Caching media in a media fling system

• US 9,948,690 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Farrell, Corey, Hounsell, Randall, Connelly, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US14/461,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 725131-134, 725139-142, 725 74- 85, 709217-232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a content (e.g., media) transfer or fling platform system and method. In a media fling platform system, media items may be cached at a rendering device prior to any selection of media items to fling. The determination of which media to cache may be based on a variety of factors including a user fling history, a currently viewed media item, and a navigation point in the media files. A fling request may take priority over caching, and the fling request may interrupt any caching processes.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a computing device and based at least on a user fling history, a first content item to cache at a rendering device;

transmitting, by the computing device, the first content item to the rendering device for caching;

receiving, by the computing device, a fling request indicating a second content item to fling to the rendering device, wherein the first content item is different than the second content item;

interrupting, by the computing device and responsive to receiving the fling request, the transmitting the first content item, and transmitting, by the computing device, the second content item to the rendering device; and

responsive to a determination that the transmitting of the second content item to the rendering device is complete, resuming, by the computing device, the transmitting of the first content item for caching at the rendering device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a fling count for each content item stored in the computing device, wherein determining the first content item to cache comprises determining the first content item to cache further based on the fling count for the first content item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining the first content item for caching comprises:

processing a plurality of content items for caching in order of highest fling count to lowest fling count.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an estimated idle period based on a user browsing rate and

determining at least one content item for caching based on the estimated idle period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating, responsive to receiving the fling request, content to cache based on the second content item.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting a presence of the rendering device; and

in response to detecting the presence of the rendering device, associating the computing device with the rendering device,

wherein the determining the first content item comprises determining the first content item in response to associating the computing device with the rendering device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to exceeding a caching threshold, processing a first previously cached content item to upgrade a quality of the first previously cached content item; and

transmitting, to the rendering device, upgraded cached content for caching.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a first user request to view a selected content item;

determining a first content item to cache based on the selected content item, wherein the first content item is different than the selected content item;

initiating, by the computing device, transmission of the first content item to a rendering device for caching;

receiving, by the computing device, a second user request to fling the selected content item to the rendering device;

responsive to receiving the second user request, interrupting the transmission of the first content item, to fling the selected content item to the rendering device; and

responsive to completion of the flinging the selected content item to the rendering device, resuming the transmission of the first content item to the rendering device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing a fling count for each content item stored at the computing device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a third user request to view a second content item;

determining an updated content item to cache based on the second content item.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first content item is cached at the rendering device at a first resolution, the method further comprising:

in response to determining that a threshold number of content items stored at the computing device have been cached at the rendering device, caching the first content item at the rendering device at a second resolution.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining an estimated idle period based on a user browsing rate; and

determining one or more content items to cache at the rendering device based on the estimated idle period.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a fling request for video content;

in response to receiving the fling request for the video content, transmitting, to the rendering device, instructions to clear a cache at the rendering device; and

transmitting, to the rendering device, the video content to be buffered in the cache.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

preparing one or more content items for previewing on a display of the computing device; and

presenting a preview of the selected content item on the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the first content item to cache comprises:

determining the first content item to cache based on a viewing of the preview of the selected content item.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the selected content item is stored in a first folder, and wherein determining the first content item to cache based on the selected content item comprises:

determining to cache all content items stored in the first folder.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a rendering device and from a computing device, a first cache request indicating a first content item to store in a cache;

processing, by the rendering device, the first cache request to store the first content item in the cache;

receiving, by the rendering device, a first fling request indicating a second content item to output on an output device, wherein the first content item is different than the second content item;

in response to receiving the first fling request, interrupting, by the rendering device, the processing of the first cache request to process the first fling request; and

in response to a completion of the processing of the first fling request, resuming, by the rendering device, the processing of the first cache request.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, from the computing device, a second cache request comprising a third content item, the third content item being a higher quality version of the first content item; and

storing the third content item in the cache in place of the first content item.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, from the computing device, a second fling request comprising an identifier of the first content item.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

retrieving the first content item from the cache; and

transmitting, to the output device, the first content item.