Systems, methods, and computer program products for optimizing content distribution in data networks

• US 8,527,648 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Yali, Chiang, Mung, Savoor, Raghvendra, Schine, Bruce Alden, Tisiker, Michael, Zhao, Yongdong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAMONT, BENJAMIN S
• Application Number:
  US12/906,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20120093054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 725/114
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products are for selecting content for distribution via a data network, and creating at least one content distribution channel to distribute specific content of the selected content. The specific content is partitioned from the selected content based upon a criterion common to the specific content.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

selecting, for distribution via a wireless data network, content, the selecting comprising determining a value for a multicast/broadcast-ability factor incorporating each of;

a popularity factor identifying a number of unique requests for the content over a time period;

a volume factor identifying a number of bytes of the content;

a time-sensitivity factor identifying a tolerable time delay for distribution of the content; and

a synchronism factor identifying a variance among users in terms of when each of the users requests the selected content; and

creating at least one content distribution channel, each channel being configured to distribute specific content, of the content selected, being partitioned from the content selected based upon a criterion common to the specific content for the channel.

2. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operation of selecting the content further comprises:

determining whether the value for the multicast/broadcast-ability factor is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

wherein selecting the content for distribution via the wireless data network is contingent upon the value for the multicast/broadcast-ability factor being greater than or equal to the threshold value.

3. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the multicast/broadcast-ability factor is in a unit of kUsers*MB/sec², wherein kUsers represents a number of users, MB represents megabytes, and sec² represents seconds squared.

4. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the popularity factor, the volume factor, the time-sensitivity factor, and the synchronism factor are each determined based upon measurements collected from a network node of the wireless data network.

5. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a distribution assignment for each of the content distribution channels, the distribution assignment assigning the content distribution channel to at least one of a plurality of distribution centers.

6. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing a user recommendation recommending at least one of the content distribution channels.

7. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the user, following delivery of the user recommendation, accessed at least one of the content distribution channels of the user recommendation; and

optimizing distribution assignment of each of the content distribution channels to at least one of a plurality of distribution centers based upon results of the determining.

8. A method, for optimizing distribution of content via a wireless data network, comprising:

selecting, by a content controller using a processor, for distribution via the wireless data network, content, the selecting comprising determining a value for a multicast/broadcast-ability factor incorporating each of;

a popularity factor identifying a number of unique requests for the content over a time period;

a volume factor identifying a number of bytes of the content;

a time-sensitivity factor identifying a tolerable time delay for distribution of the content; and

a synchronism factor identifying a variance among users in terms of when each of the users requests the selected content; and

creating, by the content controller, at least one content distribution channel, each channel being configured to distribute specific content, of the content selected, being partitioned from the content selected based upon a criterion common to the specific content for the channel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the content controller, whether the value for the multicast/broadcast-ability factor is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

wherein selecting the content is contingent upon the value for the multicast/broadcast-ability factor being greater than or equal to the threshold value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the multicast/broadcast-ability factor is in a unit of kUsers*MB/sec², wherein kUsers represents a number of users, MB represents megabytes, and sec² represents seconds squared.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the popularity factor, the volume factor, the time sensitivity factor, and the synchronism factor are each determined based upon measurements collected from a network node of the wireless data network.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, by the content controller, a distribution assignment for each of the content distribution channels, the distribution assignment assigning the content distribution channel to distribution center.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating a personal profile for a user of the wireless data network based upon a piece of data selected from a group consisting of:

subscriber information;

subscriber behavior; and

subscriber transaction history.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a user recommendation of at least one of the content distribution channels.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the user accessed, following the user recommendation, at least one of the content distribution channels of the user recommendation; and

optimizing distribution assignment of each of the content distribution channels to at least one of a plurality of distribution centers based upon results of the determining.

16. A content controller, comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

selecting, for distribution via a wireless data network, content;

wherein selecting the content comprises determining a value for a multicast/broadcast-ability factor incorporating each of;

a popularity factor identifying a number of unique requests for the content over a time period;

a volume factor identifying a number of bytes of the content;

a time sensitivity factor identifying a tolerable time delay for distribution of the content; and

a synchronism factor identifying a variance among users in terms of when each of the users requests the content; and

wherein selecting the content is contingent upon the value for the multicast/broadcast-ability factor being greater than or equal to a threshold value.

17. The content controller of claim 16, wherein the content controller is a device selected from a group consisting of:

a server configured to receive the content from at least one content provider and provide the content via the content distribution channels to at least one entity selected from a group consisting of a multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, an electronic multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, a combined multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center/electronic multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, a broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, a mobile-broadcast-service operator, a digital video broadcasting-handheld system, and a worldwide-interoperability-for-microwave-access multicast/broadcast system;

a component of a center selected from a group consisting of a multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, an electronic multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, and a broadcast-and-multicast-service service center; and

a multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, an electronic multimedia-broadcast-and-multicast-service service center, and a broadcast-and-multicast-service service center.

18. The content controller of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise creating at least one content distribution channel, each channel being configured to distribute specific content, of the content selected, being partitioned from the content selected based upon a criterion common to the specific content for the channel.