Dynamic generation of media content assets for a content delivery network

• US 9,729,901 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah, Alina N
• Application Number:
  US14/707,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709231, 709219, 709217, 709213, 709223, 386343, 386350, 725 87, 725115, 711118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• 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 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2312 Data placement on disk arrays data placement in general G06F3/0604
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and software for using a network to efficiently distributing media content assets from a virtually unlimited content library and/or other storage to a plurality of client devices, as well as bi-directional local content sharing between head ends, and dynamic distribution and generation of media content assets within the network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a content delivery network configured to provide one or more media content assets for delivery to one or more client devices, the content delivery network comprising

a first storage device configured to store the one or more media content assets, the one or more media content assets comprising a first media content asset,

a second storage device configured to store a copy of the first media content asset,

a transmitting device configured to transmit, from the second storage device to a client device, the copy of the first media content asset, and

a control device configured to

determine, in response to a request from the client device for a trick file associated with the first media content asset, that the trick file is not stored at either the first storage device or the second storage device,

initiate generation of a new trick file from the first media content asset,

initiate storage of the new trick file at the first storage device, and

initiate storage of a copy of the new trick file at the second storage device for transmission, by the transmitting device, of the copy of the new trick file to the client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the content delivery network further comprises a service configured to

determine which one of a plurality of storage devices of the content delivery network stores the trick file or the copy of the trick file, and

provide, to the transmitting device, an indication of which one of the plurality of storage devices stores the trick file or the copy of the trick file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the second storage device is configured to serve a head end that serves a predetermined geographic region within which the client device is located.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at the second storage device based on a determined popularity associated with the first media content asset within the predetermined geographic region.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the determined popularity associated with the first media content asset is based on a determination that the first media content asset has been requested from the predetermined geographic region a predetermined number of times over a predetermined time period.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at the second storage device in response to receipt of a request to preposition the first media content asset at the second storage device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at a third storage device prior to receipt, at the content delivery network, of a request for the first media content asset; and

the third storage device is located at a head end that is not part of the content delivery network and is configured to serve one or more client devices located within a predetermined geographic region.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the third storage device is one of a streaming server or a staging server.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at the third storage device based on one or more of

a request received from the head end to preposition the first media content asset at the head end, or

a determined popularity of the first media content asset within the predetermined geographic region.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a content generation device configured to generate the new trick file from the first media content asset.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the content generation device is configured to generate the new trick file by at least one of

i) transcoding at least a portion of the first media content asset from a first format to a second format,

ii) transcoding at least a portion of the first media content asset from a first bit rate to a second bit rate, or

iii) transcoding at least a portion of the first media content asset from a first video resolution to a second video resolution.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the new trick file comprises one of

i) a first new trick file that fast-forwards through a portion of the first media content asset,

ii) a second new trick file that rewinds a portion of the first media content asset, or

iii) a third new trick file that splices new content with at least a portion of the first media content asset.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the new trick file comprises content that is based on a geographical region within which the client device resides.

14. A system comprising:

a content delivery network configured to provide one or more media content assets to a head end that is not part of the content delivery network and that is configured to serve one or more client devices located within a predetermined geographical region, the content delivery network comprising

a first storage device configured to store one or more media content assets, the one or more media content assets comprising a first media content asset, and

a control device configured to

determine, in response to a request for a trick file associated with the first media content asset, that the trick file is not stored at either the first storage device or a second storage device located at the head end,

initiate generation of a new trick file from the first media content asset,

initiate storage of the new trick file at the first storage device, and

initiate storage of a copy of the new trick file at the second storage device for transmission of the copy of the new trick file to the client device located within the predetermined geographic region.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at the second storage device in response to receipt of a request to preposition the first media content asset at the second storage device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the control device is further configured to initiate storage of the copy of the first media content asset at the second storage device based on a determined popularity associated with the first media content asset within the predetermined geographic region.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the determined popularity associated with the first media content asset is based on a determination that the first media content asset has been requested from the predetermined geographic region a predetermined number of times over a predetermined time period.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the content delivery network further comprises a content generation device configured to generate the new trick file from the first media content asset.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the new trick file comprises one of

i) a first new trick file that fast-forwards through a portion of the first media content asset,

ii) a second new trick file that rewinds a portion of the first media content asset, or

iii) a third new trick file that splices new content with at least a portion of the first media content asset.