Multimedia queue services

• US 9,226,013 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Fishwick, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): RENNER, BRANDON M
• Application Number:
  US11/226,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,758 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86- 92
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Techniques are presented for providing multimedia queue services. A multimedia queue manager manages queues of subscribers. The queues include selections for multimedia. The multimedia queue manager schedules broadcasts for the selections and informs recording devices of the subscribers to record the selections during those broadcasts. Moreover, the multimedia queue manager updates the queues in response to actions of the subscribers and/or actions of the recoding devices of the subscribers.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a multimedia queue manager implemented in a computer-readable medium and to execute on a processing device; and

a plurality of queues implemented in a computer-readable medium, the multimedia queue manager being configured to manage the plurality of queues, each queue within the plurality of queues being configured to store metadata that include identifiers of selected multimedia items that have been selected by a different subscriber among a group of subscribers, each queue within the plurality of queues being a different list of identifiers for a different subscriber among the group of subscribers, the multimedia queue manager being configured to schedule a delivery of a common multimedia item whose identifier is stored in each queue within the plurality of queues to a group of devices associated with the group of subscribers, the delivery of the common multimedia item to the group of devices being scheduled based on a number of subscribers in the group of subscribers whose queues each store the identifier of the common multimedia item, the multimedia queue manager being configured to notify the group of devices associated with the group of subscribers as to when the scheduled delivery of the common media item is to occur.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising, a data store configured to house and index a variety of multimedia items, wherein the data store is to be accessed by the multimedia queue manager to perform the delivery by acquiring the common multimedia item.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data store is configured to be presented to the subscribers;

and wherein the subscribers select desired multimedia items and insert identifiers of the selected multimedia items into entries of their corresponding queues.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia queue manager is configured to direct the devices associated with the group of subscribers to record the common multimedia item.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia queue manager is configured to schedule the delivery of the common multimedia item based on at least one of a bandwidth load, a price paid by subscribers for the common multimedia item, wait times experienced by subscribers waiting for the common multimedia item, a probability of a successful delivery based on collected history, or a probability of consumption of a subscriber based on a different collected history.

6. A method implemented in a computer readable medium and to execute on a processing device for performing the method, comprising:

receiving, from each subscriber among a group of subscribers, an identifier of a common multimedia item whose identifier is stored in an entry in each queue among a plurality of queues that respectively correspond to the group of subscribers, each queue within the plurality of queues being configured to store metadata that includes identifiers of selected multimedia items that have been selected by a different subscriber among the group of subscribers, each queue within the plurality of queues being a different list of identifiers for a different subscriber among the group of subscribers;

scheduling a transmission of the common multimedia item whose identifier is stored in each queue within the plurality of queues to a group of devices associated with the group of subscribers, the delivery of the common multimedia item to the group of devices being scheduled based on a number of subscribers in the group of subscribers whose queues each store the identifier of the common multimedia item; and

notifying the group of devices associated with the group of subscribers as to when the scheduled transmission of the common media item is to occur.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, causing the devices to record the common multimedia item.

8. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium including instructions thereon, the instructions being executable by a machine to perform operations comprising:

managing a plurality of queues for a group of subscribers, each queue among the plurality of queues being configured to store metadata that includes identifiers of selected multimedia items that have been selected by a different subscriber among the group of subscribers, each queue within the plurality of queues being a different list of identifiers for a different subscriber among the group of subscribers;

scheduling when a common multimedia item whose identifier is stored in each queue within the plurality of queues is to be delivered to a group of devices associated with the group of subscribers, the delivery of the common multimedia item to the group of devices being scheduled based on a number of subscribers in the group of subscribers whose queues each store the identifier of the common multimedia item; and

notifying the group of devices associated with the group of subscribers to record when delivery of the common multimedia item is scheduled to occur.

9. The non-transitory machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the scheduling includes optimizing the delivery of the common multimedia item based on at least one of a cost to deliver the common multimedia item, a price paid by subscribers for the common multimedia item, a bandwidth load associated with the delivery of the common multimedia item, or schedules of other different deliveries of other different multimedia items.

10. The non-transitory machine-accessible medium of claim 8 further comprising instructions for initiating the delivery of the common multimedia item over a network.

11. The non-transitory machine-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein the scheduling of the delivery includes scheduling a series of sub-deliveries that represent a single delivery.