Video and multimedia distribution system

• US 8,275,746 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: V.V.S. Virtual Video Systems (Canada) Inc.
• Inventors: Vadavia, Rajesh, Castravelli, Claudio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US13/078,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 707636-644, 707804-809, 713189-194
• US Class Current: 707/636
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Digital media content-on-demand hosting/delivery system for using an n-tier, multi dimension dynamic data technology to distribute digital content and manage information and comprising separate delivery and end-user systems with separate but compatible software, the hosting/delivery system being sub-divided into distributed hosting clusters serving small groups of users, ensuring local balance and overcoming diversity of connection/streaming speeds of end users.

Claims

1. A method of digital content distribution comprising the steps of:

providing selections of digital content from a user;

continuously updating user information associated with the user, wherein user profiles are obtained from said user information, said user profiles being used by a distribution system to provide digital content from a central content warehouse to a distribution content warehouse;

calculating time required for downloading digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content for smooth play based on available network speed;

identifying pre-content based on the calculated time and the continuously updated user information, pre-content being other content played before completion of download of the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content; and

playing the identified pre-content until a pre-selected percentage of the download of the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content achieved.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1

wherein the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content is requested from a streaming module;

wherein rights associated with the digital content and the user information are tested for validity; and

wherein the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content is streamed if the rights are valid.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1

wherein content profiles are received at the distribution system;

wherein diverse content is received from content providers based on the content profiles;

wherein the diverse content is encoded into a common digital format;

effecting receipt of revenue for the diverse content;

wherein payment of at least part of the revenue is effected to the content providers;

wherein at least a part of the diverse content is provided to the distribution data warehouses based on a cluster of users associated with the distribution data warehouses and the content profiles; and

wherein the cluster of users is adjusted based on changes in the content profiles.