Method and system for distributing content to a user device through a satellite network and a broadband network

• US 8,572,660 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riley, Xavier D., Nguyen, Diem V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US11/828,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A communication system 100 includes a content repository 274 storing a plurality of content files associated with the content distribution system. A transport processing system 250 communicating with the content distribution system, a terrestrial communication network 132, and a content delivery network 280 communicating with the content distribution system 260 and the terrestrial network. The content distribution system assigns a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files in response to the satellite category. The content distribution system communicates the content to the transport processing system. The transport processing system communicates the content through a satellite from the transport processing system to a user device. The content distribution system, in response to the broadband category, communicates the content to the content delivery network. The content delivery network communicates the content through a terrestrial communication network to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of content files in a content repository associated with a content distribution system;

packetizing the plurality of content files to form packetized content;

after packetizing, assigning a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files according to a predetermined schedule;

in response to assigning the satellite category, communicating the packetized content to a transport processing system, communicating a broadcast start time, a duration, a data rate and a stream identifier to the transport processing system, communicating the packetized content to a satellite from the transport processing system, communicating the packetized content to a user device through the satellite; and

in response to assigning the broadband category, communicating the packetized content to a content delivery network, communicating a publish start time and a purge time from a content distribution system to the content delivery network for each content material identification for the packetized content, communicating the packetized content to a terrestrial communication network from the content delivery networking and communicating the packetized content to the user device through the terrestrial communication network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising assigning a first tier or a second tier to the satellite category.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising partitioning a storage device of a user device into a first partition and a second partition.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said first partition corresponds to a network partition and said second partition corresponds to a user partition.

5. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising storing content into the first partition or second partition in response to said first tier or said second tier.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising partitioning a storage device of a user device into a user partition and a network partition and wherein content received through the terrestrial communication network is stored in the user partition.

7. A communication system comprising:

a content repository storing a plurality of content files associated with a content distribution system;

a transport processing system communicating with the content distribution system that packetizes the plurality of content files to form packetized content;

a terrestrial communication network;

a content delivery network communicating with the content distribution system and the terrestrial network; and

a content distribution system assigning a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files according to a predetermined schedule, said content distribution system communicating a publication start time, publication end time and a purge time to the content delivery network for each content material identification;

said transport processing system receiving the content in response to the satellite category and communicating the content through a satellite from the transport processing system to a user device;

said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time, data rate and duration to the transport processing system;

said content delivery network communicating the content through a terrestrial communication network to the user device in response to the broadband category.

8. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein the content distribution system assigns a first tier or a second tier to the satellite category.

9. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein the user device comprises a storage device of a user device having a first partition and a second partition.

10. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein said first partition corresponds to a network partition and said second partition corresponds to a user partition.

11. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the user device stores content into the first partition or second partition in response to said first tier or said second tier.

12. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein the user device comprises a storage device partitioned into a user partition and a network partition and wherein content received through the terrestrial communication network is stored in the user partition.

13. A system as recited in claim 7 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time, data rate and duration to the transport processing system.

14. A system as recited in claim 7 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a stream identifier to the transport processing system.