Dynamically adjusting media content cache size

• US 9,379,933 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Nathan Riley, Carpenter, Erik Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnan, Raji
• Application Number:
  US13/887,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for dynamically adjusting the amount of media content to transmit to a client for caching during a media streaming event. To begin, the location of the user may be determined. Based on the location of the user, a route may be predicted if the user is moving. A future connectivity interruption in the network coverage may be identified by comparing known areas of network coverage with the location of the user and/or the predicted route. Based on the likelihood of a future connectivity interruption, the amount of media content to transmit to a client for caching may be dynamically adjusted so that the user have a seamless media experience even in times of network coverage disconnect.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in at least one computing device, wherein, when executed, the program causes the at least one computing device to at least:

obtain a request from a client device for a transmission of a media content stream, the media content stream comprising a plurality of media content items;

initiate the transmission of the media content stream to the client device in response to receiving the request;

transmit a fixed amount of the media content stream to be stored in a cache in the client device prior to playback by the client device;

obtain a first location of the client device at a first time and a second location of the client device at a second time;

predict a route of movement associated with the client device based at least in part on the first location, the second location, and a client route history;

determine a probability of a future connectivity interruption based at least in part on a sum of weighted values assigned to a plurality of factors, the plurality of factors comprising a predicted route of movement, a prior loss of network connectivity, and a bandwidth profile associated with the predicted route of movement;

determine that an alternate amount of the media content stream is to be transmitted to the client device based at least in part on a comparison of the probability of the future connectivity interruption with a coverage threshold;

determine the alternate amount based at least in part on an estimated duration of the future connectivity interruption;

select a subset of the plurality of media content items to be transmitted to the client device based at least in part on the alternate amount; and

transmit the subset of the media content items to the client device, the subset of the media content items to be stored in the cache in the client device prior to playback by the client device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining the alternate amount is further based at least in part on at least one of the following:

the bandwidth profile associated with the client device or an available data storage associated with the client device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining the alternate amount comprises increasing the fixed amount when the probability meets or exceeds the coverage threshold.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining the alternate amount comprises decreasing the fixed amount when the probability is within the coverage threshold.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein, when executed, the program further causes the at least one computing device to receive coverage data from the client device, the coverage data comprising at least one of a type of network coverage associated with the client device, network provider information, or a bandwidth capability.

6. A system, comprising:

a data store;

at least one computing device in data communication with the data store; and

a media streaming application stored in the data store and executable in the at least one computing device, wherein, when executed, the media streaming application causes the at least one computing device to at least;

obtain a request from a client device for a transmission of a media content stream, the media content stream comprising media content;

initiate the transmission of the media content stream to the client device;

transmit a fixed amount of the media content stream to be cached in the client device prior to playback by the client device;

determine a location of the client device;

determine a probability of a future connectivity interruption between the client device and the at least one computing device based at least in part on the location of the client device and a bandwidth history associated with the location of the client device;

determine that a modified amount of the media content stream is to be transmitted to the client device to be cached based at least in part on a comparison of the probability of the future connectivity interruption with a predefined threshold;

determine the modified amount of the media content stream based at least in part on an estimated duration of a connectivity interruption, the modified amount being different from the fixed amount;

select a portion of the media content to transmit to the client device based at least in part on the modified amount; and

transmit the portion of the media content to the client device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein determining the modified amount is further based at least in part on at least one of the following:

a bandwidth profile associated with the client device or an available data storage on the client device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the probability of the future connectivity interruption is further based at least in part on another comparison of the location of the client device with behavioral history data associated with the client device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the location is a first location of the client device at a first time, and, when executed, the media streaming application further causes the at least one computing device to at least determine a second location of the client device at a second time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, when executed, the media streaming application causes the at least one computing device to at least:

predict a route of movement associated with the client device based at least in part on the first location, the second location, and a prior client behavior; and

wherein the probability of the future connectivity interruption is further determined based at least in part on the route of movement and at least one network coverage map associated with the route of movement.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the probability of the future connectivity interruption is further based at least in part upon a comparison of the route of movement and a bandwidth profile associated with at least one prior connectivity interruption.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the probability of the future connectivity interruption further comprises comparing the route of movement with the at least one network coverage map.

13. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by at least one computing device, a request from a client device for a transmission of a media content stream, the media content stream comprising a media content item;

initiating, by the at least one computing device, the transmission of the media content stream;

transmitting, by the at least one computing device, a fixed amount of the media content stream to be cached by the client device prior to playback by the client device;

determining, by the at least one computing device, a first location of a client device at a first time and a second location of the client device at a second time;

determining, by the at least one computing device, a future connectivity interruption probability based at least in part on the first location, the second location, and a client bandwidth history including at least a first location history associated with the first location and a second location history associated with the second location;

determining, by the at least one computing device, that an alternate amount of the media content stream is to be cached in the client device based at least in part on a comparison of the future connectivity interruption probability and a predefined threshold;

determining, by the at least one computing device, the alternate amount of the media content stream to be cached based at least in part on an estimated duration of a connectivity interruption, the alternate amount being different from the fixed amount;

selecting, by the at least one computing device, a portion of the media content item based in part on the alternate amount; and

transmitting, by the at least one computing device, the portion of the media content item to the client device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the alternate amount is further based at least in part on at least one of the following:

a bandwidth profile associated with the client device or an available data storage on the client device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting the portion of the media content item further comprises:

predicting, by the at least one computing device, a route associated with the client device based at least in part on the first location, the second location, and a route history associated with the client device,

wherein the future connectivity interruption probability is further determined based at least in part on the route and at least one network coverage map associated with the route.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising estimating, by the at least one computing device, a duration of the connectivity interruption based at least in part on the route and the at least one network coverage map.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the future connectivity interruption probability is further based at least in part on another comparison of the route with behavioral data associated with at least one prior connectivity interruption.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising comparing, by the at least one computing device, the route with the at least one network coverage map.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a bandwidth profile associated with the client device based at least in part on a current network connection between the client device and the computing device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining, by the at least one computing device, coverage data from the client device, the coverage data comprising at least one of a type of network coverage associated with the client device, network provider information, or a bandwidth capability.