Distributing multi-media content to a plurality of potential accessing devices

• US 9,094,428 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Gladwin, S. Christopher, Grube, Gary W., Markison, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US14/312,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20140304360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709213-214, 709/224, 714/764
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1035 Keeping track, i.e. keeping track of data and parity changes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/06 using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/1105 Decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method begins by receiving a first sub-set of encoded data slices of a set of encoded data slices. The first sub-set of encoded data slices includes less than a decode threshold number of encoded data slices. The method continues by sending accessing information regarding access to the multi-media content subsequent to receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices. The method continues by receiving, as a favorable response to the accessing information, at least one of the encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices such that at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices have been received from the set of encoded data slices. The method continues by decoding the at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices to recover the data segment.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a processing module of a computing device, the method comprises:

receiving a first sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein a data segment of multi-media content is encoding using a dispersed storage error coding function to produce a set of encoded data slices, and wherein the set of encoded data slices is partitioned into the first sub-set of encoded data slices and a second sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein the first sub-set of encoded data slices include less than a decode threshold number of encoded data slices;

subsequent to receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices, sending accessing information regarding access to the multi-media content;

receiving, as a favorable response to the accessing information, at least one of the encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices such that at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices have been received from the set of encoded data slices; and

decoding the at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices to recover the data segment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices in advance of an available purchase date of the multi-media content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the at least one of the encoded data slices further comprises:

receiving the at least one of the encoded data slices and remaining encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices in accordance with a transmission protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing information comprises at least one of:

purchasing information to purchase the multi-media content; and

viewing information regarding viewing of the multi-media content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices further comprises:

receiving a delete function with the first sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein the delete function is activated to delete the first sub-set of encoded data slices when the accessing information is not sent within a specified time frame.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices via a first communication path; and

receiving the at least one of the encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices via a second communication path.

7. A dispersed storage (DS) module comprises:

a first module, when operable within a computing device, causes the computing device to;

receive a first sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein a data segment of multi-media content is encoding using a dispersed storage error coding function to produce a set of encoded data slices, and wherein the set of encoded data slices is partitioned into the first sub-set of encoded data slices and a second sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein the first sub-set of encoded data slices include less than a decode threshold number of encoded data slices;

a second module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

subsequent to receiving the first sub-set of encoded data slices, send accessing information regarding access to the multi-media content;

a third module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

receive, as a favorable response to the accessing information, at least one of the encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices such that at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices have been received from the set of encoded data slices; and

a fourth module, when operable within the computing device, causes the computing device to;

decode the at least the decode threshold number of encoded data slices to recover the data segment.

8. The DS module of claim 7, wherein the first module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to:

receive the first sub-set of encoded data slices in advance of an available purchase date of the multi-media content.

9. The DS module of claim 7, wherein the third module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to receive the at least one of the encoded data slices by:

receiving the at least one of the encoded data slices and remaining encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices in accordance with a transmission protocol.

10. The DS module of claim 7, wherein the accessing information comprises at least one of:

purchasing information to purchase the multi-media content; and

viewing information regarding viewing of the multi-media content.

11. The DS module of claim 7, wherein the first module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to:

receive a delete function with the first sub-set of encoded data slices, wherein the delete function is activated to delete the first sub-set of encoded data slices when the accessing information is not sent within a specified time frame.

12. The DS module of claim 7 further comprises:

the first module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to receive the first sub-set of encoded data slices via a first communication path; and

the third module, when operable within the computing device, further causes the computing device to receive the at least one of the encoded data slices of the second sub-set of encoded data slices via a second communication path.