System and method for pre-caching a first portion of a video file on a set-top box

• US 20060026663A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Marc Andrew, Kortum, Philip Ted
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of pre-caching video content is provided and includes measuring an available bandwidth of a data connection to a set top box. The available bandwidth measurement can be an average available bandwidth of the data connection to the set top box or a minimum available bandwidth of the data connection to the set top box. Each of a plurality of video files is divided into a first portion and a second portion and the size of each first portion is based on the available bandwidth measurement. The first portion of each of the plurality of video files is downloaded over the data connection and stored in a memory within the set top box. A list is displayed at a display device and includes a list of video titles that correspond to the plurality of video files that have only a first portion downloaded to the memory.

Claims

1. A method of pre-caching video content, the method comprising:

measuring an available bandwidth of a data connection to a set top box;

dividing each of a plurality of video files into a first portion and a second portion, wherein a size of the first portion of each video file of the plurality of video files is selected at least partially in response to the available bandwidth measurement; and

downloading only the first portion of each of the plurality of video files over the data connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first portion of each of the plurality of video files in a memory within the set top box; and

displaying a list of video titles corresponding to the plurality of video files that have only a first portion downloaded to the memory, the list being displayed at a display device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a total number of video titles on the list is determined at least partially based on the available bandwidth measurement.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a user selection of video title; and

accessing the first portion of a video file corresponding to the video title selected by the user from the memory; and

displaying the first portion of the video file at the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

downloading a second portion of the video file over the data connection while the first portion is being displayed at the display device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying the second portion of the video file after the first portion has been displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the available bandwidth measurement is an average available bandwidth of the data connection to the set top box.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the available bandwidth measurement is a minimum available bandwidth of the data connection to the set top box.

9. A device for managing video content, the device comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable memory accessible to the processor, the computer readable-memory comprising;

an available bandwidth measurement of a data connection to the device; and

a list of video titles, wherein each video title on the list corresponds to a first portion of a video file that is available immediately at the device and a second portion of the video file that is downloadable to the device but stored remotely from the device.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein a total number of video titles on the list is based on the available bandwidth measurement, and wherein a size of the first portion of at least one of the video files is based on the available bandwidth measurement.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable memory comprises:

instructions to detect a video title selected by a user from the list of video titles; and

instructions to display the first portion of the video file that corresponds to the video title selected by the user.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable memory comprises:

instructions to download the second portion of at least one of the video files to the computer-readable memory.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable memory comprises:

instructions to display the second portion after displaying the first portion.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the available bandwidth measurement is an average available bandwidth.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the available bandwidth measurement is a minimum available bandwidth.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the video file and the second portion of the video file form a complete video file.

17. A system for managing video content, the system comprising:

a display device;

a set top box coupled to the display device and having a data interface to a remote video content source, the set top box comprising;

a processor;

a computer-readable medium accessible by the processor; and

a program embedded in the computer-readable medium, the program comprising;

instructions to measure an available bandwidth of the data interface to the set top box;

instructions to receive a first portion of each of a plurality of video files and store the first portion of each of the plurality of video files in a memory within the set top box, wherein a size of the memory to store each first portion is at least partially determined based on the available bandwidth measurement; and

instructions to display a list of video titles at the display device, each video title on the list representing a video file having the first portion stored in the memory of the set top box and a second portion that is downloadable to the memory while the first portion is displayed at the display device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to determine a total number of video titles in the list, the total number of at least partially determined based on the available bandwidth measurement.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to detect a selected video title from a remote control unit signal; and

instructions to display the first portion of the video file that corresponds to the selected video title.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to download the second portion over the data interface while the first portion is being displayed at the display device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to display the second portion.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the available bandwidth measurement is an average available bandwidth of the data interface.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the available bandwidth is a minimum available bandwidth of the data interface.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein the first portion and the second portion together form a complete video file.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the complete video file is a movie.

26. A method of pre-caching video content, the method comprising:

determining a first available bandwidth measurement of a data connection to a set top box;

allocating a memory area for storing a first portion of a video file to be downloaded to the memory area, the size of the memory area at least partially based on the first available bandwidth measurement;

determining a second available bandwidth measurement of the data connection to the set top box; and

adjusting the size of the memory area for storing the first portion based on the second available bandwidth measurement.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

dividing the video file into the first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is stored locally at the memory area within set top box and the second portion is stored remotely from the set top box.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

acquiring the first portion of the video file from the memory area in the set top box;

displaying the first portion of the video file at a display device; and

downloading the second portion over the data connection while the first portion of the video file is being displayed.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

storing the second portion in the memory area within the set top box.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

acquiring the second portion from the set top box; and

displaying the second portion after the first portion is displayed at the display device.

31. A method for handling video content, the method comprising:

deploying a set top box at a designated location;

connecting the set top box to a data interface;

activating the set top box;

determining a first available bandwidth measurement of the data interface; and

apportioning a segment of a memory within the set top box, wherein a size of the segment of the memory is based on the first available bandwidth measurement, wherein the segment of the memory is configured to store a first portion of each of a plurality of video files, and wherein a second portion of each of the plurality of video files is downloadable to the set top box via the data interface.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

connecting the set top box to a display device; and

displaying a list of video titles, each of list of the video titles corresponding to one the plurality of video files having the first portion stored locally and having the second portion stored remotely.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

accessing the first portion of the video file stored locally from the segment of the memory in response to the corresponding video title being selected from the list of video titles.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

displaying the first portion of the video file on the display device.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

downloading the second portion of the video file over the data interface while the first portion is being displayed at the display device.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

storing the second portion of the video file in the memory.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

accessing the second portion of the video file from the memory.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

displaying the second portion on the display device after displaying the first portion.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

determining a second available bandwidth measurement of the data interface; and

re-apportioning the size of the segment of the memory based on he second available bandwidth measurement.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the designated location is a residence.