Delivering video on demand (VOD) using mobile multicast networks

• US 8,595,141 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hao, Jack Jianxiu, Gallagher, John F., Aldrey, Raul, Rodrigues, Ruchir
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US13/296,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 725/62
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18

Abstract

A system and method are provided for obtaining video content using wireless multicast for video content data in combination with wireless unicast for requests of the video content and transmissions of licenses to use the video content. A method can include: receiving an instruction to obtain particular content; sending a first wireless unicast signal requesting the particular content; receiving the obtained particular content in response to sending the first wireless unicast signal; obtaining a license for the particular content; and providing a notification that the particular content is available for display by a mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a mobile device, an instruction to download or stream particular content;

sending, by the processor of the mobile device, a first wireless unicast signal requesting the particular content at a first distribution time selected from a plurality of distribution times associated with the particular content;

determining whether the particular content can be downloaded or streamed at the first selected distribution time;

when it is determined that the particular content can be downloaded or streamed at the first selected distribution time, receiving the particular content, via a wireless multicast signal and by the processor of the mobile device at the first selected distribution time;

when it is determined that the particular content cannot be downloaded or streamed at the first selected distribution time, receiving the particular content, via the wireless multicast signal and by the processor of the mobile device at a second one of the plurality of distribution times at which the particular content can be downloaded or streamed;

obtaining, by the processor of the mobile device via a second wireless unicast signal, a license for the particular content; and

providing, after obtaining the license, a notification that the particular content is available for display by the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that whether the particular content can be downloaded or streamed at the first or second distribution times based upon;

a time of a request for the particular content,

an availability of network capacity for streaming or downloading the particular content at the first or second distribution times, and

an availability of a license for streaming or downloading the particular content at the first or second distribution times.

3. The method of claim 1, where receiving the instruction to download or stream the particular content includes:

presenting, via a display associated with the mobile device, a user interface to permit a user to select the particular content from a plurality of content, and

receiving, from the user and via the user interface, selection of the particular content.

4. The method of claim 1, where the particular content is encrypted, and the license includes a decryption key, and

where the method further comprises decrypting the particular content using the decryption key.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the particular content cannot be streamed or downloaded at a requested time;

providing a user with an option to stream or download the particular content at alternative times at which the particular content can be streamed or downloaded, when it is determined the particular content cannot be streamed or downloaded at the requested time;

receiving, from the user, a selection of one of the alternative times; and

receiving the particular content at the selected one of the alternative times.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an interruption of the streaming or downloading the particular content when only a portion of the particular content has been received, where the portion is less than an entirety of the particular content;

ceasing the streaming or downloading of the particular content in response to the interruption;

storing the portion of the particular content when the interruption of the downloading is identified;

recording information regarding a progress of the streaming or downloading of the particular content at a time of ceasing the streaming or downloading; and

resuming the streaming or downloading of the particular content based on at least one of the portion or the recorded information.

7. The method of claim 1, where providing the notification that the particular content is available includes:

presenting a visual notification via a display associated with the mobile device, or

presenting an audible notification via a speaker associated with the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating a user, the mobile device, or an application residing on the mobile device prior to permitting the particular content to be received by the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, where authenticating the user, the mobile device, or the application includes at least one of:

receiving login information associated with the user, and comparing the login information with stored information to authenticate the user,

receiving device information associated with the mobile device, and comparing the device information with stored information to authenticate the mobile device, or

receiving application information associated with the application, and comparing the application information with stored information to authenticate the application.

10. The method of claim 1, where the first wireless unicast signal, the wireless multicast signal, or the second wireless unicast signal is sent between one or more servers and the mobile device.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more servers to;

receive, via a first wireless unicast signal and from a mobile device, an instruction to transmit particular video content at a first distribution time selected from a plurality of distribution times;

determine whether the particular video content can be transmitted at the first distribution time;

transmit, via a wireless multicast signal, data for the particular video content at the first distribution time when it is determined that the particular content can be transmitted at the first distribution time;

transmit, via the wireless multicast signal, data for the particular video content at another distribution time when it is determined that the particular content cannot be transmitted at the first distribution time; and

transmit, via a second wireless unicast signal, a license for the particular video content, where the license permits the particular video content to be viewed at the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, where the one or more servers include a first server, a second server, and a third server, where:

the first server is to receive, via the first wireless unicast signal, the instruction to transmit the particular video content;

the second server is to transmit, via the wireless multicast signal, data for the particular video content; and

the third server is to transmit, via the second wireless unicast signal, the license for the particular video content.

13. The system of claim 12, where the first server comprises an application server to receive the instruction to transmit particular video content and to transmit an application instruction to the second server.

14. The system of claim 13, where the second server comprises a content distribution server to receive the application instruction from the first server to transmit the data for the particular video content and transmits data for the particular video content.

15. The system of claim 12, where the third server comprises a licensing server, to receive an instruction from the first server to transmit the license for the particular video content.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by a processor of a device, to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction to download particular content;

transmitting, via a first wireless unicast signal from the processor of the device, the instruction to download the particular content;

receiving, by the processor of the device, a plurality of wireless multicast signals corresponding to the particular content, wherein the plurality of multicast signals are assigned from at least two multicast channels to increase a bandwidth of the download; and

generating, after receiving the particular content, a notification that the particular content is available to be accessed.

17. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor, connected to a memory, to;

receive, from a user, an instruction to obtain particular video content,

send, via a first wireless unicast signal from the processor, the instruction to obtain the particular video content at a first selected distribution time,

receive the particular video content via a wireless multicast signal to the processor at the first selected distribution time of the particular content when it is determined that the particular content can be obtained at the first selected distribution time,

receive the particular video content via the wireless multicast signal to the processor at another distribution time at which the particular content can be obtained when it is determined that the particular content cannot be obtained at the first distribution time;

obtain a license for the particular video content via a second wireless unicast signal, and

make the particular video content available for access by the user after obtaining the license.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, where when receiving the instruction to obtain the particular content, the processor is further to:

present, via a display associated with the mobile device, a user interface via which the user can select the particular video content, where the user interface includes information regarding the particular video content including the distribution times of the particular content, and

receive, from the user and via the user interface, an input defining whether to stream or download the particular video content.

19. The mobile device of claim 17, where the processor receives the particular video content via a wireless multicast signal to the processor by receiving downloading data for the particular video content from a multimedia broadcast service, via more than one wireless multicast channels assigned to the particular video content by the broadcast multicast service center.

20. The mobile device of claim 17, where the license includes information that defines a length of time that the particular video content is accessible by the user, and

where, when making the particular video content available, the processor is to permit the user to access the particular video content for the length of time.