Seamlessly switching among unicast, multicast, and broadcast mobile media content

• US 9,064,011 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quickplay Media Inc (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maharajh, Kavi, MacNeil, Bart, Walker, Torin
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US14/290,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.03, 455/344, 455/518, 455/519
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 : adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 : at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 : intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 : Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 : using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 : based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 : Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 : Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 : involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 : Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

In embodiments, the present invention provides a method and system for switching between broadcast and unicast content on a mobile device. The method and system involves making unicast content available to the mobile device, making broadcast content available to the mobile device; and providing an application on the mobile device which allows for switching between the unicast and broadcast content.

Claims

1. A method of switching between network-delivered broadcast and network-delivered unicast content on a mobile device, comprising:

storing at least one of;

the network-delivered broadcast content and first metadata regarding the network-delivered broadcast content in a first file,

and

the network-delivered unicast content and second metadata regarding the network-delivered unicast content in a second file;

making the network-delivered broadcast content available to the mobile device;

making the network-delivered unicast content available to the mobile device; and

providing an application on the mobile device to switch between the network-delivered broadcast content and the network-delivered unicast content, the switch between the network-delivered broadcast content and the network delivered unicast content facilitated by at least one of the first metadata and the second metadata.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stored metadata and the second stored metadata relates the network-delivered unicast content with a portion of the network-delivered broadcast content.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stored metadata and the second stored metadata is utilized to facilitate discovery of content related to the corresponding stored content.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the stored first metadata and the stored second metadata operates to indicate a minimum network bandwidth capacity.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the stored first metadata and the second stored metadata operates to facilitate discovery of the broadcast content.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein making the network-delivered unicast content available comprises transcoding content in an on-demand manner.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein making network-delivered broadcast content available comprises utilizing a location requirement element of the consumption profile for the content item.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first metadata and the second metadata includes at least one element of a consumption profile for a content item.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein playback of the network-delivered unicast content may be paused for access to network-delivered broadcast content then later resumed.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein playback of the network-delivered broadcast content may be paused for access to the network-delivered unicast content and later resumed.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile device switches between the network-delivered unicast content and the network-delivered broadcast content when the network-delivered unicast content and the network-delivered broadcast content are distinct and are concurrently available to the mobile device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein making the network-delivered unicast content available includes providing a notification regarding associated broadcast content and the second metadata includes a URL for accessing information regarding the associated broadcast content.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein making the network-delivered unicast content available includes multi-cast content.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein making the network-delivered unicast content available includes providing a notification that includes an advertisement and a user interface in which the advertisement is presented.

15. A system for switching between network-delivered broadcast and network-delivered unicast content on a mobile device, comprising:

a first file including the network-delivered broadcast content and first metadata regarding the network-delivered broadcast content;

a second file including the network-delivered unicast content and second metadata regarding the network-delivered unicast content;

a mobile media platform server adapted to make the network-delivered broadcast content and the network-delivered unicast content available to the mobile device for playback on the mobile device; and

an application for executing on the mobile device by which the mobile device switches between the network-delivered broadcast content and the network-delivered unicast content in response to at least one of the first metadata and the second metadata.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the first metadata and the second metadata correlates the network-delivered unicast content with a portion of the network-delivered broadcast content.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the first metadata and the second metadata includes at least one element of a consumption profile for a content item.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein playback of the network-delivered unicast content may be paused for access to network-delivered broadcast content then later resumed.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein playback of the network-delivered broadcast content may be paused for access to at least one of network-delivered unicast and multicast content then later resumed.

20. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the network-delivered unicast content includes multi-cast content.