Method and apparatus for content distribution for multiscreen viewing wherein video program and information related to the video program are transmitted to a second device but not to a first device when the distance between the two devices is greater than a predetermined threshold

• US 9,706,255 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Xu, Yan, Du, Lin, Zhou, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen-Ba, Hoang-Vu A
• Application Number:
  US14/892,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 725 25, 725 62, 725 87, 725 95, 725 97, 348 1407
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• 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 21/2355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; tracking of instant messages H04L51/234; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 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 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• 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 21/26616 : for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel, e.g. in a VOD application, when a client served by unicast channel catches up a multicast channel to save bandwidth data multicast over packet-switching network H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/414 : Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
• 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 21/4316 : for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/4623 : Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• 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 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 : Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 : specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

A method for distributing a video program to first and second devices is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a request for the video program from one of the first and second devices, both registered in an account at the server; transmitting the video program, but not information related to the video program, to a first selected one of the two devices according to a distance between the two devices; and transmitting the information related to the video program, but not the video program, to a second selected one of the two devices according to the distance.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a video program to first and second devices, the method comprising:

receiving a request for the video program from one of the first and second devices, both registered in an account at a server;

transmitting the video program, but not information related to the video program, to a first selected one of the two devices according to a distance between the two devices;

transmitting the information related to the video program, but not the video program, to a second selected one of the two devices according to the distance;

if the distance is less than a predefined threshold, selecting the first device as the first selected one device and selecting the second device as the second selected one device; and

if the distance is greater than the predefined threshold, selecting the second device as the first and second selected one devices, and transmitting no video program and no information related to the video program to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is registered as a standalone device and the second device is registered as a handheld device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first selected one device is different from the second selected one device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining available bandwidth B;

determining a bandwidth requirement B1 of the first selected one device and a bandwidth requirement B2 of the second selected one device;

if B<

B1, allocating B to the first selected one device and no bandwidth to the second selected one device, and transforming the video program to satisfy B; and

if B is not less than B1, allocating B1 to the first selected one device, if B−

B1 is not less than B2, allocating B2 to the second selected one device, and if B−

B1 is less than B2, allocating B−

B1 to the second selected one device and transforming the no information related to the video program to satisfy B−

B1.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising

determining status of each of the two devices;

if both devices are not active, terminating transmissions of the video program and the no information related to the video program;

if both devices are active, maintaining transmissions of the video program and the no information related to the video program; and

if only one device is active, transmitting both the video program and the no information related to the video program to the active device, and no video program and no information related to the video program to the inactive device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

obtaining location information of the first device;

obtaining location information of the second device; and

determining the distance according to the obtained location information of the first device and the obtained location information of the second device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if obtaining the location information of the second device fails, the distance is determined to be greater than the predefined threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein obtaining the location information of the first device comprises checking distance information of the first device in a user profile of a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the request is from the first device, the method further comprises:

if the distance is less than a predefined threshold, selecting the first device as the first selected one device and selecting the second device as the second selected one device; and

if the distance is greater than the predefined threshold, selecting the first device as the first and second selected one devices, and transmitting no video program and no information related to the video program to the second device.

10. A server for transmitting a video program and information related to the video program to first and second devices, both registered in an account at the server, the server comprising:

a storage; and

a processor executing software stored in the storage;

wherein the processor is configured to receive a request for the video program from one of the first and second devices;

transmit the video program, but not information related to the video program, to a first selected one of the two devices according to a distance between the two devices; and

transmit the information related to the video program, but not the video program, to a second selected one of the two devices according to the distance; and

wherein if the distance is less than a predefined threshold, the processor is configured to select the first device as the first selected one device and selecting the second device as the second selected one device; and

if the distance is greater than the predefined threshold, the processor is configured to select the second device as the first and second selected one devices, and transmitting no video program and no information related to the video program to the first device.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the first device is registered as a standalone device and the second device is registered as a handheld device.

12. The server of claim 10, wherein the first selected one device is different from the second selected one device.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine available bandwidth B of the server, a bandwidth requirement B1 of the first selected one device and a bandwidth requirement B2 of the second selected one device;

if B<

B1, allocate B to the first selected one device and transform the video program to satisfy B;

if B is not less than B1, allocate B1 to the first selected one device, if B−

B1 is not less than B2, allocate B2 to the second selected one device, and if B−

B1 is less than B2, allocate B−

B1 to the second selected one device and the processor is configured to transform the information related to the video program to satisfy B−

B1.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine status of each of the two devices;

if both devices are not active, the processor terminates transmissions of the video program and the information related to the video program;

if both devices are active, the processor maintains transmissions of the video program and the information related to the video program; and

if only one device is active, the processor transmits both the video program and the no information related to the video program to the active device, and no video program and no information related to the video program to the inactive device.

15. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to obtain location information of the first device and location information of the second device, and determine the distance according to the obtained location information of the first device and the obtained location information of the second device.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein if the processor fails to obtain the location information of the second device, the processor is configured to determine that the distance is greater than the predefined threshold.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the location information of the first device by checking distance information of the first device in a user profile of a user.

18. The server of claim 10, wherein if the request is from the first device and if the distance is less than a predefined threshold, the processor is configured to select the first device as the first selected one device and selecting the second device as the second selected one device;

and if the distance is greater than the predefined threshold, select the first device as the first and second one selected devices, and transmitting no video program and no information related to the video program to the second device.