APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ENSURING DELIVERY OF GEOGRAPHICALLY RELEVANT CONTENT

• US 20150195373A1
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hasek, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,900,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for ensuring delivery of geographically relevant content to IP-enabled user devices associated with a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the network (or designated content source) determines a geographic context or location of the user device, and uses this information to manage the packaging and delivery of content thereto so as to obey blackout restrictions and/or provide content which is relevant to the geographic context/location. In one variant, the user device comprises a mobile device such as a tablet computer or smartphone, and the content is delivered thereto over either a managed or unmanaged network infrastructure.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of delivering a plurality of content that is geographically relevant to a plurality of client devices in a content distribution network, said method comprising:

receiving said plurality of content, individual ones of said plurality of content having a geographic relevance associated therewith;

receiving a request for said individual ones of said plurality of content from at least one of said plurality of client devices;

determining whether said requested individual ones of said plurality of content is permitted in a location associated to said at least one of said plurality of client devices;

based on said act of determining, identifying a redirection link, said redirection link being related to said location of said at least one of said plurality client device; and

sending said redirection link to said requesting client device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

assigning one of a plurality of first locations to respective ones of said plurality of client devices accessing said network; and

associating individual ones of said plurality of first locations to respective individual ones of a plurality of second locations;

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving content information identifiers for each of said individual ones of said plurality of content.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said act of determining comprises consulting a list.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said list comprises:

individual ones of said plurality of client devices;

a respective first location to which said individual ones of said plurality of client devices are associated; and

a trigger based on content information identifiers for said individual ones of said plurality of content.

30. A method of determining content that is geographically relevant to a plurality of client devices in a content distribution network, said method comprising:

receiving a list correlating said plurality of client devices to individual ones of a plurality of content currently being displayed thereat;

predicting based at least in part on said list, upcoming change-over events for individual ones of said plurality of content, at least one upcoming change-over event requiring an alternative content link; and

based on said act of predicting, delivering said alternative content link to said individual ones of said plurality of client devices, at a predetermined time of low bandwidth demand.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the alternate content link is configured to enable each of said individual ones of said plurality of client devices to obtain content that is appropriate for its respective location.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said list is established at a time of registration of said respective individual ones of said plurality of client devices.