Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Verizon and Redbox Digital Entertainment Services, LLC

Yuhui Qian

Jack Jianxiu Hao

Xuefeng Yao

Zhiying Jin

Jianxiu Hao

Jian Huang

John F Gallagher

Sandeep G Rathi

Dahai Ren

Ming Chen

Diego Sebastian Rozensztejn

Michael R Oliver

Okeno R Palmer

Gaurav D Mehta

Wei Xia

Ravi Kalluri

Ishan Awasthi

Ashraf Shehata

Samuel Thomas Scott, Iii

Jyothikumar Jagannathan

A device receives, via a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), a manifest file associated with streaming content, wherein the manifest file includes a sequence of multiple Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that identify network storage locations of multiple content segments of the streaming content, and wherein a sponsorship signature of multiple sponsorship signatures is appended to at least one of the multiple URIs of the manifest file. The device retrieves the multiple URIs, and the sponsorship signature, from the manifest file; sends the sponsorship signature to a charging node in the PLMN for controlling the charging of data delivery associated with the streaming content to one of a user of the media playing device or a sponsor of the streaming content based on the sponsorship signature; and engages, via the PLMN using the multiple URIs, in a content streaming session to receive the streaming content.

Network data delivery sponsorship signatures in streaming manifest files

An exemplary method includes a web services provider system detecting an input command provided by a user during a scheduling session and representative of a request for a local digital video recording ('DVR') system to record a media program during a presentation time period that is subsequent to the scheduling session. During the scheduling session and in response to the input command, the web services provider system identifies a maximum number of media programs other than the media program and that are already scheduled to be concurrently recorded by the local DVR system at any given time during the presentation time period, determines whether the maximum number equals a maximum recording limitation of the local DVR system, and performs, based on the determination whether the maximum number equals the maximum recording limitation of the local DVR system, a predetermined action with respect to the media program.

Methods and systems for identifying a recording conflict for a media program scheduled to be recorded in the future

An exemplary method includes a cloud-based service provider system detecting an input command provided by a user during a scheduling session and representative of a request for a local digital video recording ('DVR') system to record a media program during a presentation time period. In response to the detecting of the input command, the cloud-based service provider system identifies a conflict associated with the request for the local DVR system to record the media program, performs a prioritization operation to determine a relative priority of media programs that are at least one of scheduled to be recorded by the local DVR system at any given time during the presentation time period and currently recorded in a memory of the local DVR system, and automatically performs, based on the performing of the prioritization operation, a predetermined action to resolve the conflict and facilitate the local DVR system recording the media program.

Methods and systems for resolving recording conflicts in a hybrid cloud-local digital video recording system

A server device may determine content prediction parameters associated with multiple items of content; generate respective content prediction aggregate scores for each of the multiple items of content based on the content prediction parameters. A particular content prediction aggregate score, associated with a particular content, may be generated based on content prediction parameters associated with the particular content. The server device may generate a content prediction instruction; and may provide the content prediction instruction to cause the user device to receive and store a portion of the particular item of content.

Predictive storage of broadcast content

A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium provide for receiving data that indicates programs available to users, wherein the programs include linear television programs, video-on-demand programs, and pay-per-view programs; determining, by the network device, a popularity value for each program; comparing, by the network device, each popularity value with a threshold popularity value; determining, by the network device, whether each popularity value satisfies the threshold popularity value; assigning, by the network device, each program associated with each popularity value that satisfies the threshold popularity value to multicast delivery based on the determining, wherein one or more programs assigned to multicast delivery include one or more of a video-on-demand program or a pay-per-view program; and multicasting each program assigned to multicast delivery.

Program distribution service

A method may include receiving a primary resource in a user device, wherein the resource includes a plurality of addresses and each of the plurality of addresses identifying one of a plurality of additional resources. The method may further include aggregating the plurality of addresses and sending the aggregated addresses to a network device. The method may further include receiving the additional resources in the user device.

Network architecture and method for reducing the number of resource requests

A method includes receiving a video content metadata entry. The method also includes accessing video content metadata validation rules. The method further includes determining whether the video content metadata entry is valid based on the video content metadata validation rules. The video content metadata entry is reported as a valid video content metadata entry in response to a determination that the video content metadata entry is valid. The method also includes reporting the video content metadata entry as an invalid video content metadata entry in response to a determination that the video content metadata entry is invalid.

Metadata validation

A user device receives, from an application server, a catalog of available content. The catalog of available content includes content available for delivery via multicast over a broadband wireless spectrum. The user device provides, to the application server, an indication of a user's selection of particular content available for delivery via multicast over the broadband wireless spectrum. The user device receives, from a content server, the particular content via a multicast transmission over the broadband wireless spectrum. The particular content includes multiple individual segment files. The user device detects a corrupted or missing segment file from the multiple individual segment files and requests, from the content server, a replacement segment file corresponding to the corrupt or missing segment file. The user device receives, from the content server, the replacement segment file via a unicast transmission to provide a complete set of segment files for the particular content.

File downloads using broadband wireless multicast

A network device stores a mapping configuration to associate client type profiles with particular delivery profiles for media content and receives, from a client device, a request for a link to a content selection. The request includes a content identifier and parameters for the client device. The network device constructs, based on the parameters for the client device, a particular client type profile and maps the particular client type profile to one of the particular delivery profiles in the mapping configuration. The network device constructs a uniform resource locator (URL), based on the one of the particular delivery profiles and the content identifier, that provides the link to the content selection with formatting that is suitable for the particular client type profile and sends the URL to the client device.

Media playback profile mapping

An exemplary method includes a stream management system that detects a request for any device included in a media processing system to receive a media stream provided by a television service. In response, the stream management system determines that a digital video recording ('DVR') device included in the media processing system is already receiving and recording a maximum number of media streams that the DVR device is allowed to concurrently record. In response to this determination, the stream management system performs a status check with respect to the media streams being received and recorded by the DVR device in order to determine whether one of the media streams may be dropped by the DVR device so that the DVR device can instead receive and record the media stream identified in the request. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

Methods and systems for stream management for a digital video recording device

A method includes receiving, by a client device associated with a particular user, product details for video content including a purchase option identifier (ID) for the video content from a video service provider. The method includes requesting, by the client device based on a single sign on (SSO) protected call, a playback uniform resource locator (URL) for the video content from an orchestration layer associated with the video service provider. The method also includes receiving the playback URL, an entitlement ID associated with the particular user for the video content, and the encrypted content. The method includes obtaining a digital rights management (DRM) license for the encrypted content based on the entitlement ID, and decrypting and playing the video content based on DRM rules associated with the video content.

Video content protection

A user device provides, to a content delivery system, a content request for selected media and receives, in response to the content request, a unicast link for receiving the selected media via a unicast stream and a multicast link for receiving the selected media via a multicast stream. The user device presents a first portion of the selected media via the unicast stream and buffers, in a local memory, a second portion of the selected media from the multicast stream. The second portion is later in linear sequence of the selected media than the first portion. The user device discontinues presenting the first portion of the selected media when the first portion would overlap the second portion and present the second portion of the selected media from the memory.

Efficient on-demand streaming using multicast

A method includes receiving, from a content provider, content for processing and information identifying at least one of advertisements or promotional material to include with the content. The method also includes processing the content into a number of different formats, inserting the advertisements or promotional material into the processed content. The method further includes providing an indication to the content provider that the content has been processed and receiving, from the content provider, an approval or disapproval of the processed content.

Automated content ingestion

A method includes receiving a request to provide streaming video content from a user device. A location is identified for the user device. Available networks to deliver the streaming video content are identified based on the location of the at least one user device. Network preference for delivery of the streaming video content is identified. The method also includes selecting an optimal network for delivering the streaming video content based on the location of the at least one user device, the available networks and the network preference for delivery of the streaming video content. The method may also include providing the streaming video content using the optimal network.

Optimizing selection of a network for video streaming

Methods, devices, and storage media for receiving one or more utility preferences that indicate one or more criteria for measuring one or more utilities of programs; calculating utility solutions for the programs based on the one or more utility preferences; selecting one or more programs to store for at least one of downloading or streaming based on the utility solutions; and storing the one or more programs for downloading or streaming to users.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, MA, United States of America

Yuhui Qian