# US 12,206,916 B2 · Systems and methods for optimizing a set-top box to retrieve missed content > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,206,916 B2 - Document ID: US12206916B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/442,784 - Filed: 2024-02-15 - Published: 2024-10-17 - Granted: 2025-01-21 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-30 - Assignees: Adeia Guides Inc. - Applicants: Adeia Guides Inc. - Inventors: Madhusudhan Srinivasan; Piar Chand; Labhala Gowtham; Durga Prasad Pulicharla; Aditya Rautray; Deviprasad Punja - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12206916B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement} - H04N 21/4147: PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40}) - H04N 21/21825: {involving removable storage units, e.g. tertiary storage such as magnetic tapes or optical disks} - 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 21/44016: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip} - H04N 21/4425: Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure - 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 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N 21/43637: {involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The systems and methods described herein optimize the retrieval of missed content by playing back cached content to enable tuners with limited capacity to retrieve the missed content. A content presentation system may receive, with a tuner, a transmission of content comprising media content and advertisements. The content presentation system may cache the advertisements. The content presentation system may determine whether an interruption during the transmission resulted in a missed portion of content and, in response, determine whether an advertisement upcoming at a time period in the transmission of content is cached. If the upcoming advertisement is cached, the content presentation system may play back the cached advertisement at the time period and release the tuner previously receiving the transmission of content to retrieve the missed portion of the content during the time period. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, at a user device, a first media content item; detecting a degradation in quality of network conditions during streaming of the first media content item; based on the detecting, determining a first time period of a portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted based on the degradation in quality of network conditions; identifying from storage, based on the first time period, a stored content item having a playback time comprising a second time period, wherein the second time period corresponds to the first time period; retrieving from storage the stored content item; and causing to be displayed the stored content item at a time when the portion of the first media content item is to be displayed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the stored content item is scheduled to be displayed at a scheduled time during streaming of the first media content item; and wherein the stored content item is stored in the storage at a time prior to the scheduled time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the stored content item comprises content that is to be transmitted more than once during streaming of the first media content item. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first media content item comprises one of a plurality of related media content items, and wherein the stored content item comprises content that is repeated between the first media content item and at least another one of the plurality of related media content items. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the first media content item is stored during a previous playback of the portion of the first media content item. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the first media content item is associated with a first unique identifier; wherein the stored content item is associated with a second unique identifier; and wherein identifying from storage the stored content item is further based on determining a match between the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second time period at least partially overlaps the first time period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of network conditions comprises at least one of: power, signal strength, rain fade, transmission delay, or bandwidth. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first time period of the portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted by the degradation in quality of network conditions further comprises: determining that transmission of at least a part of the portion of the first media content item will be missed, wherein the part comprises at least one of: playback time, an audio part, or a visual part. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first time period of the portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted by the degradation in quality of network conditions further comprises: receiving at least a part of the portion of the first media content item, wherein the at least the part of the portion comprises metadata indicating that transmission of at least another part of the portion of the first media content will be missed. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: control circuitry configured to: receive, at a user device, a first media content item; detect a degradation in quality of network conditions during streaming of the first media content item; based on the detecting, determine a first time period of a portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted based on the degradation in quality of network conditions; identify from storage, based on the first time period, a stored content item having a playback time comprising a second time period, wherein the second time period corresponds to the first time period; and retrieve from storage the stored content item; and input/output circuitry configured to: display the stored content item at a time when the portion of the first media content item is to be displayed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the stored content item is scheduled to be displayed at a scheduled time during streaming of the first media content item; and wherein the stored content item is stored in the storage at a time prior to the scheduled time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the stored content item comprises content that is to be transmitted more than once during streaming of the first media content item. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the first media content item comprises one of a plurality of related media content items, and wherein the stored content item comprises content that is repeated between the first media content item and at least another one of the plurality of related media content items. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the portion of the first media content item is stored during a previous playback of the portion of the first media content item. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the portion of the first media content item is associated with a first unique identifier; wherein the stored content item is associated with a second unique identifier; and wherein identifying from storage the stored content item is further based on determining a match between the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the second time period at least partially overlaps the first time period. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the quality of network conditions comprises at least one of: power, signal strength, rain fade, transmission delay, or bandwidth. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to determine the first time period of the portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted by the degradation in quality of network conditions is further configured to: determine that transmission of at least a part of the portion of the first media content item will be missed, wherein the part comprises at least one of: playback time, an audio part, or a visual part. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to determine the first time period of the portion of the first media content item for which transmission of the portion of the first media content item will be restricted by the degradation in quality of network conditions is further configured to: receive at least a part of the portion of the first media content item, wherein the at least the part of the portion comprises metadata indicating that transmission of at least another part of the portion of the first media content will be missed.