Cloud-based digital content recorder apparatus and methods

A computerized method of operating a content delivery network having a plurality of users, the plurality of users having a respective plurality of computer client devices associated therewith, the computerized method comprising:

• receiving at least one digitally rendered content element from a content source;
• receiving data representative of a plurality of requests from respective ones of the plurality of computerized client devices to record the at least one digitally rendered content element;
• based at least on the plurality of requests, storing respective ones of first versions of the at least one digitally rendered content element, each of the respective ones of the first versions accessible only by the respective ones of the plurality of users associated with the respective ones of the first versions;
• after expiration of a period of time, storing respective second versions of the at least one digitally rendered content element, the second versions being compressed with respect to the respective first versions thereof, and at least a portion of each of the second versions accessible by one or more users other than the respective one of the plurality of users associated with the respective one of the first versions;
• and
• storing a computerized allocation algorithm, the storing of the computerized allocation algorithm enabling a subsequent software process to identify a respective plurality of numerically-based schemes used for assembly of the at least one digitally rendered content element;
• wherein the storing of the respective second versions of the at least one digitally rendered content element comprises at least storing the portion of each of the respective second versions accessible by one or more users other than the respective one of the plurality of users associated with the respective one of the first versions in a shared or common library data structure based at least on the computerized allocation algorithm;
• and
• wherein the assembly of the at least one digitally rendered content element comprises use of at least some of the stored ones of first versions and at least some of the stored portion of the second versions, based on the respective plurality of numerically-based schemes, the respective plurality of numerically-based schemes being assigned to respective ones of the plurality of computerized client devices such that uniqueness is created for each respective digital content stream delivered to the plurality of computerized client devices.

A content delivery network architecture configured to service a plurality of users, the content delivery network architecture comprising:

• a first storage repository, the first storage repository configured to store ingested digitally rendered content elements obtained from a content source;
• a second storage repository, the second storage repository in data communication with the first storage repository and configured to provide storage of at least first portions of each of the ingested digitally rendered content elements, respective ones of the at least first portions being uniquely associated with respective computerized client devices of the plurality of users;
• and
• a third storage repository, the third storage repository in data communication with at least the first data storage repository and configured to provide storage of at least second portions of each of the ingested digitally rendered content elements, the at least second portions not being uniquely associated with any of the users;
• and
• wherein the content delivery network architecture achieves storage compression at least through configuration to, based at least on a digitally rendered content element access request from originating from a respective one of the respective computerized client devices of the plurality of users, utilize a randomized sequence assignment scheme to assign a respective unique first portion of the digitally rendered content element from the second storage repository to at least one of the at least second portions of the digitally rendered content element from the third storage repository to service the request by delivery of a digital content stream to respective one of the computerized client devices of the plurality of users;
• and
• wherein the randomized sequence assignment scheme is assigned to the respective one of the computerized client devices of the plurality of users such that the digital content stream is unique to the respective one of the computerized client devices.

A content delivery network apparatus configured to service content requests originating from a respective plurality of computerized client devices associated with a plurality of users, the content delivery network apparatus comprising:

• at least one data interface for data communication;
• processing apparatus in data communication with the at least one interface;
• and
• storage apparatus in data communication with the processing apparatus and comprising at least one computer program, the at least one program configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus:
• store, within a first storage repository in data communication with the interface, the content element in its entirety, the first repository configured to store ingested digitally rendered content elements obtained from a content source and comprising a plurality of first storage locations uniquely associated with respective ones of the plurality of users;
• thereafter, upon expiry of a prescribed period of time after receipt of a recording request relating to a digitally rendered content element, the request originated by a computerized client device of one of the plurality of users, access the first storage repository to retrieve the digitally rendered content element, the retrieved digitally rendered content element comprising a plurality of segments;
• utilize an allocation algorithm to allocate the plurality of segments of the digitally rendered content element into at least first and second portions each having some of the plurality of segments, the at least first portion being uniquely associated with the one of the plurality of users, and the at least second portion being unassociated with any of the plurality of users;
• store the at least first portion within a second storage repository in data communication with the at least one data interface, the second storage repository comprising a plurality of second storage locations uniquely associated with the respective ones of the plurality of users;
• and
• store the at least second portion within a third storage repository in data communication with the at least one data interface, the third storage repository comprising at least one location shared between each of the plurality of users;
• wherein the allocation by the allocation algorithm comprises assignment of one of a plurality of different numerical models to the computerized client device of the one of the plurality of users.

A computerized method of managing digitally rendered content within a content delivery network for at least one of a plurality of users of the content delivery network, the computerized method comprising:

• receiving, at an entity of the content delivery network, data representative of a request to record the digitally rendered content from a computerized client device associated with the at least one of the plurality of users of the content delivery network;
• based at least in part on the request:
• causing a first portion of the digitally rendered content to be stored on a first storage device of the content delivery network, the first portion of the digitally rendered content stored at a storage location specifically associated with the at least one user, the first storage device located at a first portion of the content delivery network;
• and
• causing at least one representation of a second portion of the digitally rendered content to be stored on a second storage device of the content delivery network, the at least one representation comprising a numeric complement of the first portion and being stored at a storage location not specific to the at least one of the plurality of users, the second storage device located at a second portion of the content delivery network different from the first portion of the content delivery network and providing reduced content transport cost as compared to the first portion of the content delivery network;
• wherein the numeric complement is part of a numeric sequence assigned to the computerized client device associated with the at least one of the plurality of users such that the numeric sequence is configured to render the digitally rendered content unique to the computerized client device associated with the at least one of the plurality of users when assembled with the first portion.