Rich content download

• US 8,805,966 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Raciborski, Nathan F., Gordon, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, SCOTT B
• Application Number:
  US13/671,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20130139091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

According to the invention, a content download system for downloading a content file and additional content using a window is disclosed. The content download system includes a content site, a content provider and a third party. The content site presents the window that displays the download progress of the content file, presents the additional content while the content file is downloaded, and allows selection of the additional content. The content provider serves as an origin server for the content file. The third party receives information on the content file and provides the additional content.

Claims

1. A method for temporarily customizing a download manager on a user computer with different personalities corresponding to each of a plurality of use cases, each personality specifying a plurality of parameters of the download manager, wherein the parameters specify temporary operation of the download manager, each use case corresponding to a combination of a content provider and a download source, the method comprising:

downloading the download manager to the user computer;

determining a selected use case based on a selected combination of a content provider and a download source;

determining that a personality that corresponds to the selected use case is not stored on the user computer;

downloading the personality to the user computer based on the determination that the personality is not stored on the user computer,

temporarily customizing the download manager by applying the parameters specified by the personality; and

downloading content from the download source to the user computer, while the download manager is customized with the personality,

wherein the selected use case is one of the plurality of use cases.

2. The method for customizing the download manager on the user computer as recited in claim 1, wherein the personality specifies parameters that limit an amount of bandwidth that will be consumed from available bandwidth, while downloading the content.

3. The method for customizing the download manager on the user computer as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the content is a stream.

4. The method for customizing the download manager on the user computer as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the personality specifies a first one of the parameters that can be customized by a user, and

a second one of the parameters that cannot be customized by the user.

5. The method for customizing the download manager on the user computer as recited in claim 1, wherein the parameters specified by the personality control the download manager'"'"'s implementation of at least one of:

bandwidth requirement(s),

QoS factor(s),

reporting location(s),

authentication requirement(s),

player or application to use with the content,

how a graphical user interface is customized,

information to track,

location for download of the content,

security and/or privacy settings,

how customizations are inherited,

download protocol, and/or

encryption to be used.

6. The method for customizing the download manager on the user computer as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the personality specifies one or more of the parameters that direct the download manager to gather information for reporting to a location.

7. A file download system for electronically transmitting content files to a user computing device using the Internet, the file download system comprising:

one or more content distributors that are at least partially implemented as hardware,

the one or more content distributors comprising one or more content providers and one or more download sites,

the one or more content providers and the one or more download sites supporting a plurality of use cases, each use case corresponding to a combination of a content provider and a download source; and

a download manager that is downloadable to the user computing device, wherein the download manager comprises;

a personality database that stores a plurality of downloadable personalities, each of the downloadable personalities corresponding to a different one of the plurality of use cases, wherein each of the plurality of downloadable personalities specifies a plurality of parameters that specify temporary operation of the download manager, and is invoked independently by the user computing device to temporarily customize a particular instance of the download manager on the user computing device when the user computing device requests content representing a corresponding one of the plurality of use cases; and

a reporting function that reports to different locations as defined by the plurality of downloadable personalities;

wherein the download manager is configured to;

determine a content provider and a download source corresponding to a download request;

determine based on the combination of the content provider and the download source, a corresponding use case of the plurality of use cases;

determine whether a corresponding personality for the corresponding use case is stored in the personality database; and

based on a determination that the corresponding personality is not stored in the personality database,

download the corresponding personality and storing the corresponding personality in the personality database; and

apply the corresponding personality to temporarily customize the download manager.

8. The file download system for electronically transmitting content files to the user computing device using the Internet as recited in claim 7, wherein a type of content is used to determine a personality, from the plurality of downloadable personalities, to be used by the user computing device.

9. The file download system for electronically transmitting content files to the user computing device using the Internet as recited in claim 7, wherein metadata within requested content from one of the one or more content distributors specifies which personality, from the plurality of downloadable personalities, is to be used by the user computing device.

10. The file download system for electronically transmitting content files to the user computing device using the Internet as recited in claim 7, further comprising an authentication function that enables a corresponding content provider to attribute a corresponding instance of the download manager to a particular account.

11. A file download manager, stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet, the file download manager comprising:

a download controller;

a personality database that stores a plurality of downloadable personalities,

each of the downloadable personalities corresponding to a different one of a plurality of use cases, each use case corresponding to a combination of a content provider and a download source,

wherein each of the plurality of downloadable personalities specifies a plurality of parameters that specify temporary operation of the download manager, and is invoked independently by the user computing device to temporarily customize a particular instance of the file download manager on the user computing device when the user computing device requests content representing a corresponding one of the plurality of use cases; and

a reporting function that reports to different locations as defined by the plurality of downloadable personalities,

wherein the download manager is configured to;

determine a content provider and a download source corresponding to a download request;

determine based on the combination of the content provider and the download source, a corresponding use case of the plurality of use cases;

determine whether a corresponding personality for the corresponding use case is stored in the personality database; and

based on a determination that the corresponding personality is not stored in the personality database,

download the corresponding personality and storing the corresponding personality in the personality database; and

apply the corresponding personality to temporarily customize the download manager.

12. The file download manager for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the downloadable personalities specifies a parameter that limits an amount of bandwidth that will be consumed from available bandwidth, while downloading the content representing the corresponding use case.

13. The file download manager for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet as recited in claim 11, wherein the download controller uses multiple personalities while downloading content simultaneously.

14. The file download manager for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet as recited in claim 11, wherein a type of content is used to determine a personality to use from the plurality of downloadable personalities.

15. The file download manager for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet as recited in claim 11, wherein metadata within requested content specifies which personality from the plurality of downloadable personalities to use.

16. The file download manager for managing electronic transmission of content files to a user computing device over the Internet as recited in claim 11, further comprising a tracking module that monitors download controller usage by a particular personality and reports the usage to the reporting function.