Dynamic generation of media content assets for a content delivery network

• US 9,055,085 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US12/751,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• 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 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2312 Data placement on disk arrays data placement in general G06F3/0604
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and software for using a network to efficiently distributing media content assets from a virtually unlimited content library and/or other storage to a plurality of client devices, as well as bi-directional local content sharing between head ends, and dynamic distribution and generation of media content assets within the network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

responsive to determining that a first media content asset is not stored in a network, wherein the determining comprises determining that a requested trick file is not stored in a cache of the network, retrieving a second media content asset through the network from a first location, wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving from a content library a stored media asset that corresponds to content currently being transmitted to a user device;

using the second media content asset to generate a third media content asset, wherein the using the second media asset to generate the third media asset comprises generating a new trick file from the stored media asset;

sending the third media content asset, through the network, to the first location, wherein the sending of the third media content asset comprises sending the new trick file to the content library, and storing the new trick file at the content library;

sending a copy of the third media content asset through the network to a second location different from the first location, wherein the sending of the copy of the third media content asset comprises sending a copy of the new trick file to a transmitting device;

delivering the third media content asset to a user device; and

updating a database of the network to include data that identifies the transmitting device to which the new trick file was sent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the using comprises generating the third media content asset by transcoding at least a portion of the second media content asset from a first format to a second format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the using comprises generating the third media content asset by transcoding at least a portion of the second media content asset from a first bit rate to a second bit rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the using comprises generating the third media content asset by transcoding at least a portion of the second media content asset from a first video resolution to a second video resolution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media content asset comprises a movie and the third media content asset comprises a movie trailer of the movie, the using comprising generating the movie trailer from the movie.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third media content asset comprises a combination of the second media content asset and additional advertising, wherein the advertising depends upon a geographical location of the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third media content asset comprises substantially a same content as the first media content asset.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third media content asset is different from the first media content asset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the using comprises generating the third media content asset to include content that depends upon a geographical location of the client device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a popularity of the second media content asset exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

responsive to determining that the popularity of the second media content asset exceeds the predetermined threshold, storing the copy of the third media content asset at the second location.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the second media content asset is stored at the second location; and

responsive to determining that the second media content asset is not stored at the second location, storing the copy of the third media content asset at the second location.