On-demand asset distribution

• US 8,286,212 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gulati, Kunal
• Primary Examiner(s): Salce, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US11/894,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

On-demand asset distribution is described. In embodiment(s), a client device can maintain an on-demand asset received from a content distributor, such as with a recording media. The client device can allocate upstream bandwidth for distribution of segments of video data for the on-demand asset to other requesting client devices. When the client device that maintains the on-demand asset receives a request from another client device for the on-demand asset, the segments of the video data for the on-demand asset can be communicated to the requesting client device utilizing the allocated upstream bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining independently, by a client device, video data of an on-demand asset received from a content distributor, the on-demand asset initially being comprised of at least the video data, audio data, metadata, and security data, wherein the on-demand asset was originally received by the client device as network broadcast content from the content distributor and wherein the security data comprises at least encryption keys;

allocating, by the client device, a percentage of upstream bandwidth for distribution of one or more segments of the video data and metadata corresponding to the one or more segments of the video for the on-demand asset when requested by one or more television client devices;

receiving, with the client device, a request for the on-demand asset from a television client device;

communicating, using the client device, the one or more segments of the video data and the metadata corresponding to the one or more segments of the video for the on-demand asset to the television client device utilizing the allocated upstream bandwidth without communicating the security data that corresponds to the one or more segments of the video data for the on-demand asset using the client device, wherein the one or more segments of the video data for the on-demand asset are configured to be combined, by the television client device, with the audio data and the security data that is received from the content distributor; and

communicating, using the client device, the audio data for the on-demand asset to the content distributor, wherein the audio data communicated by the client device is configured to be processed with the audio data from multiple other client devices for distribution.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

requesting an additional on-demand asset from the content distributor;

receiving a list of other client devices from which the additional on-demand asset can be requested;

requesting the additional on-demand asset from the other client devices; and

receiving segments of video data for the additional on-demand asset from one or more of the other client devices.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the additional on-demand asset is comprised of at least the video data, audio data, and security data, and wherein the segments of the video data for the additional on-demand asset are received from the one or more other client devices.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising receiving the audio data and the security data of the additional on-demand asset from the content distributor.

5. A television client device, comprising:

a recording media configured to maintain video data of an on-demand asset received from a content distributor, the on-demand asset being comprised of at least the video data, audio data, metadata, and security data, wherein the on-demand asset was originally received as network broadcast content by the television client device from the content distributor and wherein the security data comprises at least encryption keys;

a media manager configured to;

allocate a percentage of upstream bandwidth to the content distributor responsive to a request received from an additional television client device;

receive a request from the additional television client device for the on-demand asset;

communicate one or more segments of the video data and the metadata that corresponds to the one or more segments of the video data for the on-demand asset to the additional television client device without communicating the security data that corresponds to the one or more segments of the video data for the on-demand asset from the television client device, wherein the one or more segments of the video data for the on-demand asset are configured to be combined, by the additional television client device, with the audio data and the security data that is received from the content distributor; and

communicate the audio data for the on-demand asset to the content distributor, wherein the audio data communicated by the television client device is configured to be processed with the audio data from multiple other client devices for distribution.

6. A television client device as recited in claim 5, wherein the media manager is further configured to:

initiate a request for an additional on-demand asset from the content distributor;

receive a list of other television client devices that have been distributed the additional on-demand asset;

communicate a request for the additional on-demand asset to the other television client devices that provide segments of video data for the additional on-demand asset to the television client device.

7. A television client device as recited in claim 6, further comprising a media content input configured to receive the segments of the video data for the additional on-demand asset from one or more of the other television client devices.

8. A television client device as recited in claim 6, wherein the additional on-demand asset is comprised of at least the video data, audio data, and security data;

the television client device further comprising a media content input configured to;

receive the segments of the video data for the additional on-demand asset from the one or more other television client devices; and

receive the audio data and the security data of the additional on-demand asset from the content distributor.

9. A television client device as recited in claim 6, wherein the additional on-demand asset is comprised of at least the video data, audio data, and security data;

the television client device further comprising a media content input configured to;

receive the segments of the video data and the audio data for the additional on-demand asset from the one or more other television client devices; and

receive the security data of the additional on-demand asset from the content distributor.

10. A content distributor, comprising:

storage media configured to maintain on-demand assets that can each be requested by client devices that store encrypted video data of the on-demand assets for on-demand viewing, wherein at least some of the on-demand assets are originally received as broadcast content by the content distributor from a network television source, wherein at least some of the on-demand assets are comprised of data types including at least the encrypted video data, audio data, metadata, and security data which are maintained separately to permit independent distribution of a data type, wherein the security data comprises at least encryption keys;

an asset manager configured to;

receive requests from the client devices for an on-demand asset originally received as broadcast content from a network television source;

initiate distribution of the on-demand asset to the client devices;

maintain a list of the client devices that have been distributed the on-demand asset;

receive a new request from an additional client device for the on-demand asset;

initiate the additional client device receiving segments of the encrypted video data and the metadata that corresponds to the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset without receiving the security data that corresponds to the segments of the encrypted video data from one or more of the client devices that store the encrypted video data of the on-demand asset;

initiate distribution of the security data that corresponds to the encrypted video segments to the additional client device from the content distributor;

receive the audio data of the on-demand asset from multiple of the client devices that store the audio data of the on-demand asset;

process the received audio data for distribution; and

initiate distribution of the audio data of the on-demand asset to the additional client device.

11. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, wherein the asset manager is further configured to initiate the additional client device receiving the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset by communicating a list of the client devices that store the encrypted video data of the on-demand asset to the additional client device that then requests the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset from the one or more client devices.

12. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, wherein the asset manager is further configured to initiate the additional client device receiving the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset by directing the one or more client devices to each communicate one or more of the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset to the additional client device.

13. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, wherein the asset manager is further configured to maintain the list of the client devices and an allocation of upstream bandwidth from each of the client devices that communicate the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset to the additional client device.

14. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, further comprising a security component configured to distribute the encryption keys to the additional client device to decrypt the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset received from the one or more client devices.

15. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, wherein the asset manager is further configured to:

initiate the additional client device receiving the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset from the one or more client devices.

16. A content distributor as recited in claim 10, wherein the asset manager is further configured to:

initiate the additional client device receiving the segments of the encrypted video data for the on-demand asset from the one or more client devices.

17. A content distributor as recited in claim 16, further comprising a security component configured to distribute the security data to the additional client device to decrypt the encrypted video data received from the one or more client devices.