Comcast Cable Communications, LLC

Jim Hall

Brian Field

Jan Van Doorn

John G Leddy

Daniel Groustra

Mark Torluemke

Joseph Kiok

An announcement protocol may allow disparate, and previously incompatible, content delivery network caches to exchange information and cache content for one another. Announcement data may be stored by the respective caches, and used to determine whether a cache is able to service an incoming request. URL prefixes may be included in the announcements to identify the content, and longest-match lookups may be used to help determine a secondary option when a first cache determines that it lacks a requested content.

Content delivery network routing using border gateway protocol

Aspects of the disclosure relate to transmitting content throughout a distribution network. For example, a computing device may generate data packets and attribute packets, and transmit the data packets and attribute packets to one or more user devices. The attribute packets may comprise information that enables validation and storage after the data packet is reassembled by the receiving device.

Systems and methods for content transmission

Aspects of the disclosure relate to monitoring and using telemetry information in various ways. For example, a system that monitors telemetry information may include a user that gathers telemetry information of a device and transmits the information to a monitored room. A manager may join a monitored room and monitor the monitored room for particular types of telemetry information. In one example, a manager may determine whether a downstream device is experiencing a network problem, such as a low bitrate. A manager may also transmit commands to the player via the monitored room, which causes the downstream device to operate in accordance with the transmitted command. In one example, a manager may transmit a command that causes a player to decode a particular service.

Monitoring and using telemetry data

Aspects of the disclosure relate to monitoring and using telemetry information in various ways. For example, methods that monitor and use telemetry information may include receiving telemetry information relating to advertisements, whether the advertisement reporting is active, and/or whether thresholds associated with the output of advertisements have been satisfied. In some examples, telemetry information may be received via an application. In some examples, advertisments may be selected or generated for display based on analysis of the telemetry infomration. In some examples, commands may be transmitted to a device to initiate advertisement related reporting.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to multicasting content throughout a distribution network. For example, a content server may generate content fragment packets and attribute packets, and transmit the content fragment packets and attribute packets via a multicast transmission to deliver content to one or more user devices. The multicast transmission may conform to a particular protocol suitable for multicasting content fragments.

Multicasting content

Some aspects of the disclosure relate to transmitting content over a network. For example, a device may determine that it is missing a content fragment from its cache, and may send a request for the content fragment. A network device may be configured to respond to such requests by transmitting the content fragment. In some instances, this may allow receiving devices to acquire the missing content fragment without the need to transmit a request for content.

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Centennial, CO, United States of America

Jim Hall