Facilitating buffer wait time determination based on device- or entity-related conditions

• US 9,525,641 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Greene, Kevin, Lewis, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le
• Application Number:
  US14/163,821
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1835 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/103 using a shared central buffer; using a shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/108 using shared central buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9021 Plurality of buffers per packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9047 including multiple buffers, e.g. buffer pools
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• 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 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer

Abstract

Systems and methods that relate to determination of buffer wait time based on defined parameters are described. A method includes: determining, by a first device including a processor, information associated with one or more defined parameters; and generating a buffer wait time based on the information, wherein the information is associated with at least one of an entity for which buffering of content will be provided or a second device that performs playback of the content. The defined parameters can include, but are not limited to, the type of the second device (e.g., Android operating system 3 or Android operating system 4), the type of connection for the second device (e.g., Long-Term Evolution, 3G) or a geographical location of the second device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory storing computer executable components; and

a processor configured to execute the following computer executable components stored in the memory;

an interface component that;

facilitates a display indicative of an option to select one or more values for respective one or more defined parameters about an entity; and

a buffer analysis component that;

determines a buffer wait time from a plurality of candidate buffer wait times for the entity, wherein each of the candidate buffer wait times is associated with one of a plurality of levels of experience for the entity related to a rate of abandonment of content assigned to the entity prior to or during playback of the content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the buffer analysis component also performs regression analysis employing the one or more values for the respective one or more defined parameters and the plurality of levels of experience for the entity.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the buffer analysis component determines a function that characterizes a relationship between the values for the respective one or more defined parameters and the plurality of levels of experience.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more defined parameters comprise at least one of a type of a device associated with the entity, a type of connection for a device with which the entity is associated or a geographical location of the device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

a communication component that transmits, to a device associated with the entity, a message including information indicative of the buffer wait time.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first device comprising a processor, information indicative of one or more defined parameters for an entity; and

generating a buffer wait time for the entity, wherein the generating comprises employing a function that predicts a likelihood that watch time for the entity with the buffer wait time exceeds an average watch time for the entity with another buffer wait time, wherein the likelihood meets a defined condition, and wherein the buffer wait time is associated with a level of experience for the entity related to a rate of abandonment of content assigned to the entity prior to or during playback of the content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more defined parameters comprise the determined buffer wait time being a maximum buffer wait time that provides the level of experience for the entity that is equal to a defined value.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more defined parameters are associated with at least one of user biographical information or user preference information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more defined parameters are associated with resources of a second device, and wherein the entity is associated with the second device.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more defined parameters are associated with a geographical location of the entity.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, by a first device comprising a processor, information associated with one or more defined parameters; and

generating a buffer wait time based on the information, wherein the information is associated with at least one of an entity for which buffering of content will be provided or a second device that performs playback of the content, and wherein the buffer wait time is associated with a level of experience for the entity related to a rate of abandonment of the content prior to or during playback of the content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more defined parameters comprise at least one of a type of the second device, a type of connection for the second device with which the entity is associated or a geographical location of the second device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a signal that causes the content to be buffered for the buffer wait time prior to commencement of playback at the second device, wherein the signal includes information indicative of the buffer wait time, wherein the information indicative of the buffer wait time is included in metadata of the content.

14. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a device comprising a processor, one or more values for respective one or more defined parameters, wherein the one or more defined parameters are associated with at least one of an entity associated with the device, a type of the device, a network associated with the device or a type of content for playback on the device; and

determining a buffer wait time for playback of the content on the device based on the one or more values one or more defined parameters, wherein the buffer wait time is associated with a level of experience for the entity related to a rate of abandonment of the content prior to or during playback of the content.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

buffering the content, prior to playback of the content, wherein the buffering is performed for an amount of time that is less than or equal to the buffer wait time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining comprises selecting the buffer wait time from a plurality of buffer wait times stored in a look-up table at the device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting a first value for the buffer wait time based on determining that the device is connected to a first type of network; and

selecting a second value for the buffer wait time based on determining that the device is connected to a second type of network, wherein the first value is different from the second value.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting a first value for the buffer wait time based on determining that a type of the device is a first type; and

selecting a second value for the buffer wait time based on determining that a type of the device is a second type, wherein the first value is different from the second value.

19. A method of calculating a buffer wait time for buffering content provided to a client by a server, the method comprising:

modeling a relationship between values of a plurality of parameters and a user experience level with respect to enjoyment of the content by a user of the client to predict different user experience levels for subsets of the plurality of parameters having different values;

receiving parameter information from the client, the parameter information describing parameters including a type of client that will play the content;

computing the buffer wait time based on the modeled relationship and the received parameter information, wherein the buffer wait time is associated with the user experience level; and

providing the computed buffer wait time to the client.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein modeling the relationship comprises:

performing a regression analysis to identify patterns between amounts of time that users watch the content and values of the plurality of parameters in the subsets.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein modeling the relationship comprises:

performing a regression analysis to infer a function for mapping sets of parameters to one or more buffer wait times;

wherein computing the buffer wait time uses the function to map the parameter information to the buffer wait time.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein computing the buffer wait time comprises:

finding a value of the buffer wait time that results in a peak user watch time by the user of the client.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein computing the buffer wait time comprises:

selecting a value of the buffer wait time that corresponds to a defined level of experience for the user.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein computing the buffer wait time comprises:

accessing a look-up table using the received parameter information to select the buffer wait time.