METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING CONTENT TO A USER DEVICE THROUGH A SATELLITE NETWORK AND A BROADBAND NETWORK

• US 20090031363A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riley, Xavier D., Nguyen, Diem V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A communication system 100 includes a content repository 274 storing a plurality of content files associated with the content distribution system. A transport processing system 250 communicating with the content distribution system, a terrestrial communication network 132, and a content delivery network 280 communicating with the content distribution system 260 and the terrestrial network. The content distribution system assigns a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files in response to the satellite category. The content distribution system communicates the content to the transport processing system. The transport processing system communicates the content through a satellite from the transport processing system to a user device. The content distribution system, in response to the broadband category, communicates the content to the content delivery network. The content delivery network communicates the content through a terrestrial communication network to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of content files in a content repository associated with a content distribution system;

assigning a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files;

in response to the satellite category, communicating the content to a transport processing system, communicating the content to a satellite from the transport processing system, communicating the content to a user device through the satellite; and

in response to the broadband category, communicating the content to a content delivery network, communicating the content to a terrestrial communication network from the content delivery network and communicating content to the user device through the terrestrial communication network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising assigning a first tier or a second tier to the satellite category.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising partitioning a storage device of a user device into a first partition and a second partition.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said first partition corresponds to a network partition and said second partition corresponds to said user partition.

5. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising storing content into the first partition or second partition in response to said first tier or said second tier.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising partitioning a storage device of a user device into a user partition and a network partition and wherein content received through the terrestrial communication network is stored in the user partition.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the broadband category communicating a publish start time, and a purge time from a content distribution system to the content delivery network.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the broadband category, communicating a publish start time, publish end time and a purge time from a content distribution system to the content delivery network.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the broadband category, communicating a publish start time, and a purge time from a content distribution system to the content delivery network.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the broadband category communicating a publish start time, and a purge time from a content distribution system to the content delivery network for each content material identification.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the satellite category, communicating a broadcast start time to the transport processing system.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the satellite category, communicating a broadcast start time and a duration to the transport processing system.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the satellite category, communicating a broadcast start time, a duration and a data rate to the transport processing system.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising in response to the satellite category, communicating a broadcast start time, a duration, a data rate and a stream identifier to the transport processing system.

15. A communication system comprising:

a content repository storing a plurality of content files associated with a content distribution system;

a transport processing system communicating with the content distribution system;

a terrestrial communication network;

a content delivery network communicating with the content distribution system and the terrestrial network;

a content distribution system assigning a satellite category or a broadband category to each of the plurality of content files, in response to the satellite category, communicating the content to the transport processing system;

said transport processing system communicating the content through a satellite from the transport processing system to a user device; and

said content distribution system in response to the broadband category, communicating the content to the content delivery network;

said content delivery network communicating the content through a terrestrial communication network to the user device.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein the content distribution system assigns a first tier or a second tier to the satellite category.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the user device comprises a storage device of a user device having a first partition and a second partition.

18. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein said first partition corresponds to a network partition and said second partition corresponds to said user partition.

19. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein the user device stores content into the first partition or second partition in response to said first tier or said second tier.

20. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein the user device comprises a storage device partitioned into a user partition and a network partition and wherein content received through the terrestrial communication network is stored in the user partition.

21. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the broadband, said content distribution system communicating a publication start time, and a purge time to the content delivery network.

22. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the broadband category, said content distribution system communicating a publication start time, publication end time and a purge time to the content delivery network.

23. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the broadband category, said content distribution system communicating a publication start time, publication end time, a material identifier and a purge time to the content delivery network.

24. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the broadband category, said content distribution system communicating a publication start time, publication end time and a purge time to the content delivery network for each content material identification.

25. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time to the transport processing system.

26. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time and duration to the transport processing system.

27. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time, data rate and duration to the transport processing system.

28. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising in response to the satellite category, said content distribution system communicating a broadcast start time, data rate, stream identifier and duration to the transport processing system.