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Methods, apparatus and user interface for providing content on demand

  • US 8,938,765 B2
  • Filed: 12/22/2006
  • Issued: 01/20/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of providing on demand access to content stored in a network, the method comprising:

  • operating a regional web server to communicate a content selection page to a web browser application corresponding to a user and being executed on a first customer premise device located at a first customer premise;

    updating a customer play list displayed by said web browser application corresponding to the user to add to the customer play list a title of content selected by the user via the web browser application;

    receiving at said regional web server an order for content from the first customer premise device in response to user selection of an option displayed with said updated customer play list; and

    in response to said received order for content, making said content available for download, making said content available for download including;

    communicating information included in said received order for content to a controller that has access to information indicating content that is available from a national content store and regional content stores when it is determined that said content is not available from a regional content store which is accessible to a regional content server corresponding to a region to which said regional web server corresponds; and

    operating said controller to;

    (i) select a content source to provide content requested in said received order, said selecting the content source being based on the cost of delivering content from the selected content source to said content server used to stream content to the customer premise equipment of the customer, and (ii) implement a preference for lower cost links which can be used to deliver content to said content server used to stream content to the customer premise equipment of the customer even when it results in a longer delivery delay than if the content source corresponding to more costly links was selected; and

    wherein said controller selects the content source associated with the lowest delivery cost from the plurality of content sources.

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