Method and apparatus for content distribution over a network

• US 9,326,026 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramakrishnan, Kadangode, Hu, Yifan, Bell, Robert, Pang, Jeffrey, Erman, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gee, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/068,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20150121413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/28, 725/32, 725/34, 725/35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 : for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example performing, by a wireless communication device comprising a processor, wireless telephony communications via a first wireless interface, transmitting information associated with media-related activities to a server, receiving from the server a media recommendation that is generated according to the information associated with media-related activities, initiating communications with a network via a second wireless interface, downloading a media content item of the media recommendation from a content provider via the second wireless interface, and presenting the media content item at a display. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

performing wireless telephony communication via a first wireless interface;

performing media-related activity, wherein the media-related activity comprises receiving a selection of a first media content item from a first media recommendation that is received from a server, wherein the first media content item this is selected is marked for future viewing;

transmitting information associated with the media-related activity to the server;

transmitting user profile information to the server;

transmitting configuration information associated with a capability of a display of the mobile communication device to the server;

receiving a second media recommendation from the server, wherein the second media recommendation is generated according to the information associated with media-related activity and the user profile information, wherein the second media recommendation comprises the first media content item that is marked for future viewing, wherein a second media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to the capability of the device, and wherein a third media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to demographic information of the user profile information;

detecting a wireless communication access point via a second wireless interface;

initiating communications with a network via the second wireless interface according to the wireless communication access point;

downloading a media content item of the second media recommendation from a content provider via the second wireless interface to the network;

storing the media content item in a media cache of the memory;

receiving a request for access to the media content item;

accessing the media content item from the media cache according to the request; and

presenting the media content item that is accessed at the display.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to social media preference information that is accessed from a social network associated with a user of the mobile communication device.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

determining an available download capacity for the second wireless interface; and

selecting the media content item of the second media recommendation for the downloading according to the available download capacity.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media-related activity comprises consumption of media content.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media-related activity comprises accessing a site providing access to media content.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media-related activity comprises loading a mobile application that enables access to media content.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the media-related activity comprises subscribing to a service providing access to media content.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising transmitting second information associated with the wireless telephony communication to the server, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to the second information.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to popularity information for a plurality of media content items based on transactions with the network by a plurality of communication devices.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to second information associated with second media-related activity of a second mobile communication device.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to metadata associated with the media content item.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising receiving an authorization from a user interface giving permission for the transmitting of the information associated with the media-related activity.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising presenting the second media recommendation at the display.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising presenting download status information associated with the media content at the display.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

determining a ranking of a plurality of first media content items stored in the media cache; and

deleting a first stored media content item of the plurality of first media content items according to the ranking.

16. A computer-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving information associated with a media-related activity of a mobile communication device, wherein the mobile communication device performs wireless telephony communication via a first wireless interface, and wherein the media-related activity comprises a selection of a first media content item that is marked for future viewing from a first media recommendation at the mobile communication device;

receiving user profile information associated with the mobile communication device;

receiving configuration information associated with a capability of a display of the mobile communication device;

generating a second media recommendation according to the information associated with the media-related activity and the user profile information, wherein the second media recommendation comprises the first media content that is marked for future viewing at the mobile communication device, wherein a second media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to the capability of the device, and wherein a third media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to demographic information of the user profile information; and

transmitting the second media recommendation to the mobile communication device, wherein a media content item of the second media recommendation is downloaded to the mobile communication device via a second wireless interface.

17. The storage device of claim 16, further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to perform operations comprising accessing social media preference information of a social network associated with a user of the mobile communication device, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to the social media preference information.

18. The storage device of claim 16, further comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to perform operations comprising accessing popularity information for a plurality of media contents items based on transactions with a network by a plurality of communication devices, wherein the second media recommendation is further generated according to popularity information.

19. A method, comprising:

performing, by a wireless communication device comprising a processor, wireless telephony communication via a first wireless interface;

transmitting, by the wireless communication device, information associated with a media-related activity to a server, wherein the media-related activity comprises a selection of a first media content item from a first media recommendation that is received from a server, wherein the first media content item that is selected is marked for future viewing at the wireless communication device;

transmitting configuration information associated with a capability of a display of the wireless communication device to the server;

transmitting user profile information associated with the wireless communication device to the server;

receiving, by the wireless communication device, a second media recommendation from the server, wherein the second media recommendation is generated according to the information associated with media-related activity and the user profile information, wherein the second media recommendation comprises the first media content item that is marked for future viewing at the wireless communication device, wherein a second media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to the capability of the device, and wherein a third media content item is omitted from the second media recommendation according to demographic information of the user profile information;

initiating, by the wireless communication device, communications with a network via a second wireless interface;

downloading, by the wireless communication device, a media content item of the second media recommendation from a content provider via the second wireless interface; and

presenting the media content item at the display.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising presenting the second media recommendation at the display.