Prime Research Alliance E., Inc.

Beaumaris Networks Inc.

General Instrument Corporation

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Google Inc.

Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

John A Schlack

Charles Anthony Eldering

Andrew James Rampulla

Andrew Sutton

Gregory C Flickinger

John P Blasko

Timothy Peter Stammers

Yeqing Wang

Scott D Sellers

Richard Conrad Clemson

Donald Adrian Dewar, Jr

Qin Zang

Charles A Hasek, Iv

First, an authentication module may receive an identification (ID) linking request, create a secured ID linking request from the ID linking request, and send the secured ID linking request to a packet gateway module located in a packet core of a mobile network. Next, the packet gateway module may insert into the secured ID linking request, an encrypted version of a mobile identifier corresponding to a client device from which the secured ID linking request was received. Next, a mobile video session manager module may receive from the packet gateway module, the secured ID linking request and link a subscriber of a managed video service corresponding to a video identifier to the client device corresponding to the mobile identifier. A policy corresponding to the subscriber of the managed video service may then be applied to flows over the packet core to and from the client device.

Updating policy for a video flow during transitions

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes starting a first viewing session; receiving one or more programming streams including one or more video programs; storing (e.g., at regular time intervals) program data including identification data describing the one or more video programs and a corresponding time interval; monitoring and/or storing a plurality of interactions with video controls of the particular viewer during the first viewing session; ending the first viewing session; aggregating at least a portion of the plurality of the interactions and the program data in a new session profile that represents the particular viewer's short-term viewing habits; accessing one or more existing signature profiles having signature categories that may represent the long-term viewing habits of a respective viewer; and matching the new session profile with one of the one or more existing signature profiles to deliver a particular viewer a targeted advertisement.

Profiling and identification of television viewers

In accordance with the invention, advertisement identifiers are stored in a queue in memory in the set top box or elsewhere corresponding to individual subscribers of a television service delivery network. The advertisements are retrieved and displayed in the order dictated by the queue as advertisement avails are detected in the particular channel information stream being watched by that subscriber. Accordingly, the subscriber sees the advertisements regardless of what channel or television program is being watched and sees them in the order dictated by the queue. The invention also is applicable to other information streams including Internet advertising, audio/radio advertising and advertising in electronic program guides.

Queue based advertisement scheduling and sales

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes monitoring a plurality of actions and inactions with video controls of a particular viewer during a first session, wherein the plurality of actions and inactions form a session profile that represents the particular viewer's short-term viewing habits; correlating one or more session profiles that have similar category values to create a signature profile having signature categories that represents the long-term viewing habits of a particular viewer; and matching a new session profile with an existing signature profile to determine a particular viewer for targeted advertising purposes.

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving a request for content from a source in a network; determining a geographic service region for the source; determining a status of a plurality of content delivery networks in the service region. The status is indicative of at least whether each of the plurality of content delivery networks is active or impaired. The method can also include selecting a particular one of the content delivery networks having a corresponding status as active to service the request for content.

Aggregating status to be used for selecting a content delivery network

Profiling a television viewer by monitoring and processing, locally at a television viewing environment, the viewer's interactivity (e.g., via a remote control unit) with the television viewing environment. Generating one or more profiles for each viewer based on one or more of the multitude of interactions of each viewer and on, in general, the viewing habits and preferences of the viewer. Automatically and reliably, detecting or inferring at a particular time, which specific individual or individuals, are actually interacting with the TV in household comprising more than one individual. Such viewer identification and profile generation can be used to facilitate the delivery of targeted content, including targeted advertising.

A method, apparatus and computer program product for managing content sessions within a network is presented. The systems disclosed herein are able to detect a requirement to modify bandwidth usage within the network either proactively or reactively. In response, example embodiments apply an adaptive bit rate adjustment technique to the content sessions to adjust a data rate associated with each content session according to the requirement to modify bandwidth usage within the network. Example embodiments also then apply a quality of service adjustment technique to the content sessions to adjust a bandwidth allocation assigned between a client and server based upon the adaptive bandwidth adjustment technique. Application of the adaptive bit rate and quality of service adjustment techniques may be policy based. Example embodiments also may monitor a plurality of servers supporting content sessions, detect a failure at a first server and move content sessions to a second server.

Methods, apparatus and computer readable medium for managed adaptive bit rate for bandwidth reclamation

A channel allocation mechanism for manages bandwidth using a channel profile to assure an available channel for supporting the highest expected bandwidth request by leaving a contiguous segment available to support such requests. Configurations discussed further below define a profile for expected media types, and associate each channel with a profile designating the media types assignable on that channel. Each media type includes a service and a bitrate, thus different formats of the same service (such as SD and HD) are distinguished. Each profile specifies a media type, and each channel is associated with one or more profiles. Further, a mapping of channels to associated profiles includes a reserve designation, indicating that other (unreserved) be fully assigned before assigning the reserved channels. The reserved channels provide a contiguous block of bandwidth, so that large bandwidth requests do not encounter assignment failure from a plurality of sparsely allocated channels.

Multi-video-service bandwidth allocation

A video server delivers video on demand (VOD) and other video services responsive to a remote selection application over an IP network from a personal communication device of a user, such as a cellphone or smartphone. The remote selection application drives a user interface of available content, and transmits a user selection request to the video delivery server via a public access network such as the Internet. The video server correlates the identity of the requesting user with a video services channel in communication with a settop box or similar device of the user, and delivers the content to the client video device for rendering. In contrast to conventional VOD, in which the video services request emanates from the settop box on the same communication path (QAM channel) as the downstream signals containing the VOD content, the remote selection application is independent of the client device on an HFC network.

External network control of media services

A method and system that computes viewing statistics for a digital video content stream received at a set-top box. The digital video content stream includes a first segment of video content, a second segment of video content, a third segment of video content, a first timing mark that indicates a transition from the first segment to the second segment, and a second timing mark that indicates a transition from the second segment to the third segment. The method initiates a transmission of the digital video content stream at the set-top box, monitors the transmission of the digital video content stream relative to the first timing mark and the second timing mark, and computes view data for the second segment based on the monitoring of the transmission. The method stores the view data at the set-top box.

Viewing impression report collection, storage, and reportback of inserted content with DVR playback

A configuration as discussed herein includes a content management system. The content management system can reside in a central location or be distributed amongst multiple different locations in a network environment. In general, the content management system keeps track of configuration information for the retrieval of content. For example, the content management system identifies a presence of one or more content delivery sources in the network environment. The content management system utilizes the contact information to communicate with content delivery sources for discovery of configuration information. The configuration information can indicate: i) a respective address of the content delivery source, ii) a type of content outputted by the respective address, iii) a format of the content such as streaming data outputted by the respective address. The configuration information can be used to identify an address in which to retrieve requested content according to a desired format.

Management and use of channel configuration information

A method, system and devices for delivering a switched digital video (SDV) channel to a network element, such as an end user set-top box, based on the decoding capabilities of the network element. The system determines whether to deliver the SDV channel in a first format, such as MPEG-4, or a second format, such as MPEG-2. When only network elements capable of decoding MPEG-4 content are tuned to the SDV channel, the system can realize bandwidth savings by delivering only the MPEG-4 version of the SDV channel. When legacy network elements capable of decoding only MPEG-2 content tune to a particular SDV channel, the system delivers only the MPEG-2 version of the SDV channel. The methods and devices can be used in headends, including those that deploy switched digital video, and other appropriate locations within the content distribution system, such as within the edge devices in the distribution hub.

Growing community of inventors

Quakertown, PA, United States of America

John A Schlack