METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

• US 20080155059A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kasanin, James, Benya, Robert, Hardin, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/60 Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client , e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for supporting content delivery service are described. In accordance with the invention content can be supplied to temporary storage of a regional or local server used to supply the content to a customer'"'"'s premises when the requested content is not already available in the regional or local server. A content server hierarchy may be implemented with servers higher up in the hierarchy including more content, e.g., titles, than the number of titles stored in the lower level servers. By storing less frequently accessed content in servers higher in the hierarchy and frequently requested titles lower in the hierarchy, a vast number of titles can be supported without overburdening the storage available at local and regional servers. In addition, a national or other server high in the hierarchy can be used to store, move, and distribute local or other content as part of an on demand service.

Claims

1. A method of providing image content to a set top box user, the method comprising:

receiving content selection information from a customer via an IP based communications link, said content selection information indicating selected content; and

notifying the customer of the availability of said selected content to a set top box corresponding to said customer which can be used to output the selected content to a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said IP based communications link is an Internet connection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving said content selection information, receiving a search query from a web browser application being executed at a customer premise corresponding to said customer; and

communicating the results of a search performed using at least a portion of said search query to said customer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said web browser application is executed on a personal computer.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

prior to communicating the results said search query, performing a search for content satisfying said query which is available from any one of a national content library, a regional content library and a local content library.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said search query includes text search information communicated by the web browser application;

and

wherein communicating the results of said search query to said customer includes presenting a list of content satisfying the text search information to the web browser application being executed at the customer premise.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving content selection information from a customer includes:

receiving a signal indicating that the customer has selected an item from the list of content satisfying the text search information to be added to a play list corresponding to said customer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

updating a set of play list information corresponding to said customer to include the selected item; and

communicating the updated play list to said set top box and to said web browser application thereby allowing said customer to obtain synchronized play list information from at least two different devices located at a customer premise corresponding to said customer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

updating billing information corresponding to said customer as a function of the content selected by said customer.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the selected content to the set top box corresponding to the customer; and

updating billing information corresponding to said customer to include a charge for the selected content that was provided.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to notifying the customer of the availability of said content to a set top box, making the content available for delivery to said set top box at a content server used to deliver content to said set top box.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein making the content available for delivery to said set top box includes:

determining the location of the selected content in a hierarchy of content servers including a national content server, a plurality of regional content servers, and local content servers; and

transferring the content from one of said regional content servers to a local content server used to service said customer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein notifying the customer of the availability of said content to a set top box includes:

sending an E-mail to said customer notifying the customer of the availability of the selected content.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein notifying the customer of the availability of said content to a set top box includes:

controlling the set top box corresponding to said customer to generate a content availability notification on a display device coupled to said set top box.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein notifying the customer of the availability of said content to a set top box includes:

sending an SMS text message to a telephone corresponding to said customer, said SMS text message notifying the customer of the availability of the selected content.

16. A content distribution system, comprising:

a plurality of regional content servers, at least some of said regional content servers including long term and short term content stores;

a multi-region content server, coupled to said regional content servers, the multi-region content server including a data base including more content titles than individual ones of said regional content servers; and

a content distribution control apparatus for controlling distribution of content to one or more of said regional content servers in response to a request for content which is not available from one of the regional content servers used to service a user initiating said request.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said system includes more regional content servers than multi-region content servers, said servers being arranged in a hierarchical arrangement.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said multi-region content server is a national content server which includes at least three time the data storage capacity of the individual regional content servers and which stores at least three time the number of titles stored on any one of said plurality of regional content servers.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the majority of the video titles stored in the regional severs coupled to the multi-region content server are also stored in said multi-region content server.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein at least some of said regional content servers include:

i) long term video content storage for storing frequently ordered video content; and

ii) short term storage for storing content supplied by said multi-region content server to said regional content server in response to a request from a user for content not stored on said regional content server at the time of the user request.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein said content distribution control apparatus includes:

a web server module for receiving content requests from users via the Internet.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said content distribution control apparatus includes:

means for maintaining a play list of ordered content titles for a user which can be displayed on a computer display device using either a web based interface or displayed on a television display using a set top box interface; and

means for updating the play list to reflect change made by either the set top box interface or the web based interface.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said content distribution control apparatus includes:

stored content location information indicating the content stored in said regional content servers and said multi-region server; and

a content delivery time estimation module for estimating the time required to deliver the requested content to a user requesting said content from at least one location where the content is stored.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said content distribution control apparatus further includes:

a content source selection module for selecting the server in said system to be used as the source of requested content.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said content distribution control apparatus further includes:

a delivery notification module for communicating a notification to a requesting user that requested content has been made available at a server used to provide content to the requesting user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said delivery notification module includes at least one of:

a STB pop-up notification initiation module, a E-mail notification module; and

an SMS text notification module.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

stored user information including at least one of a STB identifier, E-mail address and telephone number which can be used to send content availability notifications to a user corresponding to the stored user information.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a plurality of local content servers, a plurality of local content servers being coupled to at least one of said regional content servers, said system including more local content servers than regional content servers, said local content servers being coupled to customer premise equipment.

29. A content distribution method, comprising:

storing content on a plurality of regional content servers, at least some of said regional content servers including long term and short term content stores;

storing content on a multi-region content server, coupled to said regional content servers, the multi-region content server including a data base including more content titles than individual ones of said regional content servers; and

controlling distribution of content to one or more of said regional content servers in response to a request for content which is not available from one of the regional content servers used to service a user initiating said request.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

maintaining said servers in a hierarchical storage arrangement.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said multi-region content server is a national content server which includes at least three time the data storage capacity of one of the individual regional content servers, the method further comprising:

storing at least three time the number of titles stored one of said plurality of regional content servers.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a content selection by a user;

determining if the content is available on a regional content server used to supply content to a content playback device corresponding to said user; and

when it is determined that the content is not available on the regional content server used to supply content to said content playback device corresponding to the user, determining if the selected content is available from the multi-region content server.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein when it is determined that the content is available from the multi-region content server, controlling the multi-region content server to supply the selected content to the regional content server used to supply content to the user.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

notifying the user of an estimated delay corresponding to a estimate of the amount of time before which the selected content will be ready for downloading to the said content playback device.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

notifying the user when the requested content is available from the regional server used to supply content to the content playback device corresponding to the customer, said notification being in the form of at least one of a pop-up window notification, an Email notification and a SMS text message notification.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

deleting the content supplied from multi-region content sever to the regional content server in response to the user selection after a predetermined amount of time in the absence of another request for said content from a user associated with the regional server.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

storing information at a cable head end identifying a plurality of customer premise devices corresponding to said user; and

supplying the selected content to a plurality of the customer premise devices corresponding to said user.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

updating a stored play list corresponding to said user in response to the request for content; and

supplying the updated play list to both a set top box and to a computer system which provide said user alternate ways of requesting content.