Dynamic distribution of media content assets for a content delivery network

• US 10,701,406 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US15/674,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709231-232, 709202-203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• 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 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2312 Data placement on disk arrays data placement in general G06F3/0604
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• 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 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and software for using a network to efficiently distribute media content assets from a virtually unlimited content library and/or other storage to a plurality of client devices, as well as bi-directional local content sharing between head ends, and dynamic distribution and generation of media content assets within the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device and based on receiving a request for a trick play version of a content asset from a first device, a first network storage location corresponding to the trick play version of the content asset;

causing sending, to the first device via the first network storage location, the trick play version of the content asset; and

causing, based on an expected request quantity corresponding to the content asset, storage of the trick play version of the content asset at a second storage location associated with the content asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trick play version of the content asset comprises a reformatted version of the content asset.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing sending, to the first device, of the content asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first network storage location comprises determining the first network storage location from a plurality of storage locations associated with the content asset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first network storage location is performed after a determination that the trick play version of the content asset is not stored locally.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network storage location is remote from the computing device, and wherein the causing storage of the trick play version of the content asset comprises causing storage of the trick play version of the content asset at the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first network storage location is based on a network location that is closest to the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first device, a second request for a second trick play version of the content asset;

causing generation of the second trick play version of the content asset; and

causing sending of the second trick play version of the content asset to the first device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing storage further comprises:

storing the content asset at the second storage location; and

storing the trick play version of the content asset at the second storage location.

10. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device and based on receiving a request corresponding to a trick play version of a content asset from a first device, a network storage location corresponding to the trick play version of the content asset;

causing sending, to the first device via the network storage location, the trick play version of the content asset; and

causing, based on a geographic location of the first device, storage of the trick play version of the content asset at a second storage location.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising causing sending, to the first device, of the content asset.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the causing the sending of the content asset comprises causing the sending, via a streaming server, of the content asset, and wherein the determining the network storage location is performed after a determination that the trick play version of the content asset is not stored locally to the streaming server.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the causing the sending of the trick play version of the content asset comprises:

causing the trick play version of the content asset to be transferred from the network storage location to a streaming server; and

causing the streaming server to send the trick play version of the content asset.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining the network storage location is based on a server load indication.

15. A method comprising:

causing sending, by a computing device and to a receiving device, of a content asset;

receiving, by the computing device and from the receiving device, a request for a derived version of the content asset;

sending, to a content delivery system, a locate request for the derived version of the content asset;

generating, based on a locate response indicating the derived version of the content asset is unavailable, the derived version of the content asset;

causing sending, to the receiving device, the derived version of the content asset; and

causing storage of the derived version of the content asset at a network storage location that is associated with the content asset.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the causing storage comprises causing, based on an expected request quantity corresponding to the derived version of the content asset, storage of the derived version of the content asset at the computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the derived version of the content asset comprises a trick play version of the content asset.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating the derived version of the content asset comprises reformatting the content asset.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the derived version comprises one or more portions of the content asset.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the sending the locate request is performed after a determination that the derived version of the content asset is not stored locally.