Content distribution system

• US 20020144283A1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intertainer Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intertainer Incorporated
• Inventors: Wong, David, Lau, Kenneth, Headings, Kevin P., Hayes, Joseph T., Beckman, Samuel J., OʼHalloran, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US09/921,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20020144283A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/109
• 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for distributing and managing media assets arranged as a collection of media content. In one preferred embodiment, the collection of media content is distributed to a storage location where it is accessible for viewing over a communications network by consumers for a selected interval of time. In another preferred embodiment, media content is downloaded to a client content database and made accessible for a selected interval of time by client software at the consumer'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A system for distributing digital video content, the system comprising:

a sending processor operable to deliver video content over a network to at least one storage location; and

a receiving processor at each storage location operable to receive the video content from said sending processor and refresh a content database based on the video content received, said content database adapted to provide a group of consumers access to the video content stored therein for a selected interval of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiving processor is operable to refresh said content database based on criteria associated with the consumers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the criteria associated with the consumers includes the content usage by the consumers.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the content usage includes the viewing habits of each consumer.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the content usage includes an amount of time each consumer views the content.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiving processor is operable to refresh said content database based on one or more contractual obligations associated with the content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein one of the contractual obligations includes a price charged for media content access.

8. A method for refreshing video content stored on at least one content database, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one content database;

identifying video content to be offered to at least one consumer during a selected interval of time; and

refreshing each content database with the identified video content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said refreshing step is based on criteria associated with a group of consumers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the criteria associated with the consumers includes the content usage by the consumers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the content usage includes the viewing habits of each consumer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the content usage includes an amount of time each consumer views the content.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said refreshing step is based on one or more contractual obligations associated with the content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one of the contractual obligations includes a price charged for media content access.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the criteria associated with the consumers includes the content usage by the consumers.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the content usage includes the viewing habits of each consumer.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the content usage includes the listening habits of each consumer.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the content usage includes an amount of time each consumer views the content.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said receiving processor is operable to refresh said content database further based on one or more contractual obligations associated with the content.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein one of the contractual obligations includes a price charged for media content access.

15. A system for distributing digital media content, the system comprising:

a sending processor operable to deliver media content over a network to at least one storage location; and

a receiving processor at each of said storage locations operable to receive the media content from said sending processor and refresh a content database based on criteria associated with a plurality of consumers, said content database adapted to provide each consumer access to the media content stored therein for a selected interval of time.

22. A method for distributing digital media content to one of a plurality of storage locations, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting media content based on criteria associated with a plurality of consumers;

identifying at least one of the storage locations for receiving the selected media content;

distributing the selected media content to each identified storage location; and

offering the selected media to at least one of the consumers for a selected interval of time.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the criteria associated with the consumers includes the content usage by each consumer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the content usage includes the viewing habits of each consumer.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the content usage includes the listening habits of each consumer.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the content usage includes an amount of time each consumer views the content.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said selecting step is further based on one or more contractual obligations associated with the content.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein one of the contractual obligations includes a price charged for media content access.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to offer each consumer an extension of time before purging the media content.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to decrypt media content that is encrypted.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to report the viewing habits of each consumer.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to report the listening habits of each consumer.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to report the amount of time the media content was used.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed for secured access to the media content.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor is programmed to prevent unauthorized copying of the media content.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the media content includes video content.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein the media content includes media content selected by one of the consumers.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein said receiving processor and database are located proximate a visual display accessible by one of the consumers.

29. A system for delivering and managing media content for use by consumers, the system comprising:

a sending processor operable to deliver the media content over a network; and

a receiving processor operable to download the media content from said sending processor to a database, the receiving processor being operable to automatically purge the media content after a selected interval of time.