Method and apparatus for storing user selected video content

• US 8,667,545 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Croak, Marian, Eslambolchi, Hossein
• Primary Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/258,460
• Time in Patent Office: 3,053 Days
• Field of Search: 725/87, 725/91, 725/86
• US Class Current: 725/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/218 Source of audio or video content , e.g. local disk arrays details of retrieval in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling registered users to select and purchase video sessions from a network to be viewed from any video display devices connected to the network are disclosed. Specifically, these purchased video sessions can be stored within the network and accessed from any viewable display device connected to any video endpoint device at any time upon the users'"'"' request. In one embodiment, the stored video sessions can be downloaded and recorded onto a recording medium for future use.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a video session in a communication network, comprising:

receiving a request at a video on demand server to purchase the video session from a subscriber, wherein the video on demand server receives the request via a session controller in an internet protocol multi-protocol label switching core backbone network;

processing the request by storing a separate copy of the video session at the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein the separate copy of the video session is not shared with other subscribers of the communication network; and

transmitting by the video on demand server the video session stored at the video on demand server in the communication network that was purchased by the subscriber simultaneously from the video on demand server to a plurality of endpoints of the subscriber that is used to view the video session while stored in the communication network via a streaming video format, wherein a first one of the plurality of endpoint devices was used to purchase the video session and all other ones of the plurality of endpoint devices were not used to purchase the video session, where each endpoint comprises a video display device, wherein each endpoint comprises an internet protocol based intelligent multi-service endpoint device supporting voice, video and data applications, wherein each one of the plurality of endpoints accesses the video session over a different independent streaming session directly from the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein one of the plurality of endpoint devices includes two video display devices and two different independent streaming sessions are sent to the one of the plurality of endpoint devices that includes two video display devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a service over internet protocol network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the access comprises:

receiving an access request from the subscriber to view the video session;

authenticating the access request using a user name and a password to authorize the access request; and

transmitting the video session to the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the access request is received and authenticated by the session controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video session is downloaded to a recording device to be recorded.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor of a video on demand server, cause the processor to perform operations for transmitting a video session in a communication network, the operations comprising:

receiving a request at the video on demand server to purchase the video session from a subscriber;

processing the request by storing a separate copy of the video session at the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein the separate copy of the video session is not shared with other subscribers of the communication network; and

transmitting by the video on demand server the video session stored at the video on demand server in the communication network that was purchased by the subscriber simultaneously from the video on demand server to a plurality of endpoints of the subscriber that is used to view the video session while stored in the communication network via a streaming video format, wherein a first one of the plurality of endpoint devices was used to purchase the video session and all other ones of the plurality of endpoint devices were not used to purchase the video session, where each endpoint comprises a video display device, wherein each endpoint comprises an internet protocol based intelligent multi-service endpoint device supporting voice, video and data applications, wherein each one of the plurality of endpoints accesses the video session over a different independent streaming session directly from the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein one of the plurality of endpoint devices includes two video display devices and two different independent streaming sessions are sent to the one of the plurality of endpoint devices that includes two video display devices.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the communication network is a service over internet protocol network.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the providing the access comprises:

receiving an access request from the subscriber to view the video session;

authenticating the access request using a user name and a password to authorize the access request; and

transmitting the video session to the subscriber.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the access request is received and authenticated by the session controller.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the video session is downloaded to a recording device to be recorded.

11. An apparatus for transmitting a video session in a communication network, comprising:

a video on demand server comprising a processor, and a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request to purchase the video session from a subscriber, wherein the video on demand server receives the request via a session controller in an internet protocol multi-protocol label switching core backbone network;

processing the request by storing a separate copy of the video session at the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein the separate copy of the video session is not shared with other subscribers of the communication network; and

transmitting by the video on demand server the video session stored at the video on demand server in the communication network that was purchased by the subscriber simultaneously from the video on demand server to a plurality of endpoints of the subscriber that is used to view the video session while stored in the communication network via a streaming video format, wherein a first one of the plurality of endpoint devices was used to purchase the video session and all other ones of the plurality of endpoint devices were not used to purchase the video session, where each endpoint comprises a video display device, wherein each endpoint comprises an internet protocol based intelligent multi-service endpoint device supporting voice, video and data applications, wherein each one of the plurality of endpoints accesses the video session over a different independent streaming session directly from the video on demand server in the communication network, wherein one of the plurality of endpoint devices includes two video display devices and two different independent streaming sessions are sent to the one of the plurality of endpoint devices that includes two video display devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communication network is a service over internet protocol network.