Dynamic processing of streamed content

• US 8,719,886 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maloney, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Kieu Oanh T
• Application Number:
  US12/604,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20100122305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 725/105, 725/114, 725/116, 725/118
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• 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 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Embodiments generally disclosed herein include computer-implemented methods for delivery of video content across a network. Such methods comprise a content delivery manager capable of receiving a video stream from a content source for delivery to a end user of a content publisher. The content delivery manager is further capable of detecting a trigger signal within the video stream. For example, the trigger signal can indicate a temporal mark injected into the video stream by the content publisher. During general operation, the content delivery manager processes the trigger signal to determine whether to modify delivery of the video stream to the end user. According to another general embodiment, a computer-implemented method is provided for authorizing delivery of a video stream to an end user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for delivery of video content across a network comprising:

receiving a video stream from a content source for delivery to a client of a content publisher, wherein the client subscribes to the content publisher to receive video content;

detecting a trigger signal within the video stream, wherein the trigger signal is indicative of a temporal mark injected into the video stream by the content publisher;

processing the trigger signal to determine whether to modify delivery of the video stream to the client; and

if necessary, modifying delivery of the video stream in accordance with the processing of the trigger signal,

wherein processing the trigger signal comprises querying a data repository having information related to a content programming schedule associated with the content publisher.

2. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the data repository includes an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) configured to provide a schedule that identifies when various content provided by the content publisher will be available for reception by authorized clients of the content publisher.

3. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response from the data repository that includes synchronization information for modifying, if necessary, the delivery of the video stream to the client, the synchronization information further including at least one of geo-filtering information and advertisement information.

4. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein modifying delivery of the video stream comprises:

in response to querying the data repository, discontinuing the delivery of the video content based on programming data received from the data repository; and

continuing to receive the video stream from the content source, wherein the continued receipt of the video stream enables detection of a second trigger signal that would be capable of reinitiating delivery of the video stream to the client.

5. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1 further comprising:

extracting synchronization information from the trigger signal, wherein the synchronization information indicates a type of event associated with the video stream, the synchronization information further specifying temporal information relative to the detection of the trigger signal.

6. The computer-implemented method as in claim 4, wherein the type of event indicated by the synchronization information includes at least one of an advertisement event, a program initiation event, and a program termination event.

7. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein processing the trigger signal comprises:

applying proximity parameters associated with the client to the trigger signal in order to determine whether to modify the delivery of the video stream to the client.

8. The computer-implemented method as in claim 7, wherein modifying delivery of the video stream comprises:

discontinuing delivery of the video stream to the client based on the application of the proximity parameters to the trigger signal, wherein the proximity parameters indicate that the client is not authorized to receive the video stream due to at least one of;

a time relative to the detection of the trigger signal; and

a geographic location associated with the client of the content publisher.

9. The computer-implemented method as in claim 7, wherein the proximity parameters include an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the client, the method further comprising:

processing the IP address to determine a geographic region associated with the network from where the client receives video content.

10. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein processing the trigger signal comprises determining that an advertisement should be injected into the video stream.

11. The computer-implemented method as in claim 10 further comprising:

based on information extracted from the trigger signal, selecting an advertisement to inject into the video stream, wherein the selected advertisement is targeted to a geographic location associated with the client; and

wherein modifying delivery of the video stream comprises;

injecting the selected advertisement into the video stream for delivery to the client.

12. The computer-implemented method as in claim 10, wherein determining that an advertisement should be injected into the video stream includes:

querying an advertisement server;

receiving a response from the advertisement server that identifies a plurality of candidate advertisements for injection into the video stream; and

from the plurality of candidate advertisements, selecting a candidate advertisement for injection into the video stream based on proximity parameters associated with the client of the video stream, wherein the proximity parameters specify a geographic location of the client to where video content is transmitted; and

wherein modifying delivery of the video stream comprises;

injecting the selected candidate advertisement into the video stream for delivery to the client, wherein the selected candidate advertisement is targeted for the geographic location of the client.

13. The computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is generated relative to the content source by a human associated with the content publisher.

14. A computer-implemented method for streaming video content across a network comprising:

receiving a video stream from a content source for delivery to a client of a content publisher, wherein the content source is associated with the content publisher, and the client has been pre-authorized to receive video content from the content publisher;

detecting a trigger signal within the video stream, wherein the trigger signal is indicative of a temporal mark injected into the video stream by a human associated with the content publisher;

querying an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) to determine whether to modify the delivery of the video stream to the client, wherein the EPG is configured to provide a schedule that identifies when various content provided by the content publisher will be available for reception by authorized clients of the content publisher;

receiving a response from the EPG, wherein the response includes at least one of advertisement information and geo-filtering information; and

modifying delivery of the video stream to the client in accordance with the at least one of advertisement information and geo-filtering information.

15. A system configured for delivery of video content across a network comprising:

a content server configured to receive a video stream from a content source for delivery to a client of a content publisher, wherein the client subscribes to the content publisher to receive video content, wherein the content server comprises information related to a content programming schedule associated with the content publisher;

wherein the content server is configured to detect a trigger signal within the video stream, the trigger signal being indicative of a temporal mark injected into the video stream by the content publisher;

wherein the content server is further configured to process the trigger signal to determine whether to modify delivery of the video stream to the client;

wherein the content server is further configured to modify delivery of the video stream in accordance with the processing of the trigger signal; and

a content delivery network configured to receive the modified video stream from the server and then deliver the modified video stream to the client.

16. The system as in claim 15

wherein the information comprises an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) configured to provide a schedule that identifies when various content provided by the content publisher will be available for reception by authorized clients of the content publisher;

wherein the content server is configured to query the data repository for scheduling information related to the various content provided by the content publisher; and

wherein the content server is further configured to receive a response from the data repository that includes synchronization information for modifying, if necessary, the delivery of the video stream to the client, and wherein the synchronization information further includes at least one of geo-filtering information and advertisement information.

17. The system as in claim 16 further comprising:

in response to querying the data repository, the content server is configured discontinue the delivery of the video content based on programming data received from the data repository; and

wherein the content server is further configured to continue to receive the video stream from the content source, wherein the continued receipt of the video stream enables detection of a second trigger signal that would be capable of reinitiating delivery of the video stream to the client.

18. The system as in claim 15 further comprising:

wherein the content server is configured to apply proximity parameters associated with the client to the trigger signal in order to determine whether to modify the delivery of the video stream to the client; and

wherein the content server is further configured to discontinue delivery of the video stream to the client based on the application of the proximity parameters to the trigger signal, wherein the proximity parameters indicate that the client is not authorized to receive the video stream due to at least one of;

a time relative to the detection of the trigger signal; and

a geographic location associated with the client of the content publisher.

19. The system claim 15 further comprising:

an advertisement server;

wherein the content server is configured to determine that an advertisement should be injected into the video stream;

in response to querying the advertisement server, the content server is configured to receive a response from the advertisement server that identifies a plurality of candidate advertisements for injection into the video stream;

from the plurality of candidate advertisements, the content server is further configured to select a candidate advertisement for injection into the video stream based on proximity parameters associated with the client of the video stream, wherein the proximity parameters specify a geographic location of the client to where video content is transmitted; and

wherein the content server is configured to inject the selected candidate advertisement into the video stream for delivery to the client, wherein the selected candidate advertisement is targeted for the geographic location of the client.