Local client discovery for content via cache

• US 10,397,361 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Paul, Chen, Vincent Wei-Kang, Berkheimer, Andrew D., Youssefmir, Michael, Jain, Ankur, Chu, Eric, Chen, Erdi
• Primary Examiner(s): Henderson, Esther B.
• Application Number:
  US15/835,112
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

Systems and techniques are disclosed for predictively selecting media content items and providing the predicted media content items to a cache. A media client may be in communication with a cache and detect the media content items stored on the cache. Based on the detection, a media content user interface may be modified and may contain the cached media content items or links to the cached media content items.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer system, comprising:

predicting, by a media cache system that is separate from a plurality of user devices, predicted media content for caching at the media cache system, the prediction based on user history data for the plurality of user devices;

requesting, by the media cache system, the predicted media content over a first connection that is not available to the user devices;

receiving and storing, at the media cache system, the predicted media content as cached media content over the first connection and in response to the request for the predicted media content, the cached media content comprising a plurality of cached media content items;

receiving, from at least one user device, a list of media content available from a server that is different from the media cache system;

identifying, by the media cache system, media content in the list of media content that is cached media content, wherein at least one of the media content in the list of media content is cached media content, and at least one other media content in the list of media content is not cached media content;

providing, to the at least one of the user devices, a list of identified cached media content items and a link to a location of each of the identified cached media content in the media cache system, to the user device, the list including, for each cached media content item, a link to the cached media content item stored in the media cache system, wherein the at least one user device modifies a user interface to visually indicate which of the media content items in the list of media content items are stored at the media cache system and enabling access to each media content item by the link to the cached media content item;

in response to receiving, from the user device, data indicating a selection of a link to a cached media content item, providing, to the user device and over a second connection that is different from the first connection, the cached media content item stored at the media cache system, wherein providing the cached media content item over the second connection incurs a cost that is less than a cost incurred when the cached media content is requested by the user device from a server that is different from the media cache system and received by the user device from the server over a third connection that is available to the user device and that is different from the first connection and the second connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicted media content is provided to the media cache system via a broadcast signal over the first connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the media content further comprises predicting the media content based on data indicating a regional event in a region in which the media cache system is located.

4. A media cache system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more computers and that upon execution cause the media cache system to perform operations comprising;

predicting, by the media cache system, predicted media content for caching at the media cache system, the prediction based on user history data for a plurality of user devices that is separate from the media cache system;

requesting, by the media cache system, the predicted media content over a first connection that is not available to the user devices;

receiving and storing, at the media cache system, the predicted media content as cached media content over the first connection and in response to the request for the predicted media content, the cached media content comprising a plurality of cached media content items;

receiving, from at least one user device, a list of media content available from a server that is different from the media cache system;

identifying, by the media cache system, media content in the list of media content that is cached media content, wherein at least one of the media content in the list of media content is cached media content, and at least one other media content in the list of media content is not cached media content;

providing, to the at least one of the user devices, a list of identified cached media content items and a link to a location of each of the identified cached media content in the media cache system, to the user device, the list including, for each cached media content item, a link to the cached media content item stored in the media cache system, wherein the at least one user device modifies a user interface to visually indicate which of the media content items in the list of media content items are stored at the media cache system and enabling access to each media content item by the link to the cached media content item;

in response to receiving, from the user device, data indicating a selection of a link to a cached media content item, providing, to the user device and over a second connection that is different from the first connection, the cached media content item stored at the media cache system, wherein providing the cached media content item over the second connection incurs a cost that is less than a cost incurred when the cached media content is requested by the user device from a server that is different from the media cache system and received by the user device from the server over a third connection that is available to the user device and that is different from the first connection and the second connection.

5. The media cache system of claim 4, wherein the predicted media content is provided to the media cache system via a broadcast signal over the first connection.

6. The media cache system of claim 4, wherein predicting the media content further comprises predicting the media content based on data indicating a regional event in a region in which the media cache system is located.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a media cache system that includes one or more computers and that upon execution cause the media cache system to perform operations comprising:

predicting, by the media cache system, predicted media content for caching at the media cache system, the prediction based on user history data for a plurality of user devices that is separate from the media cache system;

requesting, by the media cache system, the predicted media content over a first connection that is not available to the user devices;

receiving and storing, at the media cache system, the predicted media content as cached media content over the first connection and in response to the request for the predicted media content, the cached media content comprising a plurality of cached media content items;

receiving, from at least one user device, a list of media content available from a server that is different from the media cache system;

identifying, by the media cache system, media content in the list of media content that is cached media content, wherein at least one of the media content in the list of media content is cached media content, and at least one other media content in the list of media content is not cached media content;

providing, to the at least one of the user devices, a list of identified cached media content items and a link to a location of each of the identified cached media content in the media cache system, to the user device, the list including, for each cached media content item, a link to the cached media content item stored in the media cache system, wherein the at least one user device modifies a user interface to visually indicate which of the media content items in the list of media content items are stored at the media cache system and enabling access to each media content item by the link to the cached media content item;

in response to receiving, from the user device, data indicating a selection of a link to a cached media content item, providing, to the user device and over a second connection that is different from the first connection, the cached media content item stored at the media cache system, wherein providing the cached media content item over the second connection incurs a cost that is less than a cost incurred when the cached media content is requested by the user device from a server that is different from the media cache system and received by the user device from the server over a third connection that is available to the user device and that is different from the first connection and the second connection.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the predicted media content is provided to the media cache system via a broadcast signal over the first connection.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein predicting the media content further comprises predicting the media content based on data indicating a regional event in a region in which the media cache system is located.