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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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.