(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,020,893 B2 Connelly (45) Date of Patent: Mar
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US007020893B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,020,893 B2 Connelly (45) Date of Patent: Mar. 28, 2006 (54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 5,945,988 A 8, 1999 Williams et al. CONTINUOUSLY AND 5,977.964. A 11/1999 Williams et al. OPPORTUNISTICALLY DRIVING AN 5.991,841 A 11/1999 Gafken et al. OPTIMIAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE BASED 6,002,393 A 12/1999 Hite et al. ON MOST RECENT CLIENT DEMAND FEEDBACK FROMA DISTRIBUTED SET OF (Continued) BROADCAST CLIENTS FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS (75) Inventor: Jay H. Connelly, Portland, OR (US) WO WO 99,65237 12/1999 (73) Assignee: Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (Continued) (US) OTHER PUBLICATIONS (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this Intel: Intel Architecture Labs. Internet and Broadcast: The patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Key To Digital Convergence. Utilizing Digital Technology U.S.C. 154(b) by 882 days. to Meet Audience Demand, 2000, pp. 1-4. (21) Appl. No.: 09/882,487 (Continued) Filed: Jun. 15, 2001 Primary Examiner Ngoc Vu (22) (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & (65) Prior Publication Data Zafman LLP US 20O2/O194598 A1 Dec. 19, 2002 (57) ABSTRACT (51) Int. C. HO)4N 7/173 (2006.01) Abroadcast method and system for continuously and oppor (52) U.S. Cl. ............................ 725/97; 725/91. 725/95; tunistically driving an optimal broadcast schedule based on 725/114; 725/121 most recent client demand feedback from a distributed set of (58) Field of Classification Search .................. 725/95, broadcast clients. The broadcast system includes an opera 725/97, 98, 105,109, 118, 121, 46,91, 92, tion center that broadcasts meta-data to a plurality of client 725/114, 120 systems. The meta-data describes a plurality of pieces of See application file for complete search history. content that are in consideration for upcoming broadcasts by the server. Each client receives the broadcasted meta-data (56) References Cited from and sends back a set of client demand feedback data to the operations center, wherein the user feedback data reflects U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS a clients interest level in at least a portion of the pieces of 4,602,279 A 7, 1986 Freeman content. The feedback data, which typically may include 5,155,591 A 10/1992 Wachob ratings and/or relative rankings, may be user-generated, 5.444499 A 8, 1995 Saitoh automatically-generated, or a combination of the two. The 5,446,919 A 8, 1995 Wilkins system then determines a most opportunistic piece of con 36. A ra Sticks et al. tent to be broadcast based on an aggregation of the client - w aitoh demand feedback data. 5,600,364 A 2f1997 Hendricks et al. 5,686,954 A 11/1997 Yoshinobu et al. 5,790,935 A * 8/1998 Payton ........................ 725/91 53 Claims, 21 Drawing Sheets BRADAST OPS. CENTER CLIENT ECESAEA NREEy.META-DATA !---gen.--BRADCAST SCHEDULE H - ...BROADCAST expose. scHEDULE BRCACAST META-ATA continuous"E STEAMINGM-304-O E. 308 ENERATEDEMAND EEBACKATA 30 USERRATESHRANKS CONTENT receivedmand v AUTOMATIC RATINei CRRELSTan OF H3)-s () sent demand respeack CNTNT TO BRACAST DATA ToSERVER . BROADCAST. coNTENTst-320 |- - -RECEIVECATAFILE - - - - - - - - - - - - - -: BROADAST SCHEDULE H-.................---- BROADCAST SCHEDULE to CIENTs. AFROMSERVER t -324 BRAEASONTENT.Y. REgEEDATAFES DATAFILE(S) To CLIENTS 326- FROMSERWR wovisibcast 8'''SELECTIVELY STORE DATA CONTENT TOBOTTOM OF-328 G) - FILES ACCORING TO List CoNTENTRATING Tae 332- rear TASLEAND CONENT RATNTABLE IF THERE AREANY USRACCSSES - US 7,020,893 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Smyth, B. et al. A Personalized Television Listings Service: 6,020,883. A 2/2000 Herz et al. Communications of the ACM; Aug. 2000, vol. 43, No. 8. 6,088,722 A 7/2000 Herz et al. pp. 107-111. 6,114,376 A 9, 2000 Prichard et al. 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Web WO WOOOf 64165 10, 2000 Page. online retrieved on Mar. 21, 2000 Retrieved from WO WO O1/15451 A1 3, 2001 the internet-URL: http://www.tivo.com/what/intro4.html. OTHER PUBLICATIONS p. 1. Intel: Intel Architecture Labs. Client Infrastructure for DIGITAL Recordings without the Tape. What is TiVo'? Web Internet-Based Data Services for Digital Television: Page. online retrieved on Mar. 21, 2000. Retrieved from Enabling A New Class of DTV Services, 2000, pp. 1-10. the internet-URL: http://www.tivo.com/what/intro5.html. Enhanced Digital Broadcast, Web Page online. IAL Digital p. 1. Entertainment retrieved on Aug. 21, 2001 Retrieved from What you want, When you Want it.TM What is TiVo'? Web the Internet: <URL: http/ /www.developerintel.com/ial/ Page. online retrieved on Mar. 21, 2000 Retrieved from home/digentertain/edb.htm. pp. 1-3. the internet-URL: http://www.tivo.com/what/how.html. p. Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast Technology Overview. 1. White paper online. Cisco System, Inc. 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USA, Feb. 29-Mar. 3, 2000, Los Alamitos, CA, USA; IEEE Competitive Differences. ReplayTV, Web Page. online Comput. Soc. US, (Feb. 29, 2000), pp. 157-177. retrieved on Mar. 21, 2000 Retrieved from the International Search Report, PCT/US 02/17316, May 31, Internet-URL: http://www.replaytv.com/overview/differ 2002. ences.htm. pp. 1-2. Technical Specifications. ReplayTV, Web Page. online Hu, Qinglong, Lee, Wang-Chien, Lee, Dik Lun, “Power retrieved on Mar. 21, 2000 Retrieved from the Conservative Multi-Attribute Queries On Data Broadcast'. internetzURL: http:/ /www.replaytv.com/overview/ Data Engineering, 2000. techspecs.htm. p. 1. * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Mar. 28, 2006 Sheet 1 of 21 US 7,020,893 B2 105 103 CLENT SERVER -- ( Q)R N)Q) SlaN 11 kNo. 119 - 107 109 CLENT CLIENT FIG. IA U.S. Patent Mar. 28, 2006 Sheet 2 of 21 US 7,020,893 B2 103 SERVER 105 115 12-1 -4- CLIENT 111 121 117 N 119 -1 107 109 CLIENT 123 125 FIG. IB U.S. Patent Mar. 28, 2006 Sheet 3 of 21 US 7,020,893 B2 103 SERVER CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT FIG. IC U.S. Patent Mar. 28, 2006 Sheet 4 of 21 US 7,020,893 B2 105,107, 109 113 111 CS FIG. 2 U.S. Patent Mar. 28, 2006 Sheet S of 21 US 7,020,893 B2 BROADCAST OPS. CENTER CLIENT BROADCAS META-DATA BROADCAST SCHEDULE .......................... > BROADCAST SCHEDULE TO CLIENTS -300 FROM SERVER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BROADCAST META-DATA TO CLIENTS USING RECEIVE BROADCAST OF SCHEDULE OR META-DATA FROM SERVER CONTINUOUS STEAMNG GENERATE DEMAND FEEDBACK DATA USERRATESI/RANKS CONTENT RECEIVE DEMAND AUTOMATIC RATING/ FEEDBACK DATA FROM RANKING OF CONTENT CLIENT(S) - BASED ON PREVIOUS VEWING PREFERENCES CREATE/UPDATE ORDERED LIST OF is SEND DEMAND FEEDBACK CONTENT TO BROADCAST DATA TO SERVER - as as as as a a - a. as a am am.-320 - - - - - - - - - - - -u- aw will - - - - - - BROADCAST CONTENT RECEIVE DATA FILE : BROADCAST SCHEDULE ---------------------------------- -> BROADCAST SCHEDULE | TO CLIENTS /1 FROM SERVER RECEIVE DAAFILES FROM SERVER y MOVE BROADCAS SELECTIVELY STORE DATA CONTENT TO BOTTOM OF FILES ACCORDING TO ST CONTENTRATING TABLE 332 UPDATE META-DATA TABLE AND CONTENT RATING TABLE IF THERE ARE ANY USER ACCESSES FIG.