Method and system for changing communication parameters of a content delivery system based on feedback from user devices

• US 9,819,982 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pontual, Romulo, Norin, John L., Arsenault, Robert G., Kahn, Raynold M., Ling, Sui-Ky Ringo, Crook, Luke J., Choi, John D., Vagnati, Michelle L., Dulac, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US15/240,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20160360255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for communicating content to a user device includes a head end that communicates a plurality of upcoming content metadata that includes a content title to the user device. The user device displays the upcoming content metadata and selects at least one upcoming content metadata from the plurality of upcoming content metadata to form selected data. The user device communicates the selected data to the head end. The head end adjusts head end communication parameters for the content associated with the selected data based on the selected data and communicates the content to a user device based on the head end communication parameters.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating a plurality of upcoming content metadata that includes a content title for a first content;

displaying the upcoming content metadata for the first content;

selecting at least one upcoming non-linear content metadata from the plurality of upcoming content metadata to form selected data;

communicating the selected data from a plurality of user devices to a head end;

aggregating selected data from the plurality of user devices to form aggregated data;

forming a carousel for repeatedly and continually communicating the first content to a plurality of user devices according to carousel communication parameters;

based on the aggregated data, adjusting said carousel communication parameters for the first content associated with the selected data, said carousel communication parameters comprising at least one of repetition rate of the carousel, a frequency of the carousel, and a communication speed of the carousel; and

communicating the content to the plurality of user devices based on the carousel communication parameters.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein displaying the upcoming content comprises displaying the upcoming content title in a homepage on a display associated with the user device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating a plurality of upcoming content metadata comprises communicating prior to a content availability time.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising displaying an availability indicator after a content availability time when the content is stored within the user device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating a plurality of upcoming content metadata comprises communicating a plurality of upcoming content trailers.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating a plurality of upcoming content metadata comprises communicating a plurality of upcoming content posters.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein displaying the upcoming content metadata comprises displaying the content on a display associated with the user device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein displaying the upcoming content metadata comprises displaying the content on a display associated with an external device in communication with a web interface.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming a wanted list at the user device from selected data.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the content comprises communicating the content prior to a content availability time.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising storing the content in a storage device and generating an indicator after storing and after a content availability time.

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of user devices; and

a head end that communicates a plurality of upcoming content metadata that includes a content title of a first content to the user device;

a carousel in communication with the head end for repeatedly and continually communicating the first content to the plurality of user devices according to carousel communication parameters;

wherein the plurality of user devices displays the upcoming content metadata for the first content and forms selected data from at least one upcoming content metadata from the plurality of upcoming content metadata; and

the plurality of user devices communicates the selected data to the head ends;

wherein the head end aggregates the selected data;

wherein said carousel communication parameters comprising at least one of repetition rate of the carousel, a frequency of the carousel, and a communication speed of the carousel;

wherein the head end adjusts said carousel communication parameters for the first content associated with the selected data based on the aggregated data and communicates the first content to the plurality of user devices based on the carousel communication parameters.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the user device displays the upcoming content metadata in a homepage on a display associated with the user device.

14. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the head end communicates a plurality of upcoming content metadata prior to a content availability time.

15. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the user device displays an availability indicator after a content availability time after the content is stored within the user device.

16. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the plurality of upcoming content metadata comprises a plurality of upcoming content trailers.

17. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the plurality of upcoming content metadata comprises a plurality of upcoming content posters.

18. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the user device forms a wanted list at the user device from selected data.

19. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the head end communicates the content prior to a content availability time.

20. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the user device comprises a content storage device and stores the content in a storage device, the user device generates an indicator after a content availability time for content stored within the storage device.