# US 12,015,834 B2 · Methods, systems, and media for streaming video content using adaptive buffers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,834 B2 - Document ID: US12015834B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/090,897 - Filed: 2022-12-29 - Published: 2023-05-04 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-14 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Google LLC - Inventors: Matt Doucleff; Anil Vijendran - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015834B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)} - H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments} - H04N 21/231: Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion - 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 21/23439: {for generating different versions} - H04N 21/2401: {Monitoring of the client buffer} - H04N 21/252: {Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data} - H04N 21/44004: {involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Methods, systems, and media for streaming video content using adaptive buffers are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: transmitting, from a user device to a server, a request to stream a video content item; receiving, at the user device from the server, a predicted abandonment distribution that indicates a plurality of likelihoods of a user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item at a corresponding plurality of presentation time points of the video content item; receiving, at the user device from the server, a first portion of the video content item; storing the first portion of the video content item in a buffer of the user device having a first size; causing the video content item to be presented by the user device; determining a second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution; modifying a size of the buffer to the second size; requesting a second portion of the video content item from the server based on the second size of the buffer; receiving the second portion of the video content item from the server; and storing the second portion of the video content item in the buffer of the second size while continuing presentation of the video content item. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for streaming video content using buffers, the method comprising: transmitting, from a user device to a server device of a media content sharing service, a request to stream a video content item; receiving, at the user device from the server device of the media content sharing service, a predicted abandonment distribution that indicates a plurality of likelihoods of a user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item at a corresponding plurality of presentation time points of the video content item, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is normalized to a duration of the video content item; determining, at the user device, a first size of a buffer of the user device based on the predicted abandonment distribution received from the server device of the media content sharing service; receiving, at the user device, a portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and storing the portion of the video content item in the buffer of the user device, the buffer having the determined first size. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution; and modifying the first size of the buffer to the second size. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: requesting a second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service based on the second size of the buffer; receiving the second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and storing the second portion of the video content item in the buffer of the second size while continuing presentation of the video content item. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item is below a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods is below the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be smaller than the first size. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item exceeds a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be larger than the first size. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is calculated based on duration of the video content item. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is calculated based on characteristics of the video content item. ### Claim 8 A system for streaming video content using buffers, the system comprising: a hardware processor that is configured to: transmit, from a user device to a server device of a media content sharing service, a request to stream a video content item; receive, at the user device from the server device of the media content sharing service, a predicted abandonment distribution that indicates a plurality of likelihoods of a user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item at a corresponding plurality of presentation time points of the video content item, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is normalized to a duration of the video content item; determine, at the user device, a first size of a buffer of the user device based on the predicted abandonment distribution received from the server device of the media content sharing service; receive, at the user device, a portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and store the portion of the video content item in the buffer of the user device, the buffer having the determined first size. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: determine a second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution; and modify the first size of the buffer to the second size. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: request a second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service based on the second size of the buffer; receive the second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and store the second portion of the video content item in the buffer of the second size while continuing presentation of the video content item. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item is below a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods is below the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be smaller than the first size. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item exceeds a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be larger than the first size. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is calculated based on duration of the video content item. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is calculated based on characteristics of the video content item. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when performed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: transmitting, from a user device to a server device of a media content sharing service, a request to stream a video content item; receiving, at the user device from the server device of the media content sharing service, a predicted abandonment distribution that indicates a plurality of likelihoods of a user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item at a corresponding plurality of presentation time points of the video content item, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is normalized to a duration of the video content item; determining, at the user device, a first size of a buffer of the user device based on the predicted abandonment distribution received from the server device of the media content sharing service; receiving, at the user device, a portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and storing the portion of the video content item in the buffer of the user device, the buffer having the determined first size. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising: determining a second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution; and modifying the first size of the buffer to the second size. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising: requesting a second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service based on the second size of the buffer; receiving the second portion of the video content item from the server device of the media content sharing service; and storing the second portion of the video content item in the buffer of the second size while continuing presentation of the video content item. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item is below a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods is below the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be smaller than the first size. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the second size of the buffer based on the predicted abandonment distribution comprises: determining that a likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods of the user of the user device stopping presentation of the video content item exceeds a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the likelihood of the plurality of likelihoods exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining that the second size of the buffer is to be larger than the first size. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predicted abandonment distribution is calculated based on at least one of duration of the video content item, or characteristics of the video content item.