Apparatus and methods for recording, accessing, and delivering packetized content

• US 10,148,992 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sarosi, George, Miles, Wilfred Jaime, Cholas, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US15/483,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41 Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• 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 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45 Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

Apparatus and methods to manage recording of streaming packetized content (such as for example live IP packetized content) for access, retrieval and delivering thereof to one or more users. In one embodiment, the foregoing is accomplished via communication between a recording manager and a receiver/decoder device. The recording manager manages and schedules recording of content on behalf of the receiver/decoder device (and/or mobile devices) disposed at a user'"'"'s premises. The recording manager runs one or more computer programs designed to receive requests to record packetized content from one or more consumer devices, and use metadata contained within the requests to cause a cloud storage entity or premises storage device to record the content at its scheduled date/time (either via the receiver/decoder device itself, or another network entity). In this manner, the recording manager provides digital video recording (DVR) functionality to devices that would be otherwise incapable of scheduling a recording and/or recording such content.

Claims

1. A computerized method of providing digitally rendered content to a computerized client device of a managed network, the computerized method comprising:

receiving data relating to a request to record a streamable digital content element, the request originating from a computerized client device associated with a user identifier;

processing a plurality of user data, the plurality of user data comprising at least the user identifier;

based at least in part on the processing of the plurality of user data, forming a virtual control boundary corresponding to the user identifier, the virtual control boundary extending one or more of possession or control from the computerized client device to at least a digital storage location within a multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage apparatus of the managed network;

based at least in part on the request and the virtual control boundary, causing storage of the streamable digital content element at the digital data storage location within the multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage apparatus via a recording apparatus of the managed network; and

subsequent to the storage of the streamable digital content element, enabling availability of the stored digital content element for streaming delivery from the digital storage location within the multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage apparatus over the managed network;

wherein the data relating to the request at least in part comprises metadata; and

wherein the computerized method further comprises;

utilizing at least the metadata to determine that the computerized client device is a legacy, non-IP enabled device; and

based on determining that the computerized client device is a legacy, non-IP enabled device, delivering via a streaming delivery session the stored digital content element to a non-legacy, IP enabled computerized client device associated with the user identification.

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

utilizing the metadata to validate whether the user identifier is associated with a registered subscriber of the managed network; and

based at least in part on a determination that the user identifier is validated as associated with the registered subscriber of the managed network, establishing a data communications session between the computerized client device and a computerized process of the managed network;

wherein the metadata further comprises data identifying one or more of the user or the computerized client device.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the user identifier comprises a globally unique identifier (GUID) and/or log-in information.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the metadata to determine whether the computerized client device is within or associated to a premises serviced by the managed network, the determination comprising associating the computerized client device with an authorized network access point.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the metadata to authorize access to the streamable digital content element based on a subscription level associated with the user identifier.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the database comprises information linking metadata regarding at least one of (i) the user identifier, and (ii) the computerized client device to the streamable digital content element and to the digital data storage location, the digital data storage location within the multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage accessible to a plurality of computerized client devices associated with the user identifier.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of user data further comprises data relating to one or more common characteristics associated with the user identifier and one or more other user identifiers, the one or more other user identifiers each associated with one or more other computerized client devices; and

the forming the virtual control boundary comprises forming a group virtual control boundary corresponding to (i) the user identifier and (ii) the one or more other user identifiers.

8. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the forming the group virtual control boundary comprises forming the group virtual control boundary using at least a plurality of individual virtual control boundaries.

9. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the enabling availability of the stored digital content element for streaming delivery over the managed network from the location within the multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage comprises enabling availability of the stored digital content element for streaming delivery from the location within the multi-user partitioned cloud-based storage over the managed network to only the non-legacy, IP enabled computerized client device and the one or more other computerized client devices respectively associated with the one or more other in the group virtual control boundary.

10. Computerized network apparatus having a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising at least one computer program, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by a processing apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:

receive, from a first computerized client device, data indicative of a request for recording a live digital content element, the data indicative of the request at least in part comprising metadata;

cause transmission of data relating to at least one message to a computerized network entity in data communication with a managed network, the computerized network entity configured to cause recording of the live digital content element at a predetermined time, the at least one message comprising at least information identifying at least the live digital content element;

receive data indicative of at least a digital data storage location where the recorded live digital content element is located, the digital data storage location associated with at least the first computerized client device;

identify, based at least in part on the metadata, that the first computerized client device is a non-IP enabled client device;

form a trusted domain between at least the first computerized client device and one or more IP enabled computerized client devices, the trusted domain configured to enable content access and based at least in part on common user identifier shared by the first computerized client device and the one or more IP enabled computerized client devices; and

based at least in part on the formed trusted domain and the identifying, provide the digital data storage location of the recorded live digital content element to at least a first one of the one or more IP enabled computerized client devices so as to enable streaming of the recorded live digital content element to the at least first one of the one or more IP enabled computerized client devices via the managed network.

11. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10, wherein the digital data storage location comprises a cloud storage apparatus disposed an edge node of the managed network, the disposition of the cloud storage apparatus at the edge node configured to distribute at least a portion of a load associated with delivery of the recorded live digital content element away from a core portion of the managed network.

12. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to generate data indicative of a prediction of a popularity of the live digital content element, the live digital content element automatically stored based at least in part on the data indicative of the prediction.

13. The computerized network apparatus of claim 12, wherein data indicative of the prediction of the popularity of the live digital content element comprises an evaluation of historical viewership data and a frequency of requests for the live digital content element.

14. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:

receive a plurality of data relating to respective ones of a plurality of other requests to record the live digital content element, the plurality of other requests originated from respective second ones of the one or more other computerized client devices;

automatically cause storage of the live digital content element at the digital data storage location based at least in part on a number of the request and the plurality of other requests meeting or exceeding a predetermined threshold value; and

enable the respective second ones of the one or more other computerized client devices to access the recorded digital content element via provision of the information regarding the digital data storage location to the respective second ones of the one or more other computerized client devices.

15. The computerized network apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to discard duplicate ones of the request and one or more other requests for recording the live digital content element respectively originated from the first computerized client device and the second one or more other computerized client devices, based at least in part on formation of the trusted domain, thereby economizing storage requirements at the network digital data storage location.

16. Computerized network apparatus for delivery of digitally rendered content to at least one IP (Internet Protocol) enabled computerized client device over a content delivery network, the computerized network apparatus comprising:

a processor apparatus;

a storage element in data communication with the processor apparatus, the storage element comprising at least one computer program, the at least one program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by the processor apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to;

receive data relating to one or more requests for recording a live, streaming digital content element, the data relating to one or more requests (i) originating from a first client device and (ii) at least in part comprising metadata;

utilize the metadata to identify that the first client device is a legacy, non-IP enabled client device;

identify an association between the first client device and the at least one IP enabled computerized client device based at least in part on a user identifier, the user identifier associated with each of the first client device and the at least one IP enabled computerized client device;

based at least in part on the data relating to the one or more requests and the identified association, cause storage of the live, streaming digital content element at a network digital data storage location, the network digital storage location being (i) accessible to the at least one IP enabled client device and (ii) inaccessible to the first client device; and

provide, based at least in part on the metadata identifying the first client device as a legacy, non-IP enabled client device, information regarding the digital data storage location to the at least one IP enabled computerized client device so as to enable access to the recorded live, streaming digital content element to the at least one IP enabled computerized client device via the content delivery network.

17. The computerized network apparatus of claim 16, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processor apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:

utilize at least the data relating to the one or more requests to determine whether one or more of the IP enabled client device or the first client device are within or associated to a premises serviced by the content delivery network, the determination comprising an association of the one or more of the IP enabled client device or the first client device with an authorized network access point; and

enable one or more other computerized client devices within or associated to the premises to access to access the recorded digital content element via provision of the information regarding the digital data storage location to the one or more other computerized client devices.