System and method for providing a data mall

• US 9,009,772 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US14/061,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20140196080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/119
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A system and method for providing content providers with network distribution nodes for distributing content to subscribers of a communications service provider may include maintaining multiple network nodes by the communications service provider, where the network nodes may be in communication with the Internet and be configured to enable subscribers of the communications service provider to access and download content over a controlled service provider network without the content having to be communicated over the Internet. Multiple respective content service providers may be enabled to store content at the network nodes for subscribers local to each respective network node to download the content. Multiple customer databases configured to store information associated with subscribers of the communications service provider may be operated. Limited access to the information stored in the customer databases may be provided to prevent the respective content providers from accessing personal information of the subscribers.

Claims

1. A system for providing content providers with network distribution nodes for distributing content to subscribers of a communications service provider, said system comprising:

at least one network interface;

at least one processor;

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions that when executed by the at least one processor performs operations comprising;

maintaining a plurality of content stores for a plurality of content providers;

receiving content from a content provider over the Internet;

storing the content in a content store of the content provider;

enabling the plurality of content providers to maintain control over stored content in their respective content store including enabling a content provider to set a quality of service level for distributing content in their respective content store, control whether a fee is charged to the subscribers for retrieving the content, and control whether advertising is displayed with a retrieved content; and

enabling the subscribers of the communications service provider to access and download the content from the content store over a controlled service provider network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to enable and disable the subscribers from accessing content from their content store.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to select dates and times that a particular content is available for subscribers to access from their content store.

4. The system accordingly to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises storing information associated with subscribers of the communications service provider.

5. The system accordingly to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises storing a plurality of advertising bins in which advertisements are stored for each of the content provider, said advertisements including national ads selected by the content provider of said respective content store.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the communications service provider to manage distribution of local ads stored in said respective advertising bins to users who download content from the respective content store.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the operations for managing distribution of the local ads is automatically performed based on a determined geographic location of a user accessing content from the respective content store.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises providing users with minimum guaranteed quality of service (QoS) for accessing content from the respective content store.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises storing a plurality of codec software associated with each respective content provider to enable users in communication with respective content stores to playback content.

10. A computer-implemented method for distributing content to subscribers of a communications service provider, the method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of content stores for a plurality of content providers;

receiving content from a content provider over the Internet;

storing the content in a content store of the content provider;

enabling the plurality of content providers to maintain control over stored content in their respective content store including enabling a content provider to set a quality of service level for distributing content in their respective content store, control whether a fee is charged to the subscribers for retrieving the content, and control whether advertising is displayed with a retrieved content; and

enabling the subscribers of the communications service provider to access and download the content from the content store over a controlled service provider network.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to enable and disable the subscribers from accessing content from their content store.

12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to select dates and times that a particular content is available for subscribers to access from their content store.

13. The computer-implemented method accordingly to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprises storing information associated with subscribers of the communications service provider.

14. The computer-implemented method accordingly to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprises storing a plurality of advertising bins in which advertisements are stored for each of the content provider, said advertisements including national ads selected by the content provider of said respective content store.

15. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the communications service provider to manage distribution of local ads stored in said respective advertising bins to users who download content from the respective content store.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for distributing content to subscribers of a communications service provider, the computer executable instructions when executed causes one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a plurality of content stores for a plurality of content providers;

receiving content from a content provider over the Internet;

storing the content in a content store of the content provider;

enabling the plurality of content providers to maintain control over stored content in their respective content store including enabling a content provider to set a quality of service level for distributing content in their respective content store, control whether a fee is charged to the subscribers for retrieving the content, and control whether advertising is displayed with a retrieved content; and

enabling the subscribers of the communications service provider to access and download the content from the content store over a controlled service provider network.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to enable and disable the subscribers from accessing content from their content store.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises enabling the content provider to select dates and times that a particular content is available for subscribers to access from their content store.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium accordingly to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises storing information associated with subscribers of the communications service provider.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium accordingly to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises storing a plurality of advertising bins in which advertisements are stored for each of the content provider, said advertisements including national ads selected by the content provider of said respective content store.