Systems and methods for distributing segmented media content to signage devices in private networks

• US 9,886,697 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2013
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Sivertsen, Clas Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderhorst, Victoria
• Application Number:
  US14/104,775
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for distributing segmented media content to digital signage devices in a private network. In certain embodiments, the system includes a Media Content Distribution System (MCDS). Upon receiving an instruction to distribute an item of media content, the MCDS retrieves and segments the item from a storage server, and stores the segments in the storage server. When a first digital signage device requests for a segment, the MCDS transmits a storage link of the requested segment to the first digital signage device. Thus, the first digital signage device may retrieve the requested segment from the storage server, and send an address identifying a storage location of the requested segment stored in the private network back to the MCDS. When a second digital signage device also requests for the same segment, the MCDS transmits the address to the second digital signage device.

Claims

1. A method for distributing media content with a Media Content Distribution System (MCDS), comprising:

receiving, at a Media Deployment Module (MDM) of the MCDS, an instruction to distribute an item of media content to a plurality of digital signage devices in a private network, wherein the plurality of digital signage devices comprises a first digital signage device and a second digital signage device, and the item of media content is a single video file, wherein the private network is behind a firewall, wherein the MCDS is in a public network outside the firewall;

retrieving the item of media content from a storage server of the MCDS based on information in the received instruction;

segmenting, at the MCDS, the retrieved item of media content into segments based on information in the received instruction;

storing the segments in the storage server;

obtaining storage links respectively identifying locations of the segments stored in the storage server in the public network;

upon receipt at the MCDS of a request for a first segment of the segments from the first digital signage device within the private network, transmitting the storage link identifying the location of the first segment of the segments in the public network to the first digital signage device, wherein the first digital signage device downloads the first segment of the segments from the public network and stores the first segment of the segments locally in the private network, wherein the first digital signage device sends to the MCDS a first address identifying a storage location of the first segment of the segments in the private network, wherein the first address is a private network address of the private network and is only accessible within the private network behind the firewall, wherein the private network is connected to the public network through a network address translation service;

receiving, at the MCDS, the first address;

sending, at the second digital signage within the private network and to the MCDS, requests for the first segment and a second segment of the segments;

upon receipt, at the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, of the request for the first segment of the segments from the second digital signage device within the private network, transmitting, from the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, the first address only accessible within the private network behind the firewall to the second digital signage device within the private network behind the firewall;

upon receipt, at the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, of the request for the second segment of the segments from the second digital signage device within the private network, transmitting, from the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, a second storage link identifying a location of the second segment stored in the storage server in the public network;

receiving, at the second digital signage device from the MCDS in response to the request for the first segment, the first address, and downloading the first segment of the segments from the storage location in the private network identified by the first address; and

receiving, at the second digital signage device from the MCDS in response to the request for the second segment, the second storage link, and downloading the second segment from the location of storage server in the public network identified by the second storage link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received instruction comprises a Campaign Deployment Plan.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of media content is segmented into a number of segments, and the number equals to a number of the digital signage devices in the private network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, at the MCDS, a media content identification file identifying the segments.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the media content identification file comprises descriptors respectively identifying the segments.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the descriptors comprises an authentication tag.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authentication tag is a cryptographic hash.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the media content identification file further comprises information identifying the digital signage devices in the private network.

9. A method for distributing media files among a plurality of digital signage devices in a private network, comprising:

transmitting, from a Device Control Module (DCM) of a first digital signage device of the plurality of digital signage device, an inquiry for available media files to a Media Content Delivery System (MCDS), wherein each of the plurality of digital signage devices comprises a DCM, wherein the DCMs of the digital signage devices are in the private network and are in electronic communication with each other and with the MCDS, and wherein the plurality of digital signage devices comprises the first digital signage device and a second digital signage device, wherein the private network is behind a firewall, wherein the MCDS is in a public network outside the firewall;

upon receipt of a media content identification file at the DCM of the first digital signage device, executing the media content identification file, wherein the media content identification file identifies segments of a single media file, wherein the single media file is a single video file;

transmitting from the DCM of the first digital signage device a request for one of the segments identified in the executed media content identification file to the MCDS;

receiving, at the DCM of the first digital signage device, a storage link identifying a location of the first segment of the segments in the public network;

obtaining the first segment of the segments from the location in the public network identified by the storage link, and upon receipt of the first segment of the segments, making available at the DCM of the first digital signage device the first segment of the segments to the digital signage devices in the private network, wherein the first digital signage device stores the first segment of the segments locally in the private network, wherein the private network is connected to the public network through a network address translation service;

transmitting, from the first digital signage device within the private network behind the firewall to the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, a first address identifying a storage location where the first segment of the segments has been stored locally in the private network, the first address being a private network address of the private network and being only accessible within the private network behind the firewall;

sending, at the second digital signage within the private network and to the MCDS, requests for the first segment and a second segment of the segments;

upon receipt, at the first address, of a request for the first segment of the segments from the second digital signage device in the private network, transmitting the first segment of the segments to the second digital signage device within the private network;

receiving, at the second digital signage device from the MCDS in response to the request for the first segment, the first address, and downloading the first segment of the segments from the storage location in the private network identified by the first address; and

receiving, at the second digital signage device from the MCDS in response to the request for the second segment, the second storage link, and downloading the second segment from the location of storage server in the public network identified by the second storage link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the media content identification file comprises descriptors respectively identifying the segments, and a number of the segments equals to a number of the digital signage devices in the private network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the descriptors comprises an authentication tag.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the authentication tag is a cryptographic hash.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising authenticating the first segment of the segments by comparing the first segment of the segments to information in the media content identification file.

14. A system, comprising:

a Media Content Distribution System (MCDS) in operative connection with a private network, the MCDS comprising a Media Deployment Module (MDM) and a storage server, wherein the private network comprises a plurality of digital signage devices, and wherein the plurality of digital signage devices comprises a first digital signage device and a second digital signage device,

wherein the MCDS is configured to

receive, at the MDM, an instruction to distribute an item of media content to the plurality of digital signage devices, wherein the item of media content is a single video file, wherein the private network is behind a firewall, wherein the MCDS is in a public network outside the firewall,

retrieve the item of media content from the storage server based on information in the received instruction,

segment the retrieved item of media content into segments based on information in the received instruction,

store the segments in the storage server,

obtain storage links respectively identifying locations of the segments stored in the storage server in the public network,

upon receipt of a request for a first segment of the segments from the first digital signage device, transmit the storage link identifying the location of the first segment of the segments in the public network to the first digital signage device, wherein the first digital signage device downloads the first segment of the segments from the public network and stores the first segment of the segments locally in the private network, wherein the first digital signage device sends to the MCDS a first address identifying a storage location of the first segment of the segments in the private network, wherein the first address is a private network address of the private network and is only accessible within the private network behind the firewall, wherein the private network is connected to the public network through a network address translation service, and

receive, at the MCDS, the first address;

wherein the second digital signage within the private network is configured to send, to the MCDS, requests for the first segment and a second segment of the segments;

wherein the MCDS is further configured to;

upon receipt, at the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, of an inquiry for the first segment of the segments from the second digital signage device, transmit, from the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, the first address only accessible within the private network behind the firewall to the second digital signage device within the private network behind the firewall, and

upon receipt, at the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, of the request for the second segment of the segments from the second digital signage device within the private network, transmit, from the MCDS in the public network outside the firewall, a second storage link identifying a location of the second segment stored in the storage server in the public network;

wherein the second digital signage within the private network is configured to

receive, from the MCDS in response to the request for the first segment, the first address, and download the first segment of the segments from the storage location in the private network identified by the first address, and

receive, from the MCDS in response to the request for the second segment, the second storage link, and download the second segment from the location of storage server in the public network identified by the second storage link.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the received instruction comprises a Campaign Deployment Plan.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the media content is segmented into a number of segments, and the number equals to a number of the digital signage devices in the private network.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the MCDS is further configured to generate a media content identification file identifying the segments.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the media content identification file includes descriptors for the segments.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the descriptors comprises an authentication tag.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the authentication tag is a cryptographic hash.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the media content identification file further comprises information identifying the digital signage devices in the private network.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the digital signage devices comprising a Device Control Module (DCM), wherein the DCMs of the digital signage devices are in electronic communication with each other and with the MCDS.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the DCM of the first signage device is configured to

transmit an inquiry for available media files to the MCDS,

upon receipt of the media content identification file, execute the media content identification file,

transmit the request for the one of the segments to the MCDS,

upon receipt of the first segment of the segments from the MCDS, make available the first segment of the segments to the digital signage devices in the private network, and

upon receipt of a request for the first segment of the segments from the second signage device, transmit the first segment of the segments to the second signage device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the second digital signage device is configured to send the request for the first segment of the segments to the DCM of the first digital signage device based on the first address received from the MCDS.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the DCM of the first digital signage device is further configured to authenticate the first segment of the segments by comparing the first segment of the segments to information in the media content identification file.