Movie studio-based network distribution system and method
First Claim
1. A network distribution method of distributing digital video content files from at least first and second movie studios to subscribers, comprising:
- storing a plurality of digital video content files at first and second movie studios, the digital video content files comprising video entertainment media in the form of movies or television shows created under the control of the respective movie studio;
receiving digital video content file requests at the movie studios from subscribers associated with at least one distribution partner connected to the associated subscribers through an access network;
transmitting each requested digital video content file from the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file to the requesting subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least a first network, the distribution paltrier, and the access network;
creating a unique subscriber identification code (ID) for each subscriber associated with the distribution partner at a proxy module located in the distribution path between the distribution partner and each movie studio, the subscriber ID containing no subscriber-identifying private information;
associating each subscriber ID with subscriber-identifying private information;
creating a subscriber profile package containing subscriber preference data for each subscriber and no subscriber-identifying private information;
associating each subscriber ID with the corresponding subscriber profile package;
storing the associated subscriber IDs, subscriber-identifying private information and subscriber profile packages at the proxy module;
after receipt, of a digital video content file request from a subscriber associated with the distribution partner, transmitting the subscriber profile package of the subscriber requesting the digital video content file along with the subscriber ID associated with each subscriber profile package from the proxy module to the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file, whereby no subscriber-identifying private information, is transmitted to the movie studio; and
storing the subscriber profile packages and the associated subscriber IDs at the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file;
connecting the first and second movie studios through an intermediary modulo which controls communications between the movie studios, the intermediary module having a first communication path to the first movie studio and a second communication path to the second movie studio, and comprising part of the network distribution path from each movie studio to the subscribers;
monitoring information received from one of the movie studios at the intermediary module;
communicating subscriber profile packages and subscriber IDs between the movie studios via the intermediary module; and
blocking communication of sensitive movie-studio related information between the movie studios via the intermediary module, the sensitive movie-related information comprising at least information on movie price and release dates;
wherein at least one of the foregoing steps is performed using a processor.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Digital content files containing entertainment media such as movies, TV shows, and the like are distributed from at least one content source primarily responsible for the original creation of the media to subscribers over a network system. The content source is connected over at least one content source network to a plurality of distribution partners, and each distribution partner is connected with a selected group of subscribers over an access network. A requested digital content file is distributed from the content source to a subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least the content source network, the distribution partner associated with the subscriber, and the second network. A profile information package containing subscriber preferences is transmitted from the subscriber to the content source by way of a proxy over the network distribution path, and the profile information package is stored at the content source.
129 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A network distribution method of distributing digital video content files from at least first and second movie studios to subscribers, comprising:
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storing a plurality of digital video content files at first and second movie studios, the digital video content files comprising video entertainment media in the form of movies or television shows created under the control of the respective movie studio; receiving digital video content file requests at the movie studios from subscribers associated with at least one distribution partner connected to the associated subscribers through an access network; transmitting each requested digital video content file from the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file to the requesting subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least a first network, the distribution paltrier, and the access network; creating a unique subscriber identification code (ID) for each subscriber associated with the distribution partner at a proxy module located in the distribution path between the distribution partner and each movie studio, the subscriber ID containing no subscriber-identifying private information; associating each subscriber ID with subscriber-identifying private information; creating a subscriber profile package containing subscriber preference data for each subscriber and no subscriber-identifying private information; associating each subscriber ID with the corresponding subscriber profile package;
storing the associated subscriber IDs, subscriber-identifying private information and subscriber profile packages at the proxy module;after receipt, of a digital video content file request from a subscriber associated with the distribution partner, transmitting the subscriber profile package of the subscriber requesting the digital video content file along with the subscriber ID associated with each subscriber profile package from the proxy module to the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file, whereby no subscriber-identifying private information, is transmitted to the movie studio; and storing the subscriber profile packages and the associated subscriber IDs at the movie studio which holds the requested digital video content file; connecting the first and second movie studios through an intermediary modulo which controls communications between the movie studios, the intermediary module having a first communication path to the first movie studio and a second communication path to the second movie studio, and comprising part of the network distribution path from each movie studio to the subscribers; monitoring information received from one of the movie studios at the intermediary module; communicating subscriber profile packages and subscriber IDs between the movie studios via the intermediary module; and blocking communication of sensitive movie-studio related information between the movie studios via the intermediary module, the sensitive movie-related information comprising at least information on movie price and release dates; wherein at least one of the foregoing steps is performed using a processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A network distribution method of distributing digital content files from a plurality of content sources to subscribers, comprising:
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storing a plurality of media projects as digital content files at a plurality of content sources, at least some of the content sources comprising movie studios, each movie studio having stored digital content files comprising original movies created under the control of the respective movie studio; linking the content sources to a plurality of distribution partners through an application service provider; receiving digital content file requests at the content sources via the application service provider from subscribers associated with the plurality of distribution partners connected to the associated subscribers through respective access networks; transmitting the requested digital content files from the content sources to the requesting subscribers in a network distribution path comprising at least a first network, the application service provider, the distribution partners; and
the access networks;creating a unique subscriber identification code (ID) for each subscriber associated with the distribution partners at a proxy module located in the distribution path between the distribution partners and the content sources, the subscriber ID containing no subscriber-identifying private information; associating each subscriber ID with subscriber-identifying private information; creating a subscriber profile package containing subscriber preference data for each subscriber and containing no subscriber-identifying private information; associating each subscriber ID with, the corresponding subscriber profile package; storing the associated subscriber IDs, the subscriber-identifying private information and the subscriber profile packages at the proxy module; after receipt of a digital content file request from a subscriber associated with at least one of the distribution partners, transmitting the subscriber profile package along with the subscriber ID of the subscriber requesting the digital content tile from the proxy module to the respective linked content source via the application service provider, and transmitting no subscriber-identifying private information to the respective linked content source; storing the profile packages and associated subscriber IDs at the respective content sources from which files are requested; whereby content files from any linked content source are available to a subscriber of any one of the distribution partners; controlling communications between the movie studies through an intermediary module comprising part of the network distribution path from each movie studio to the subscribers, the intermediary module having a separate communication path to each movie studio; monitoring information received from one of the movie studios at the intermediary module; communicating the subscriber profile packages and the subscriber IDs between the movie studios via the intermediary module without sharing any subscriber-identifying private information; and blocking communication of sensitive movie-studio related information between the movie studios via the intermediary module, the sensitive movie-related information comprising at least information on movie price and release dates; wherein at least one of the foregoing steps is performed using a processor. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 32, 33)
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21. A content distribution network system for distributing movies from movie studios to subscribers, comprising:
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at least first and second movie studios each having a library of digital content files comprising original movies created under the control of the respective movie studio; a plurality of distribution partners linked to the first and second movie studios, each distribution partner associated with a respective group of subscribers and having an access network over which content is distributed to the subscriber group for the distribution partner; at least one content source network which links the first and second movie studios to each distribution partner; the access networks, distribution partners, and content source network comprising a two way communication path between the subscribers and each movie studio; an intermediary module which controls communications between the movie studios, the intermediary module having a first communication path to the first movie studio and a second communication path to the second movie studio, and being located in a first content source network path from the first movie studio to the respective distribution partners and in a second content source network path from the second movie studio to the respective distribution partners, and comprising part of the two way communication path from each movie, studio to the subscribers; each movie studio having a title request management module which receives subscriber requests for digital content files over the two way communication path and distributes requested digital content files to a requesting subscriber over the two way communication path; at least one proxy module in the two way communication path between each movie studio and the distribution partners, each proxy module having a proxy management module which creates a unique subscriber identifier (ID) for each subscriber of the respective distribution partner and associates the subscriber ID with an access network location of the subscriber, and which substitutes the corresponding subscriber ID for any subscriber personal information in any communication from a subscriber forwarded from the proxy module to a respective movie studio; each proxy module having a data base which stores subscriber identifiers and corresponding subscriber-identifying private information including subscriber locations along with subscriber profile packages containing collected preferences for each subscriber, the subscriber profile packages containing no subscriber-identifying private information, and a communication module which forwards subscriber profile packages along with the corresponding subscriber identifiers to the respective movie studio without the subscriber-identifying private information; each movie studio having a subscriber profile data management module which receives subscriber profile packages from the proxy module, a data base which stores subscriber profile packages along with the associated subscriber IDs, and a targeted advertisement module which uses the subscriber profile packages to select targeted advertisements for insertion in digital content files transmitted to one or more subscribers having the same preferences; and the intermediary module having a communication monitoring module which monitors information received from one of the movie studios for passing to the other movie studio, the communication monitoring module permitting communication of the subscriber profile packages and the subscriber IDs between the movie studios via the intermediary module and blocking communication of sensitive movie studio-related information between the movie studios via the intermediary module, the sensitive movie studio-related information comprising at least information on movie price and release dates. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A network distribution method of distributing digital content files from a plurality of content sources to subscribers, comprising:
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offering a catalog of digital content files contained in the libraries of a plurality of associated content sources to subscribers of at least one distribution partner, the content sources comprising at least two movie studios having catalogs of digital content files comprising original movies created under the control of the respective movie studios; creating a unique subscriber identification code (ID) for each subscriber associated with the distribution partner at a proxy module located in a distribution path between the distribution partner and the content sources, the subscriber ID containing no subscriber-identifying information; associating each subscriber ID with subscriber-identifying private information; creating a subscriber profile package containing subscriber preference data for each subscriber, the subscriber profile packages containing no subscriber-identifying private information; storing the associated subscriber IDs, the subscriber-identifying private information and the subscriber profile packages at the proxy module; transmitting a requested digital content file from the library of a selected content source which holds the requested file to a requesting subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least a first network path directly from the library of the selected content source, the distribution partner, and a second network; after receiving each request for a digital content file from a respective subscriber, transmitting the subscriber profile packages and the associated subscriber IDs from each subscriber requesting files to the content source holding the requested file without any subscriber-identifying private information; receiving and storing the subscriber profile packages and the associated subscriber IDs of each subscriber requesting files from a respective content source at the respective content source without any subscriber-identifying private information; controlling communications between the movie studios through an intermediary module comprising part of the network distribution path from each movie studio to the subscribers, the intermediary module having separate communication paths to the movie studios; monitoring information received from one of the movie studios at the intermediary module; permitting communication of the subscriber profile packages and the subscriber IDs between the movie studios via the intermediary module without sharing any subscriber-identifying private information; blocking communication of sensitive movie-studio related information between the movie studios via the intermediary module, the sensitive movie-related information comprising at least information on movie price and release dates; creating communities of subscribers having similar preferences using the subscriber profile packages collected at each content source; and using the subscriber preferences of each community of subscribers to create customized information based on the associated subscriber preferences for insertion in digital content files transmitted to the community of subscribers; wherein at least one of the foregoing steps is performed using a processor. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification