System and method for live service content handling with content storing servers caching popular content therein

• US 10,097,863 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwilt, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qwilt, Inc.
• Inventors: Avrahami, Hagai, Groys, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ZAND, DAVOUD AMAN
• Application Number:
  US15/078,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 709224, 370252, 340 11- 161, 714 39, 714 471- 473
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

A computerized method for providing live content from a service delivery apparatus (SDA), the method comprises receiving a request from a user node (UN) for content, the request comprising a content identification (CID) and a content source (CS). The content of the CID is acquired to store in a fast access memory of the SDA upon determining that the content of the CID needs to be acquired to the SDA, and that the CS is a provider of live content. A redirect instruction is sent to the UN to redirect the request from the CS to the SDA. The content of the CID is sent to the UN from the fast access memory of the SDA.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing live content from a service delivery apparatus (SDA), the method comprising:

receiving, at the SDA, a request from a user node (UN) for content, the request comprising a content identification (CID) and a content source (CS);

acquiring the content of the CID, by the SDA, to store in a fast access memory of the SDA upon determining that the content of the CID needs to be acquired to the SDA, and that the CS is a provider of live content;

sending, by the SDA, a redirect instruction to the UN to redirect the request from the CS to the SDA; and

sending, by the SDA, the content of the CID to the UN from the fast access memory of the SDA;

wherein the SDA includes a slower storage than the fast access memory; and

wherein a video-on-demand (VOD) content is stored in the slower storage and a live broadcast content is stored in the fast access memory.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the fast access memory is one of a random-access memory (RAM) and a solid-state drive (SSD).

3. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a content collection identification (CCID), the CCID comprising at least the requested CID.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising:

acquiring content of each CID of the CCID from the CS to the SDA.

5. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising:

acquiring continuously content of at least a new CID to the SDA, wherein the CCID is continuously updated with at least the new CID content.

6. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein an old CID is removed from the CCID, further comprising:

determining a time period during which the content of the old CID is stored; and

removing the content of the old CID after the time period has elapsed from the fast access memory.

7. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the content of the removed old CID is stored in the slower storage.

8. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein determining if the content of the CID needs to be acquired to the SDA further comprises:

counting the number of requests for the content of the CID for each CID.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein acquiring the content is performed after the number of requests for the content of the CID exceeds a counting threshold.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the redirect instruction is sent to the UN before the content of the CID is acquired.

11. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the live broadcast is a live event.

12. A service delivery apparatus (SDA) for providing live content from a content source (CS) to at least a user node, comprising:

a first network interface to sniff traffic between at least a first portion of a network and at least a second portion of a network;

a second network interface configured to communicate with the at least a first portion of a network and the at least a second portion of a network;

a fast access memory;

a processing unit; and

a memory containing instructions that when executed by the processing unit causes the SDA to;

receive a request for content from a user node (UN), the request comprising a content identification (CID) and the CS;

acquire the content of the CID to store in a fast access memory of the SDA upon determining that the content of the CID needs to be acquired to the SDA, and that the CS is a provider of live content;

send a redirect instruction to the UN to redirect the request from the host CS to the SDA; and

send the content of the CID to the UN from the fast access memory of the SDA;

wherein the SDA further includes a slower storage than the fast access memory; and

wherein a video-on-demand (VOD) content is stored in the slower storage and a live broadcast content is stored in the fast access memory.

13. The SDA of claim 12, wherein the fast access memory is one of a random-access memory (RAM) and a solid-state drive (SSD).

14. The SDA of claim 12, wherein the memory further contains instructions that when executed by the processing unit causes the SDA to:

generate a content collection identification (CCID), the CCID comprising at least the requested CID.

15. The SDA of claim 14, wherein the memory further contains instructions that when executed by the processing unit causes the SDA to:

acquire content of each CID of the CCID from the CS to the SDA.

16. The SDA of claim 14, wherein the CCID is continuously updated with at least a new CID, and the memory further contains instructions that when executed by the processing unit causes the SDA to:

acquire content of at least the new CID continuously to the SDA.

17. The SDA of claim 14, wherein an old CID is removed from the CCID, and the memory further contains instructions that when executed by the processing unit causes the SDA to:

determine a time period during which the content of the old CID is stored; and

remove the content of the old CID from the fast access memory after the time period is reached.

18. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the removed content of the old CID is stored in the slower storage.

19. The SDA of claim 12, wherein the memory further contains instructions that when executed by the processing unit to determine if the content of the CID needs to be acquired to the SDA, further causes the SDA to:

count the number of requests for the content of the CID for each CID.

20. The SDA of claim 19, wherein acquiring the content is performed after the number of requests for the content of the CID is exceeded a threshold of a counting.

21. The SDA of claim 12, wherein the redirect instruction is sent to the UN before the content of the CID is acquired.

22. The SDA of claim 12, wherein the live broadcast is a live event.