of content elements on a transmission channel that is selected from a plurality of transmission channels each having a different channel content type, wherein the transmission channel is selected based on a first property of at least one content element in the plurality of content elements;

receiving, in the content distributor, a user-created content element from a first user over a network;

inserting the received user-created content element into the plurality of content elements, at a position determined based on at least one of (i) a second property of the received user-created content element or (ii) a characteristic associated with the first user; and

distributing, by the content distributor, the user-created content element over the transmission channel to a self-selecting destination, responsive to receiving, from the self-selecting destination, a request that specifies the channel content type of the transmission channel.

30. A computerized device, comprising:

at least one communications interface;

a memory;

a processor; and

an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface, the memory and the processor;

wherein the memory is encoded with a distributor application that when performed on the processor, produces a means to distribute content, such means including;

means for queuing, in a content distributor, a plurality of content elements within a queue that specifies a predetermined order in which to distribute the plurality of content elements on a transmission channel that is selected from a plurality of transmission channels each having a different channel content type, wherein the transmission channel is selected based on a first property of at least one content element in the plurality of content elements;

means for receiving, in the content distributor, a user-created content element from a first user over a network;

means for inserting the received user-created content element into the plurality of content elements, at a position determined based on at least one of (i) a second property of the received user-created content element or (ii) a characteristic associated with the first user; and

means for distributing, by the content distributor, the user-created content element over the transmission channel, via the at least one communications interface, to a self-selecting destination, responsive to receiving, from the self-selecting destination, a request that specifies the channel content type of the transmission channel.