Dynamic content packaging in a content delivery system

• US 9,456,226 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong, Kotay, Sree
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/496,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20120222063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,204 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/240, 725/31, 725/87, 725/91, 725/96, 725/103, 725/114
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• 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 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64723 : Monitoring of network processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of network load traffic related reporting in data switching networks H04L43/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

To be accessed on different media players, requested content must be delivered in a format that is supported by the requesting device. A dynamic content packager for encrypting and packaging requested content for different requesting devices at the time of consumption is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a content request from a device;

determining a geographic location of the device;

generating a list of a plurality of content packagers capable of packaging content associated with the content request;

ranking the list based on proximities of the plurality of content packagers to the geographic location of the device; and

based on the ranked list, causing packaging and delivery of the content by a selected one of the plurality of content packagers to the device, wherein the causing packaging comprises causing reformatting and segmenting of the content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing encrypting of the content associated with the content request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a content delivery route, wherein the causing delivery of the content by the selected one of the plurality of content packagers comprises causing delivery according to the content delivery route.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a device profile indicating device capabilities for the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the one of the plurality of content packagers based on the device profile.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the content to be provided in a mezzanine format to the selected one of the plurality of content packagers.

7. A method, comprising:

generating a list of a plurality of content packagers capable of packaging content associated with a content request received from a device;

ranking the list based on proximities of the plurality of content packagers to a geographic location of the device; and

based on the ranked list, causing packaging and delivery of the content by one of the plurality of content packagers to the device, wherein the causing packaging comprises causing reformatting and segmenting of the content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing encrypting of the content associated with the content request for delivery to the device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a content delivery route, wherein the causing delivery of the content by the one of the plurality of content packagers comprises causing delivery according to the content delivery route.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the content delivery route further comprises determining availability of content streamers along the content delivery route.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a content streamer from the determined available content streamers for delivery of the content associated with the content request.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the content delivery route further comprises determining at least one of an on and off network status.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the content delivery route further comprises determining proximity of content streamers to the device.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a device profile indicating device capabilities for the device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by a processor, the one of the plurality of content packagers based on the device profile.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing the content to be provided in a mezzanine format to the one of the plurality of content packagers.

17. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having stored therein machine executable instructions, the at least one memory and the machine executable instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive a content request from a device;

generate a list of a plurality of content packagers capable of packaging content associated with the content request;

rank the list based on proximities of the plurality of content packagers to a geographic location of the device; and

based on the ranked list, causing packaging and delivery of the content by one of the plurality of content packagers to the device, wherein the causing packaging comprises causing reformatting and segmenting of the content.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one of the plurality of content packagers comprises an ingress content packager.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a gateway device.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, the at least one memory and the machine executable instructions further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

cause the content to be provided in a mezzanine format to the one of the plurality of content packagers.