Inserting secondary content after pause in delivery

• US 10,250,917 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nijim, Yousef Wasef, Strothmann, James Alan, Langa, Jay Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Joshua D
• Application Number:
  US15/136,820
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• 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 21/44204 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Linear content that is recorded often includes secondary content that is no longer relevant to the consumer, and lacks secondary content that is relevant to the consumer, such as, emergency alerts, which are time dependent in their relevancy. Inserting secondary content during playback of the recorded content is challenging, as it may interrupt playback and degrade the consumer'"'"'s viewing experience. Therefore, systems and method are provided herein that exploit pauses in the playback, such as when the content is loaded on a viewing device or a consumer uses trick play options, to insert relevant secondary content without further interrupting the viewing experience, to reduce storage requirements for a cloud-based recording and playback system, and to improve the user experience thereof

Claims

1. A system for providing enhanced playback of content recorded on a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR), the system comprising:

a processor; and

computer readable storage media including instructions, which when executed by the processor enable the system to provide a cDVR application server, operable to;

in response to receipt of a record command to record a primary content item to a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR) storage remote from an endpoint device;

determine if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device exists;

in response to confirming absence of a subscription to record to the cDVR storage, transmit a message to the endpoint device explaining terms for cDVR service before recording the primary content item;

if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage exists, record the primary content item to the cDVR storage absent storing secondary content items included with the primary content item in the cDVR storage; and

as the primary content item is recorded, insert one or more pre-roll triggers with the primary content item to trigger provision of secondary content comprising pre-roll content during playback of the primary content item;

in response to a playback command;

retrieve the primary content item from the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device for playback on the endpoint device;

provide the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content with the primary content item according to the one or more pre-roll triggers;

transmit the primary content item as a stream to the endpoint device so that the pre-roll content is displayed before initially displaying the primary content item with trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content;

enable building a primary content item buffer on the endpoint device during provision of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content;

enable storing the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content in a cache of the endpoint device;

monitor consumption of the stream on the endpoint device for pauses in the playback of the primary content item;

retrieve the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content from the cache of the endpoint device for the stream in response to resuming playback of the stream from a pause; and

in response to resuming playback of the stream from the pause, enable display of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content before resuming playback of the primary content item with the trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a pre-roll pause is present in the stream before the primary content item begins playback.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary content includes:

weather forecasts;

emergency alerts;

network status messages;

advertisements; and

news.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the stream from the pause is in response to the cDVR application server receiving a trick play mode request to resume playback.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the stream from the pause is in response to the endpoint device regaining a lost communication session with the cDVR application server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the stream from the pause is in response to a trigger inserted into the stream by the cDVR application server, the trigger corresponding to a location in the primary content item to provision the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the stream from the pause is in response to an automated pause inserted into the stream by the cDVR application server in response to failing to detect a prior pause in transmission of the primary content item for a given period of time, wherein a length of the automated pause is configurable by the cDVR application server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cDVR application server is further operable to strip the secondary content items embedded in the primary content item from the primary content item when recording the primary content item and instead store one or more identification codes for the secondary content items.

9. A method for providing enhanced playback of content recorded on a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR) using a cDVR application server, the method comprising:

in response to receipt of a record command to record a primary content item to a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR) storage remote from an endpoint device;

determining if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device exists;

in response to confirming absence of a subscription to record to the cDVR storage, transmitting a message to the endpoint device explaining terms for cDVR service before recording the primary content item;

if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage exists, recording the primary content item to the cDVR storage absent storing secondary content items included with the primary content item in the cDVR storage; and

as the primary content item is recorded, inserting one or more pre-roll triggers with the primary content item to trigger provision of secondary content comprising pre-roll content during playback of the primary content item;

in response to a playback command;

retrieving the primary content item from the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device for playback on the endpoint device;

providing the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content with the primary content item according to the one or more pre-roll triggers;

transmitting the primary content item as a stream to the endpoint device so that the pre-roll content is displayed before initially displaying the primary content item with trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content;

enabling building a primary content item buffer on the endpoint device during provision of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content;

enabling storing the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content in a cache of the endpoint device;

monitoring consumption of the stream on the endpoint device for pauses in the playback of the primary content item;

retrieving the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content from the cache of the endpoint device for the stream in response to resuming playback of the stream from a pause; and

in response to resuming playback of the stream from the pause, enabling display of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content before resuming playback of the primary content item with the trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pause initiates and concludes in response to trick play commands received from the endpoint device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a trick play command initiating the pause signals the endpoint device to clear the primary content item buffer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the pause initiates and concludes in response to a trigger inserted into the primary content item when it was recorded to the cDVR storage, the trigger corresponding to secondary content embedded in the primary content item at a time of recording.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the primary content item from the cDVR storage for playback on the endpoint device stops n seconds before the trigger in the playback, where n corresponds to a buffer size of the primary content item on the endpoint device, and wherein transmitting the primary content item from the cDVR storage for playback on the endpoint device resumes while transmitting the secondary content for playback on the endpoint device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the pause is an interruption of communications between the cDVR application server and the endpoint device and the pause concludes when the communications are restored.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising terminating transmitting the primary content item from the cDVR storage on detection of the pause.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes instructions which, when executed, provide for enhanced playback of content recorded on a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR) using a cDVR application server by:

in response to receipt of a record command to record a primary content item to a cloud-based Digital Video Recorder (cDVR) storage remote from an endpoint device;

determining if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device exists;

in response to confirming absence of a subscription to record to the cDVR storage, transmitting a message to the endpoint device explaining terms for cDVR service before recording the primary content item;

if a subscription to record to the cDVR storage exists, recording the primary content item to the cDVR storage absent storing secondary content items included with the primary content item in the cDVR storage; and

as the primary content item is recorded, inserting one or more pre-roll triggers with the primary content item to trigger provision of secondary content comprising pre-roll content during playback of the primary content item;

in response to a playback command;

retrieving the primary content item from the cDVR storage that is remote from the endpoint device for playback on the endpoint device;

providing the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content with the primary content item according to the one or more pre-roll triggers;

transmitting the primary content item as a stream to the endpoint device so that the pre-roll content is displayed before initially displaying the primary content item with trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content;

enabling building a primary content item buffer on the endpoint device during provision of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content;

enabling storing the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content in a cache of the endpoint device;

monitoring consumption of the stream on the endpoint device for pauses in the playback of the primary content item;

retrieving the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content from the cache of the endpoint device for the stream in response to resuming playback of the stream from a pause; and

in response to resuming playback of the stream from the pause, enabling display of the secondary content comprising the pre-roll content before resuming playback of the primary content item with the trick play modalities disabled during the display of the pre-roll content.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the cDVR application server is further operable to strip the secondary content items embedded in the primary content item from the primary content item when recording the primary content item and instead store one or more identification codes for the secondary content items.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the cDVR application server is further operable to retrieve the secondary content based on an identification code from a secondary content source when transmitting the primary content item to the endpoint device for playback and insert the secondary content in the primary content item.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the secondary content inserted in the primary content item is different from the secondary content items stripped from the primary content item based on a time of playback and a location of consumer at the time of playback.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the cDVR application server is further operable to send the message with terms for a consumer to accept before recording the primary content item in the cDVR storage.