System for content delivery

• US 8,544,048 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Over The Top Networks International, Inc. (UUX Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kustin Corporation
• Inventors: Wiser, Philip R., Pati, Yagyensh C., Paxinos, Garry M., Youssefmir, Michael, Burmeister, James Vincent, Jackson, Anderson Hoyt, Leavell, Richard Blair
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US12/819,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/97
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• 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 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6338 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system for and method of transmitting audio and visual programming content, by identifying an amount of broadcast transmission capacity available for transmitting the content to one or more users. The content is separated into at least first and second portions based on user demand for the content and/or the identified available broadcast transmission capacity. The first portion of the content is transmitted, to a receiver/STB associated with at least one of the users, using the identified broadcast transmission capacity; and the second portion of the content is transmitted to the receiver using transmission other than broadcast transmission. The content can include nonlinear content. Transmission other than broadcast transmission can include unicast transmission, which can be in response to a user request and/or an initiation by a server. The received nonlinear content can be stored at the receiver for play back at a time different from the time of transmission.

Claims

1. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content, comprising at a client receiver:

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content,

wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the transmission schedule indicating transmission methods selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content,

wherein the transmission schedule is based on one or more of

(i) at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver;

(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content;

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity; and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

selectively capturing, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver, a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission, and the second content is received by a unicast transmission, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs;

wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the demand is based on at least one of:

subscription for content, content ratings submitted by users, and content specifically requested by users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver comprises at least one of

content selectively chosen for viewing by the one or more users,

ignored content that is browsed by, but not selected by, the one or more users, and

a time of day and week when content is selectively chosen or browsed and ignored.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first content comprises audiovisual content and is received via broadcast transmission over unutilized transmission capacity in a broadcast of existing network content, wherein the unutilized transmission capacity comprises a portion of a bandwidth of the broadcast of existing network content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second content comprises nonlinear content and the nonlinear content is transmitted at a rate independent of a real-time viewing rate for the second content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first content includes at least one original promotion, the method further comprising:

modifying the first content by replacing the at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying at least one of the first content and the second content in response to receipt of a request from the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

identifying, if present, a corrupted portion of the first content and

repairing the corrupted portion via unicast transmissions using a peer-to-peer network comprised of other client receivers.

9. A system for receiving audio and visual programming content, the system comprising:

a storage;

a receiver interface,

a network interface; and

a computer system, the computer system coupled in communication with the network interface, the receiver interface and the storage, the computer system including a controller for receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content over one of the receiver interface and the network interface, wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the transmission schedule indicating a transmission method selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content and based on one or more of

(i) the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver

(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content;

wherein the storage is adapted to selectively store, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver, a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission on the receiver interface and the second content is received by a unicast transmission on the network interface, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs, and

a means for determining the transmission schedule using a cost function represented by

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the receiver interface comprises an interface to at least one of a wired network, a wireless network, and an IP multicast network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless network comprises at least one of a satellite, terrestrial digital TV, cellular and WiMax network.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the first content includes at least one original promotion and the controller is adapted to further:

receive over at least one of the receiver interface and the network interface at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material; and

modify the first content by replacing the at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the system further comprises:

an audiovideo output for providing audiovideo information to a playback device; and

the controller being further adapted to output at least one of the first content and the second content over the audiovideo output responsive to receipt of a request from the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

14. A method for transmitting audio and visual programming content to at least one client receiver, comprising:

separating a plurality of content into a first content group and a second content group in accordance with a transmission schedule, wherein

the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the first content group and the second content group are different,

the separating is based on at least one of

(i) at least one preference of one or more users of the at least one client receiver

(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

transmitting content in the first content group to a plurality of receivers using at least a portion of the identified broadcast transmission capacity, and transmitting content in the second content group to at least one receiver using a transmission other than broadcast transmission, in accordance with a transmission schedule,

wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying at least a first program in at least the first content group and the second group, the first program including at least an one original promotion;

modifying the first program by replacing at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver; and

transmitting the modified first program to one or more client receivers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the demand based on at least one of:

subscription for content, content ratings submitted by users, and content specifically requested by users.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver comprises at least one of

content selectively chosen for viewing by the one or more users,

ignored content that is browsed by, but not selected by, the one or more users, and

a time of day and week when content is selectively chosen or browsed and ignored.

18. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content comprising:

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content at a client receiver, wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the transmission schedule providing transmission methods and based on one or more of

(i) at least one of user preferences associated with the client receiver;

(ii) at least one of user preferences associated with a plurality of non-client receivers;

(iii) the cost for a first transmission form and the cost for a second transmission form;

(iv) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity; and

(v) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

capturing, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one of user preferences associated with the client receiver a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission, and the second content is received by a unicast transmission, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs,

wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by

19. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the plurality of content is transmitted in an available bandwidth of an existing broadcast stream.

20. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the nonlinear content is transmitted at a rate independent of a rate of transmission suitable for real time viewing, and the linear content is transmitted at a rate of transmission suitable for real time viewing.

21. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 further comprising:

identifying a user using the receiver for viewing content;

tracking interaction events by the user;

generating a user profile for the user based on at least the interaction events by the user; and

modifying the user profile based on at least interaction events after formation of the user profile.

22. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the user preferences associated with the client receiver are generated from a plurality of interaction events stored in the client receiver, wherein the interaction events comprise watched content that is selected for viewing, ignored content that is browsed but not selected for viewing, timing information associated with when the watched content is selected for viewing and timing information associated with when the ignored content is browsed but not selected for viewing.

23. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the transmission of the nonlinear content occurs after a set period from a first transmission date of the nonlinear content.

24. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 further comprising identifying a user associated with one of the user preferences, wherein the client receiver stores user profiles comprising user preferences for a plurality of users.

25. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the client receiver comprises any one of a cellular telephone, a mobile electronic device, a television set-up box and a digital video recorder.

26. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 wherein the first content includes at least one original promotion, the method further comprising:

modifying the first content by replacing the at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

27. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 further comprising displaying at least one of the first content and the second content in response to receipt of a request from the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

28. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content according to claim 18 further comprising:

identifying, if present, a corrupted portion of the first content and

repairing the corrupted portion via unicast transmissions using a peer-to-peer network comprised of other client receivers.