System and method for dynamic brokering of digital content requests

• US 8,561,081 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Richards, Mark, Kendall, Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lechi
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONI, SYED A
• Application Number:
  US11/983,878
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A system provides dynamic brokering of digital content requests. The system includes a conditional scheduler configured for appropriating location data and metadata, both pertaining to the digital content, via a communicative coupling with a content management system. The conditional scheduler produces schedule data and delivery rules pertaining to the digital content. The system further includes a plurality of content broker servers. The content broker server receives content data, such as content location data, the schedule data and the delivery rules, from the conditional scheduler. The content broker server receives a digital content request from a client player. The content broker server dynamically assembles a set of content retrieval instructions based upon the content data when a digital content request is received from the client player.

Claims

1. A method for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests comprising:

receiving, at a content broker server, data from a content management system, wherein the data includes location information of digital content, channels, channel schedules, slots within the channels, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions for the digital content, and

wherein the content management system groups the digital content into the channels, organizes the channels into the channel schedules according to playout venues, allocates the digital content and advertisements into the slots, and organizes the slots into the slot schedules;

receiving, at the content broker server, a digital content request from a client player;

applying, by the content broker server, the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the digital content request, said content delivery instructions being related to the requested digital content;

determining, by the content broker server, a set of content retrieval instructions for the client player based upon the application of the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the content request, wherein the set of content retrieval instructions includes, for the requested digital content, the location information of the requested digital content, the channel schedules, the slot schedules, and the content delivery instructions; and

providing, from the content broker server, a playlist to the client player, the playlist including the determined set of content retrieval instructions.

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

receiving transaction data from the client player, said transaction data including information pertaining to retrieval and playout of digital content delivered in response to the content request.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

collecting the received transaction data in a transaction log.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

providing the transaction log to a data repository, the transaction log including the received transaction data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content retrieval instructions are client player-specific.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content retrieval instructions are determined in accordance with at least one of the channel schedules and slot schedules of the requested digital content as defined by a conditional scheduler.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the playlist includes location data for advertising content complement to the requested digital content.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the playlist includes metadata, said metadata including at least one of descriptions, classifications and file attributes pertaining to the requested digital content.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the playlist includes client-side restrictions related to consumption of the requested digital content.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the playlist directs the requesting client player regarding retrieval and scripted consumption of available requested content.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing, at a content broker server, a method for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests, said method comprising:

receiving data from a content management system, wherein the data includes location information of digital content, channels, channel schedules, slots within the channels, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions for the digital content, and

wherein the content management system groups the digital content into the channels, organizes the channels into the channel schedules according to playout venues, allocates the digital content and advertisements into the slots, and organizes the slots into the slot schedules;

receiving a digital content request from a client player;

applying the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the digital content request, said content delivery instructions being related to the requested digital content;

determining a set of content retrieval instructions for the client player based upon the application of the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the content request, wherein the set of content retrieval instructions includes, for the requested digital content, the location information of the requested digital content, the channel schedules, the slot schedules, and the content delivery instructions; and

providing a playlist to the client player, the playlist including the determined set of content retrieval instructions.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests as claimed in claim 11, said method further comprising:

receiving transaction data from the client player, said transaction data including information pertaining to retrieval and playout of digital content delivered in response to the digital content request.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests as claimed in claim 12, said method further comprising:

collecting the received transaction data in a transaction log.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests as claimed in claim 13, said method further comprising:

providing the transaction log to a data repository, the transaction log including the received transaction data.

15. A system for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests, comprising:

a content broker server including at-least a processor to;

receive data from a content management system, wherein the data includes location information of digital content, channels, channel schedules, slots within the channels, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions for the digital content, and

wherein the content management system groups the digital content into the channels, organizes the channels into the channel schedules according to playout venues, allocates the digital content and advertisements into the slots, and organizes the slots into the slot schedules;

receive a digital content request from a client player;

apply the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the digital content request, said content delivery instructions being related to the requested digital content;

determine a set of content retrieval instructions for the client player based upon the application of the channel schedules, slot schedules, and content delivery instructions against the content request, wherein the set of content retrieval instructions includes, for the requested digital content, the location information of the requested digital content, the channel schedules, the slot schedules, and the content delivery instructions; and

provide a playlist to the client player, the playlist including the determined set of content retrieval instructions.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the content broker server is further to:

receive transaction data from the client player, said transaction data including information pertaining to retrieval and playout of digital content delivered in response to the digital content request.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the content broker server is further to:

collect the received transaction data in a transaction log.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the content broker server is further to:

provide the transaction log to a data repository, the transaction log including the received transaction data.

19. A system for providing dynamic brokering of digital content requests, comprising:

a computer having a conditional scheduler to appropriate location data pertaining to digital content and metadata pertaining to the digital content via a communicative coupling with a content management system, the conditional scheduler being further to group the digital content into channels, organize the channels into channel schedules according to playout venues, allocate the digital content and advertisements into slots, organize the slots into slot schedules, and produce delivery instructions for the digital content; and

a plurality of content broker servers,

each content broker server being configured for communicatively coupling with the conditional scheduler to receive data from the conditional scheduler, the data including the location data of the digital content, the channels, the channel schedules, the slots, the slot schedules, and the delivery instructions for the digital content,

each content broker server being further configured for receiving a digital content request from a client player,

each content broker server further configured for dynamically determining a set of content retrieval instructions based on the digital content request received from the client player and the data from the conditional scheduler, wherein the set of content retrieval instructions includes, for the requested digital content, the location data of the requested digital content, the channel schedules, the slot schedules, and the delivery instructions,

the content broker server further configured for providing a playlist to the client player, the playlist including the dynamically determined set of content retrieval instructions.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the plurality of content broker servers are scaled horizontally for creating failover redundancy across the plurality of content broker servers.

21. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein each content broker server is configured for receiving transaction data from the client player, said transaction data including information pertaining to retrieval and playout of digital content delivered in response to the digital content request.

22. A system as claimed in claim 21, wherein each content broker server is configured for collecting the received transaction data in a transaction log.

23. A system as claimed in claim 22, wherein each content broker server is configured for being communicatively coupled with a data repository, each content broker server being further configured for providing the transaction log to the data repository, the transaction log including the received transaction data.

24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data repository is configured for aggregating and processing the received transaction data.

25. A system as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

a reporting interface configured for being communicatively coupled with the data repository for accessing the aggregated and processed transaction data and extracting performance data from said aggregated and processed transaction data.

26. A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the plurality of content broker servers are operationally independent from media servers.