SYSTEM FOR CONTENT DELIVERY

• US 20100325666A1
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Over The Top Networks International, Inc. (UUX Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kuautli Media Investments ZRT
• Inventors: WISER, Philip R., Leavell, Richard Blair, Youssefmir, Michael, Pati, Yagyensh C., Jackson, Anderson Hoyt, Burmeister, James Vincent, Paxinos, Garry M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,544,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6338 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system for and method of transmitting audio and visual programming content, by identifying an amount of broadcast transmission capacity available for transmitting the content to one or more users. The content is separated into at least first and second portions based on user demand for the content and/or the identified available broadcast transmission capacity. The first portion of the content is transmitted, to a receiver/STB associated with at least one of the users, using the identified broadcast transmission capacity; and the second portion of the content is transmitted to the receiver using transmission other than broadcast transmission. The content can include nonlinear content. Transmission other than broadcast transmission can include unicast transmission, which can be in response to a user request and/or an initiation by a server. The received nonlinear content can be stored at the receiver for play back at a time different from the time of transmission.

Claims

1. A method for receiving audio and visual programming content, comprising at a client receiver:

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content, wherein

the plurality of content comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the transmission schedule indicating the transmission method selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content and based on one or more of

(i) at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver

(ii) a cost of broadcast versus unicast transmission of content

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

selectively capturing, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content received via a broadcast transmission and the second content received by a unicast transmission, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the demand based on at least one of:

subscription for content, content ratings submitted users, and content specifically requested by users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver comprises at least one of

content selectively chosen for viewing by the one or more users,

ignored content that is browsed by, but not selected by, the one or more users, and

a time of day and week when content is selectively chosen or browsed and ignored.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first content received via broadcast transmission over unutilized transmission capacity in a digital broadcast.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second content comprises nonlinear content and the nonlinear content transmitted at a rate independent of a real-time viewing rate for the content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first content includes at least one original promotion, the method further comprising:

modifying the first content by replacing the at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying at least one of the first content and the second content responsive to receipt of a request from the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

identifying, if present, a corrupted portion of the first content and

repairing the corrupted portion via unicast transmissions using a peer-to-peer network comprised of other client receivers.

9. A system for receiving audio and visual programming content, comprising:

a storage;

a receiver interface,

a network interface; and

a computer system, the computer system coupled in communication with the network interface the receiver interface and the storage, the computer system including a controller to

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content over one of the receiver interface and the network interface, wherein

the plurality of content comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the transmission schedule indicating the transmission method selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content and based on one or more of

(i) the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver

(ii) a cost of broadcast versus unicast transmission of content

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

selectively storing on the storage, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content received via a broadcast transmission on the receiver interface and the second content received by a unicast transmission on the network interface, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the receiver interface comprises an interface to at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and an IP multicast network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless network comprises at least one of a satellite, terrestrial digital TV, cellular and WiMax network.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the first content includes at least one original promotion and the controller to further:

receive over at least one of the receiver interface and the network interface at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material; and

modify the first content by replacing the at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

13. The system of claims 9 wherein the system further comprising:

an audiovideo output for providing audiovideo information to a playback device; and

the controller to further comprising outputting at least one of the first content and the second content over the audiovideo output responsive to receipt of a request from the one or more users associated with the client receiver.

14. A method for transmitting audio and visual programming content to at least one client receiver, comprising of a distribution system:

separating a plurality of content into a first content group and a second content group, wherein

the plurality of content comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,

the first content group and the second content group are different,

the separating based on at least one of

(i) at least one preference of one or more users of the at least one client receiver

(ii) a cost of broadcast versus unicast transmission of content

(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and

(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content; and

transmitting content in the first content group to a plurality of receivers using at least a portion of the identified broadcast transmission capacity and transmitting content in the second content group to at least one receiver using a transmission other than broadcast transmission.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying at least a first program in at least the first content group and the second group, the first program, the first program including at least an one original promotion;

modifying the first program by replacing at least one original promotion with at least a portion of advertising content having promotion material targeted for the one or more users associated with the client receiver; and

transmitting the modified first program as part of the transmitting.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the demand based on at least one of:

subscription for content, content ratings submitted users, and content specifically requested by users.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver comprises at least one of

content selectively chosen for viewing by the one or more users,

ignored content that is browsed by, but not selected by, the one or more users, and

a time of day and week when content is selectively chosen or browsed and ignored.