# US 10,771,834 B2 · Personalized content > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,771,834 B2 - Document ID: US10771834B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/432,761 - Filed: 2019-06-05 - Published: 2019-10-10 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2002-12-27 - Assignees: Oath Inc. - Applicants: Oath Inc. - Inventors: Gilbert G. Weigand - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771834B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2668: Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles {(information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063)} - 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) - H04L 65/70: Media network packetisation - H04L 67/1095: Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes - H04L 67/51: Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services - H04N 7/17318: {Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests} - H04N 21/2221: {being a cable television head-end (CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78)} - H04N 21/23106: {involving caching operations (prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568)} - H04N 21/23116: {involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers (synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095)} - H04N 21/2543: Billing {, e.g. for subscription services (payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21)} - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/4331: {Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback} - H04N 21/44224: {Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing} - H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)} - H04N 21/4668: {for recommending content, e.g. movies} - H04N 21/4782: Web browsing {, e.g. WebTV} - H04N 21/4788: communicating with other users, e.g. chatting {(arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} - H04N 21/4826: {using recommendation lists, e.g. of programmes or channels sorted out according to their score} - H04N 21/6118: {involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem} - H04N 21/6168: {involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem} - H04N 21/632: {using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices (broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104)} - H04N 21/64322: {IP} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N 21/6587: Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A media switch enables a terminal to access content by receiving a content request from a terminal for a first piece of content to be distributed over a cable system, identifying a personal channel within resources available in the cable system to distribute the first piece of content to the terminal, transmitting access information to the terminal to enable the terminal to access the first piece of content through the personal channel, and interfacing with a cable headend to provide the first piece of content on the personal channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of providing multimedia content to a terminal device, the method comprising the following operations performed by one or more processors: providing a channel over a network to distribute multimedia content to one or more terminal devices; determining the state of resources and allocating a frequency or PID pair to the one or more terminal devices based on the state of resources; transmitting reusable access information associated with the channel from a media switch to the terminal device; transmitting the multimedia content from the media switch to a network device; detecting at least one of a user command or a pause command from the terminal device; tracking which data units have been received; and replying to the detected user command based on scheduling of the multimedia content. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the reusable access information includes an identifier and accessing multimedia content is managed through a collection of location identifiers that each indicate the location at which one terminal device receives the multimedia content if a user wishes to pause or resume a feed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the reusable access information identifies a baseband frequency and a channel pairing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting is performed by multiplexing the channel on the baseband frequency. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by determining a mapping of content into the channel as a frequency or PID pair. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by accessing a configuration database describing the frequency or content mapping. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprises: determining whether there is adequate bandwidth to transmit the multimedia content; determining whether more than one user has requested the multimedia content and if more than one user has requested the multimedia content, coordinating the transmission of the multimedia content so that users share the same frequency or PID pair. ### Claim 8 An apparatus, comprising: a storage device that stores a set of instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the storage device, the set of instructions configuring the at least one processor to: provide a channel over a network to distribute multimedia content to one or more terminal devices; determine the state of resources and allocate a frequency or PID pair to the one or more terminal devices based on the state of resources; transmit, from a media switch to the terminal device, reusable access information associated with the channel; transmit, from the media switch to a network device, the multimedia content; detect at least one of a user command or a pause command from the terminal device; tracking which data units have been received; and reply, based on scheduling of the multimedia content, to the detected user command. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reusable access information includes an identifier and accessing multimedia content is managed through a collection of location identifiers that each indicate the location at which one terminal device receives the multimedia content if a user wishes to pause or resume a feed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reusable access information identifies a baseband frequency and a channel pairing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor transmits at least one of the reusable access information or multimedia content by multiplexing the channel on the baseband frequency. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by determining a mapping of content into the channel as a frequency or PID pair. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by accessing a configuration database describing the frequency or content mapping. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, further comprises: determining whether there is adequate bandwidth to transmit the multimedia content; determining whether more than one user has requested the multimedia content and if more than one user has requested the multimedia content, coordinating the transmission of the multimedia content so that users share the same frequency or PID pair. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: providing a channel over a network to distribute multimedia content to one or more terminal devices; determining the state of resources and allocating a frequency or PID pair to the one or more terminal devices based on the state of resources; transmitting, from a media switch to the terminal device, reusable access information associated with the channel; transmitting, from the media switch to a network device, the multimedia content; detecting at least one of a user command or a pause command from the terminal device; tracking which data units have been received; and replying, based on scheduling of the multimedia content, to the detected user command. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the reusable access information includes an identifier and accessing multimedia content is managed through a collection of location identifiers that each indicate the location at which one terminal device receives the multimedia content if a user wishes to pause or resume a feed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the reusable access information identifies a baseband frequency and a channel pairing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The medium of claim 15, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by determining a mapping of content into the channel as a frequency or PID pair. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network device interfaces with the media switch by accessing a configuration database describing the frequency or content mapping. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprises: determining whether there is adequate bandwidth to transmit the multimedia content; determining whether more than one user has requested the multimedia content and if more than one user has requested the multimedia content, coordinating the transmission of the multimedia content so that users share the same frequency or PID pair.