Method and system for controlling communication between a user device and a content delivery network

• US 8,793,748 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• 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: Ling, Sui-Ky Ringo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US11/828,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/25875 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 21/2668 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for communicating between a content delivery network and a user device includes the user device generating a first request for a content file at a user device and communicating the request to the content delivery network. The content delivery network authenticates the first request, generates a redirection response and communicates the redirection response to the user device. The user device authenticates the redirection response, generates a second request for a content file in response to the redirection request and communicates the second request from the user device. The content delivery network communicates the content file from the content delivery network in response to the second request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a first request for a content file at a user device;

communicating the first request to a content delivery network;

authenticating the first request at the content delivery network;

generating a redirection response at the content delivery network;

communicating the redirection response to the user device;

authenticating the redirection response at the user device;

generating a second request for the content file in response to the redirection request at the user device;

communicating the second request from the user device to the content delivery network; and

communicating the content file from the content delivery network in response to the second request.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a first request comprises generating the first request using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a first request comprises generating the first request using a URL having a hostname and file identifier.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a request comprises generating the first request using a URL having a hostname, directory and file identifier.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein the file identifier comprises a material identification.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the first request comprises communicating the first request through a broadband network.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the first request comprises communicating the first request through a wireless broadband network.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a redirection response comprises generating a redirection response having a hash and a size of the content file.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the redirection response comprises communicating the redirection response through a broadband network.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the redirection response comprises communicating the redirection response through a wireless broadband network.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second request comprises communicating the second request through a broadband network.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the second request comprises communicating the second request through a wireless broadband network.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the content file comprises communicating the content file through a broadband network.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the content file comprises communicating the content file through a wireless broadband network.

15. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing the content file in a memory device within the user device.

16. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising a communicating a status message from the user device to the content delivery network.

17. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the status message comprises a completed message or a failed message.

18. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a second request comprises generating a plurality of second requests for different portions of the content file and wherein communicating the second request comprises communicating the plurality of second requests and wherein communicating the content file comprises communicating the content file in response to the plurality of second requests in parallel.

19. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the user device comprises a digital video recorder.

20. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the user device comprises a satellite television set top box.

21. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the user device comprises a cable television set top box.

22. A system comprising:

a content delivery network;

a user device generating a first request for a content file at a user device and communicating the request to the content delivery network;

said content delivery network authenticating the first request, generating a redirection response and communicating the redirection response to the user device;

said user device authenticating the redirection response, generating a second request for the content file in response to the redirection request and communicating the second request from the user device; and

said content delivery network communicating the content file from the content delivery network in response to the second request.

23. A system method as recited in claim 22 wherein the first request comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

24. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the first request comprises a URL having a hostname and file identifier.

25. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the first request comprises a URL having a hostname, directory and file identifier.

26. A system as recited in claim 25 wherein the file identifier comprises a material identification.

27. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a broadband network communicating the first request.

28. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a wireless broadband network communicating the first request.

29. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the redirection response comprises a hash and a size of the content file.

30. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a broadband network communicating the redirection response.

31. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a wireless broadband network communicating the redirection response.

32. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a broadband network communicating the second request.

33. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a wireless broadband network communicating the second request.

34. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a broadband network communicating the content file.

35. A system as recited in claim 22 further comprising a wireless broadband network communicating the second request.

36. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the user device communicates a status message to the content delivery network.

37. A system as recited in claim 36 wherein the status message comprises a completed message or a failed message.

38. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the user device comprises a digital video recorder.

39. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the user device comprises a satellite television set top box.

40. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the user device comprises a cable television set top box.