US 8,544,048 B2Granted

System for content delivery

AssigneeKustin Corp.

InventorsPhilip R. Wiser, Yagyensh C. Pati, Garry M. Paxinos, Michael Youssefmir, James Vincent Burmeister, Anderson Hoyt Jackson, Richard Blair Leavell

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Abstract

A system for and method of transmitting audio and visual programming content, by identifying an amount of broadcast transmission capacity available for transmitting the content to one or more users. The content is separated into at least first and second portions based on user demand for the content and/or the identified available broadcast transmission capacity. The first portion of the content is transmitted, to a receiver/STB associated with at least one of the users, using the identified broadcast transmission capacity; and the second portion of the content is transmitted to the receiver using transmission other than broadcast transmission. The content can include nonlinear content. Transmission other than broadcast transmission can include unicast transmission, which can be in response to a user request and/or an initiation by a server. The received nonlinear content can be stored at the receiver for play back at a time different from the time of transmission.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A method for receiving audio and visual programming content, comprising at a client receiver:

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content,
wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,
the transmission schedule indicating transmission methods selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content,
wherein the transmission schedule is based on one or more of
(i) at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver;
(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content;
(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity;
and
(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content;
and
selectively capturing, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver, a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission, and the second content is received by a unicast transmission, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs;
wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by
Cost
⁡
(
Schedule
⁢
⁢
S
)
=
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
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B
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(
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i
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-
tU
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tau
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(
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+
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
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⁢
U
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(
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×
D
⁡
(
i
)
wherein
S represents a schedule,
Cost(Schedule S) represents the cost assigned to the schedule,
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled for broadcast transmission in schedule S,
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled only for unicast transmission,
“i” represents an asset,
D(i) represents the fractional demand for an audiovisual content,
B(i) represents the cost of broadcast of the audiovisual content,
U(i) represents the cost of unicast distribution of the audiovisual content,
t(i,S) represents the time that the audiovisual content is scheduled for broadcast transmission by the schedule,
tU(i) represents the target time at which the audiovisual content should be broadcasted, and
tau(i) represents a time constant.

114 more elements

A system for receiving audio and visual programming content, the system comprising:

a storage;
a receiver interface,
a network interface;
and
a computer system, the computer system coupled in communication with the network interface, the receiver interface and the storage, the computer system including a controller for receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content over one of the receiver interface and the network interface, wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,
the transmission schedule indicating a transmission method selected from the set broadcast and unicast of content in the plurality of content and based on one or more of
(i) the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver
(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content
(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and
(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content;
wherein the storage is adapted to selectively store, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one preference of one or more users associated with the client receiver, a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission on the receiver interface and the second content is received by a unicast transmission on the network interface, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs, and
a means for determining the transmission schedule using a cost function represented by
Cost
⁡
(
Schedule
⁢
⁢
S
)
=
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
B
⁡
(
i
)
*
D
⁡
(
i
)
*
[
ⅇ
⁢
⁢
t
⁢
(
i
,
S
)
-
tU
⁡
(
i
)
)
tau
⁡
(
i
)
⁢
i
]
+
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
U
⁡
(
i
)
×
D
⁡
(
i
)
wherein
S represents a schedule,
Cost(Schedule S) represents the cost assigned to the schedule,
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled for broadcast transmission in schedule S,
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled only for unicast transmission,
“i” represents an asset,
D(i) represents the fractional demand for an audiovisual content,
B(i) represents the cost of broadcast of the audiovisual content,
U(i) represents the cost of unicast distribution of the audiovisual content,
t(i,S) represents the time that the audiovisual content is scheduled for broadcast transmission by the schedule,
tU(i) represents the target time at which the audiovisual content should be broadcasted, and
tau(i) represents a time constant.

114 more elements

A method for transmitting audio and visual programming content to at least one client receiver, comprising:

separating a plurality of content into a first content group and a second content group in accordance with a transmission schedule, wherein
the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,
the first content group and the second content group are different,
the separating is based on at least one of
(i) at least one preference of one or more users of the at least one client receiver
(ii) a cost of broadcast transmission versus unicast transmission of content
(iii) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity and
(iv) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content;
and
transmitting content in the first content group to a plurality of receivers using at least a portion of the identified broadcast transmission capacity, and transmitting content in the second content group to at least one receiver using a transmission other than broadcast transmission, in accordance with a transmission schedule,
wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by
Cost
⁡
(
Schedule
⁢
⁢
S
)
=
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
B
⁡
(
i
)
*
D
⁡
(
i
)
*
[
ⅇ
⁢
⁢
t
⁢
(
i
,
S
)
-
tU
⁡
(
i
)
)
tau
⁡
(
i
)
⁢
i
]
+
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
U
⁡
(
i
)
×
D
⁡
(
i
)
wherein
S represents a schedule,
Cost(Schedule S) represents the cost assigned to the schedule,
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled for broadcast transmission in schedule S,
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled only for unicast transmission,
“i” represents an asset,
D(i) represents the fractional demand for an audiovisual content,
B(i) represents the cost of broadcast of the audiovisual content,
U(i) represents the cost of unicast distribution of the audiovisual content,
t(i,S) represents the time that the audiovisual content is scheduled for broadcast transmission by the schedule,
tU(i) represents the target time at which the audiovisual content should be broadcasted, and
tau(i) represents a time constant.

113 more elements

A method for receiving audio and visual programming content comprising:

receiving a transmission schedule for a plurality of content at a client receiver, wherein the plurality of content is comprised of both a plurality of channels of linear content and a plurality of nonlinear content,
the transmission schedule providing transmission methods and based on one or more of
(i) at least one of user preferences associated with the client receiver;
(ii) at least one of user preferences associated with a plurality of non-client receivers;
(iii) the cost for a first transmission form and the cost for a second transmission form;
(iv) an identified available broadcast transmission capacity;
and
(v) a demand for the plurality of channels of linear content and the plurality of nonlinear content;
and
capturing, in accordance with the transmission schedule and the at least one of user preferences associated with the client receiver a first content and a second content from the plurality of content, wherein the first content is received via a broadcast transmission, and the second content is received by a unicast transmission, wherein the first content and the second content correspond to different programs,
wherein the transmission schedule is created using a cost function represented by
Cost
⁡
(
Schedule
⁢
⁢
S
)
=
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
B
⁡
(
i
)
*
D
⁡
(
i
)
*
[
ⅇ
⁢
⁢
t
⁢
(
i
,
S
)
-
tU
⁡
(
i
)
)
tau
⁡
(
i
)
⁢
i
]
+
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
⁢
U
⁡
(
i
)
×
D
⁡
(
i
)
wherein
S represents a schedule,
Cost(Schedule S) represents the cost assigned to the schedule,
∑
i
∈
Broadcast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled for broadcast transmission in schedule S,
∑
i
∈
Unicast
⁡
(
s
)
covers a plurality of audiovisual contents scheduled only for unicast transmission,
“i” represents an asset,
D(i) represents the fractional demand for an audiovisual content,
B(i) represents the cost of broadcast of the audiovisual content,
U(i) represents the cost of unicast distribution of the audiovisual content,
t(i,S) represents the time that the audiovisual content is scheduled for broadcast transmission by the schedule,
tU(i) represents the target time at which the audiovisual content should be broadcasted, and
tau(i) represents a time constant.

113 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/819,001Filed 18 Jun 2010 · continuation
Priority: 21 Dec 2007
Published: US 2010/0325666 A123 Dec 2010
Granted: 24 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04N 7/17336
Transmission or handling of upstream communications: handling of requests in head-ends
H04N 21/2402
Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests: monitoring of the downstream path of…
H04N 21/26216
The scheduling operation being performed under constraints: involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth
H04N 21/631
Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between…:…

Family

Application61/016,412Us provisional application · filed 21 Dec 2007
Application61/016,906Us provisional application · filed 27 Dec 2007
PCT/US2008/014014Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Dec 2008
US 2010/0325666 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Dec 2010
US 8,544,048 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

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