Method and apparatus for hierarchical distribution of video content for an interactive information distribution system

• US 9,813,745 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Armstrong, James B., Goode, Christopher W. B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Razu A
• Application Number:
  US14/171,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 709231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5632 Bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• 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 21/232 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing and distributing video information in an interactive information distribution system by storing video information on either a centralized or de-centralized secondary storage partition in a network of provider and subscriber equipment, and therein distributing the video information to a subscriber having made a request for such video information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

comparing, by at least one computing device, a rate of user requests for a content asset with each of a plurality of threshold rates;

determining, based on which one or more of the plurality of threshold rates are exceeded by the rate of user requests, one or more data storage locations of a network, wherein the determining comprises determining the one or more data storage locations based on whether the rate of user requests for the content asset is (1) greater than a first one of the plurality of threshold rates and less than a second one of the plurality of threshold rates or (2) greater than the second one of the plurality of threshold rates;

storing the content asset in the one or more data storage locations; and

delivering to a user device, via the network and from one of the one or more data storage locations, the content asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content asset comprises a video content asset.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the rate of user requests for the content asset based on a plurality of requests for the content asset from a plurality of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering is performed at least partially simultaneously with the storing the content asset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing comprises replicating the content asset from a first data storage location to the one or more data storage locations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on which one or more of the plurality of threshold rates are exceeded by the rate of user requests and also based on times of day of the user requests, the one or more data storage locations of the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user requests for the content assets comprises user requests by a plurality of client devices.

8. A method comprising:

comparing, by at least one computing device, a rate of user requests for a content asset with each of a plurality of threshold rates;

determining, based on which one or more of the plurality of threshold rates are exceeded by the rate of user requests, a plurality of data storage locations of a network;

storing the content asset in the plurality of data storage locations;

receiving a request by a user device for the content asset;

determining, based on the request by the user device, a first one of the plurality of data storage locations; and

delivering to the user device, via the network and from the first one of the plurality of data storage locations, the content asset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the content asset comprises a video content asset.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining the rate of user requests for the content asset based on a plurality of requests for the content asset from a plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the delivering is performed at least partially simultaneously with the storing the content asset.

12. A method comprising:

comparing, by at least one computing device, a rate of user requests for a content asset with each of a plurality of threshold rates;

determining, based on an outcome of the comparing, whether the rate of user requests for the content asset is (1) greater than a first one of the plurality of threshold rates and less than a second one of the plurality of threshold rates or (2) greater than the second one of the plurality of threshold rates, a distribution of the content asset amongst a plurality of data storage locations of a network;

causing copies of the content asset to be distributed amongst the plurality of data storage locations in accordance with the distribution; and

delivering to a user device, via the network and from one of the plurality of data storage locations, one of the copies of the content asset.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the causing comprises causing the content asset to be replicated into the plurality of data storage locations.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the causing comprises causing the content asset to be removed from at least another data storage location.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting the plurality of data storage locations based on an outcome of the comparing.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivering is performed at least partially simultaneously with the causing the content asset to be stored.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of data storage locations corresponds to a different streaming server of the network.

18. A method comprising:

comparing, by at least one computing device, a rate of requests by a plurality of user devices for a content asset with a plurality of threshold rates;

determining, depending upon how many of the plurality of threshold rates are exceeded by the rate of requests by the user devices for the content asset, a distribution of the content asset in a network, wherein the determining comprises determining the distribution of the content assets based on whether the rate of requests by the plurality of user devices for the content asset is less than a first threshold rate of the plurality of threshold rates, between the first threshold rate and a second threshold rate of the plurality of threshold rates, or greater than the second threshold rate;

causing one or more copies of the content asset to be distributed in the network in accordance with the distribution; and

delivering to a first user device of the plurality of user devices, via the network, one of the one or more copies of the content asset.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the causing comprises causing the content asset to be replicated.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the causing comprises causing the content asset to be removed from at least one location in the network.