Video and digital multimedia aggregator

• US 10,140,433 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: McCoskey, John S., Swart, William D., Asmussen, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US15/077,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9, 725 38, 725 53, 725 91, 707706, 707707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for searching and delivering program content are described herein. A search request may be received from a first user device. One or more content sources in a distributed digital communication network may be searched for program content that satisfies the search criteria. Responsive to determining that the search was unsuccessful, the one or more content sources may be monitored for changes to determine whether at least one change satisfies the search criteria. Data indicative of the at least one matching result may be delivered to a second user device. A selection of a program content item associated with one of the at least one matching result may be received. According to one or more aspects, the selected program content item may be delivered to the second user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device, a search request;

searching, based on the search request, for content of at least one content source in a distributed digital communication network;

determining that the searching was unsuccessful;

storing the search request;

after determining that the searching was unsuccessful, determining, based on at least one change in the at least one content source, available content associated with the search request;

sending, to a second user device, data indicative of the available content; and

receiving a selection of a content item associated with the available content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the second user device, the selected content item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing storage, at the first user device, of the selected content item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encoding the selected content item for delivery to the second user device; and

sending, to the second user device, the encoded content item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content item is associated with a digital rights management (DRM) scheme that allows delivery of the selected content item to the second user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request comprises:

search request criteria;

a user identification information;

an authorization code;

a requested content format; and

user network routing information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user device comprises a first node of a home network and the second user device comprises a second node of the home network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one content source in the distributed digital communication network comprises one or more of local streaming sources or remote streaming sources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request is received via a wide area network.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device, a search request;

searching, based on the search request, for content of at least one content source in a distributed digital communication network;

determining that the searching was unsuccessful;

storing the search request;

after determining that the searching was unsuccessful, determining, based on at least one change in the at least one content source, available content associated with the search request;

determining whether a digital rights management (DRM) scheme allows delivery, to a second user device, of the available content; and

after determining that the DRM scheme allows delivery, to the second user device, of at least one content item associated with the available content, sending, to the second user device, the at least one content item associated with the available content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after determining that the DRM scheme allows storing, at the second user device, the at least one content item associated with the available content, causing storage, at the second user device, of the at least one content item associated with the available content.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after determining that the DRM scheme allows encoding the at least one content item associated with the available content;

encoding the at least one content item for delivery to the second user device; and

sending, to the second user device, the encoded at least one content item.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the search request comprises:

search request criteria;

a user identification information;

an authorization code;

a digital rights management parameter;

a requested content format; and

user network routing information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first user device is located in a first node of a home network and the second user device is located in a second node of the home network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one content source in the distributed digital communication network comprises one or more of local streaming sources or remote streaming sources.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the search request is received via a wide area network.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device, a search request;

searching, based on the search request, for content in at least one content source in a distributed digital communication network;

determining that the searching was unsuccessful;

storing the search request;

after determining that the searching was unsuccessful, receiving, based on at least one change in the at least one content source, data indicative of available content associated with the search request;

validating, based on the search request, the available content;

receiving a selection of a content item associated with the available content; and

encoding the selected content item for delivery to a second user device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending, to the second user device, the encoded content item.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

causing storage, at the second user device, of the encoded content item.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first user device is located in a first node of a home network and the second user device is located in a second node of the home network.