Hulu, LLC

Hank Hwang

Yingan Wang

Stephen Brown

Dallas Mahrt

Brandon Lonac

William Daly

Minlin Zhang

In some embodiments, a method receives a distribution area identifier for media content. A distribution area is defined by one or more geographic primitives and associated with a distribution area identifier. A geographic primitive is defined by one or more location identifiers. The method determines whether the one or more geographic primitives of the media content is applicable to a geographic primitive that is determined from a location identifier associated with a request.

Geo-fencing of media content using distribution areas in a database

In some embodiments, a method receives a plurality of distribution areas. A distribution area is defined by one or more geographic primitives and associated with a distribution area identifier. Also, a geographic primitive is defined by one or more location identifiers. The method stores distribution area identifiers for the plurality of distribution areas in a first data structure. Information for media content is received and the method generates a content bundle for the media content based on the information for the media content. The content bundle is associated with a distribution area identifier and metadata that describes characteristics of the media content. The content bundle is stored in a second data structure.

In one embodiment, a method defines a plurality of geographic primitives. A geographic primitive is defined by one or more location identifiers. A plurality of distribution areas are generated where a distribution area is defined by one or more of the geographic primitives. The method assigns one of the distribution areas to each of a plurality of pieces of media content. Then, the method stores the assigned one of the plurality of distribution areas for each of the plurality of pieces of media content in a database. One or more of the plurality of pieces of media content are published with the assigned one of the distribution areas. The assigned one of the distribution areas is usable to determine which media content in the one or more of the plurality of pieces of media content is available to users.

Media content publication using distribution areas in a database

In one embodiment, a method uses a notification of a programming event to determine an entity of a media program and an availability pair. The availability pair identifies an entitlement and a location combination for viewing the media program. the method queries a database using the entity and the availability pair in a query to determine a first set of user profiles associated with the entity and a second set of user profiles associated with the availability pair. The first list of user profiles and the second list of user profiles are analyzed to select at least the portion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles. Then, the method performs an action for the at least the portion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles based on an occurrence of the programming event.

Database access using entity and availability pairs in a video delivery system

In one embodiment, a method defines a plurality of geographic primitives that are defined by one or more location identifiers. A plurality of distribution areas are generated where a distribution area is defined by one or more of the geographic primitives. The method assigns one of the plurality of distribution areas to each of a plurality of pieces of media content. A request is received from a client device that is associated with a location identifier. The method performs a reverse lookup query to a database using a geo-mapping service to retrieve a set of distribution areas that include a geographical primitive associated with the location identifier and selects one or more pieces of media content from the plurality of pieces of media content. Information for at least a portion of the one or more pieces of media content is then provided to the client device.

In one embodiment, a method receives interest indications for entities, entitlements, and location information that are indexed by user profiles in databases. The interest indications for the entities, the entitlements, and the location information are transformed from being indexed by the user profiles to indexing the entities and indexing entitlement and location information as availability pairs in an index and associating user profiles in the user profiles as entries for the index. The method receives a notification of a live programming event before the event starts and uses the notification to determine an entity of a media program and an availability pair. A second database is queried using the entity and the availability pair to determine a set of user profiles associated with the entity and the availability pair. Then, an action is performed for at least a portion of the set of user profiles before the live programming event occurs.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Hank Hwang