Method and apparatus for usage estimation and prediction in two-way communication networks

• US 8,001,276 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TVWorks LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Leonard, David M., Drewry, Raymond, Bulkowski, Brian, Vickers, Mark, Mao, Weidong
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/852,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and network oriented systems are discussed for estimating system, e.g. web site, usage removed from the web site, as well as scheduling and directing a data broadcast source to provide content based on web site usage estimates and predictions in a broadcast data stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, a data stream including first content over a communication network to a plurality of client devices;

determining a number of requests over a predetermined time interval for a content identifier, wherein the requests are from less than all of the plurality of client devices;

adding, responsive to the number of requests for the content identifier being determined to exceed a threshold, second content corresponding to the content identifier to the data stream, such that the data stream includes both the first and second content; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, the data stream including the first content and the added second content over the communication network to the plurality of client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second content and saving a copy of the received second content, wherein adding the second content comprises adding the second content from the saved copy to the data stream.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the determined number of requests for the content identifier with the threshold, wherein adding the second content is performed responsive to an outcome of the comparing.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

again determining a number of requests over another predetermined time interval for the content identifier;

choosing whether to remove the second content based on the number of requests that are again determined; and

if it is chosen to remove the second content, then removing the second content from the data stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the data stream comprises broadcasting the data stream to the plurality of client devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the data stream comprises transmitting the data stream to the plurality of client devices prior to adding the second content and prior to any requests by any of the plurality of client devices for the content identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises a two-way communication network, and wherein the method further comprises receiving the requests for the content identifier from the client devices over the two-way communication network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content identifier identifies a location of the second content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content identifier comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a time when the second content is to be added to the data stream, wherein adding is performed at the scheduled time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining is performed by a computer.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, a data stream including first content over a communication network to a plurality of client devices;

determining a rate of requests for a content identifier, wherein the requests are from less than all of the plurality of client devices;

adding, responsive to the rate of requests for the content identifier being determined to exceed a threshold, second content corresponding to the content identifier to the data stream, such that the data stream includes both the first and second content; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, the data stream including the first content and the added second content over the communication network to the plurality of client devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the rate of requests for the content identifier comprises determining a number of requests for the content identifier that occur within a predetermined time interval.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the data stream comprises transmitting the data stream to the plurality of client devices prior to adding the second content and prior to any requests by any of the plurality of client devices for the content identifier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the content identifier identifies a location of the second content.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the content identifier;

comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

again determining a rate of requests for the content identifier;

choosing whether to remove the second content based on the rate of requests that is again determined; and

if it is chosen to remove the second content, then removing the second content from the data stream.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining is performed by a computer.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method by a computer, the method comprising:

causing a data stream including first content to be transmitted over a communication network to a plurality of client devices;

determining a number of requests over a predetermined time interval for a content identifier, wherein the requests are from less than all of the plurality of client devices;

causing, responsive to the number of requests for the content identifier being determined to exceed a threshold, second content corresponding to the content identifier to be added to the data stream, such that the data stream includes both the first and second content; and

causing the data stream, including the first content and the added second content, to be transmitted over the communication network to the plurality of client devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the content identifier comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).