IP Library Granted Patent US 11,109,101
Granted Patent B1
US 11,109,101 · App. 15/154,925 · Granted Aug 31, 2021

Apparatus, system, and method for ABR segment pull DVR

Inventors: Jeffrey Binder (Denver, CO); Charles A. Hasek (Denver, CO)
Assignee: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
H04N21/458H04N21/4147H04N21/4334
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,109,101
App. No.
15/154,925
Granted
Aug 31, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

A digital video recorder apparatus, system and method for recording programming material and removing limitations of a storage medium by pulling adaptive bt rate segments from a content delivery network.

Claims (42)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium that stores instructions; and

a processing unit that executes the instructions to:

receive a digital video recording request for content from a content delivery network;

monitor at least processing and storage capacity to select a bandwidth;

locate segments for the content having a bit rate corresponding to the bandwidth in the content delivery network from multiple versions of the content that each have different bit rates;

begin pulling the segments for the content to fulfill the digital video recording request;

determine whether to delay fulfillment of the digital video recording request based on user characteristics to reduce system overhead despite being able to fulfill the digital video recording request without cancelling or rescheduling another digital video recording request; and

if the processing unit determines to delay fulfillment of the digital video recording request, delay pulling of the segments for the content.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit:

selects an updated bandwidth based on an updated monitoring of the storage capacity; and

pulls additional segments having an additional bit rate based on the updated bandwidth.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit plays the segments and the additional segments in response to the digital video recording request.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a content player.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the content comprises at least one of linear content or non-linear content.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the segments are between approximately 2 and 10 seconds in duration.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the multiple versions of the content each have a different video quality.

8. A method for obtaining content from a content delivery network, comprising:

receiving a digital video recording request for content from the content delivery network at a device;

selecting a bandwidth based on monitored device resources;

determining locations in the content delivery network of segments for the content that have a bit rate corresponding to the bandwidth, the content delivery network storing multiple versions of the content, each of the multiple versions of the content having different bit rates;

delaying fulfillment of the digital video recording request based on user characteristics to reduce system overhead despite being able to fulfill the digital video recording request without cancelling or rescheduling another digital video recording request; and

pulling the segments for the content from the locations to the device to fulfill the digital video recording request.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein pulling the segments for the content uses a hypertext transfer protocol get request.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein pulling the segments for the content time shifts the content.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising assembling the segments, utilizing the device, to create a temporal viewing experience.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining to change to an additional bandwidth based on a change in the monitored device resources; and

switching to additional segments for the content having a different bit rate than the segments.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising assembling the segments and the additional segments into an original order.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein selecting the bandwidth further comprises selecting the bandwidth based on a network speed.

15. A content delivery system, comprising:

a communication network; and

at least one device communicably connected to a digital video recorder device via the communication network, the at least one device:

stores multiple versions of content that each has different bit rates;

delays fulfillment of a digital video recording request based on user characteristics to reduce system overhead despite being able to fulfill the digital video recording request without cancelling or rescheduling another digital video recording request, the digital video recording request corresponding to the content; and

provides segments for the content, the segments having a bit rate corresponding to a bandwidth selected by the digital video recorder device based on monitored digital video recorder device resources, in response to a pull by the digital video recorder device initiated to satisfy the digital video recording request.

16. The content delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one device receives a request to cancel the pull in response to transmitting an indication of a pull conflict to the digital video recorder device.

17. The content delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the digital video recording request specifies a later time for the pull.

18. The content delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one device provides segments for the content at a predetermined time specified by a user of the digital video recorder device.

19. The content delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one device maintains a manifest indicating locations of the multiple versions of the content.

20. The content delivery system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one device encodes the multiple versions of the content.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2022
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: IBSV LLC; LAYER3 TV, LLC; PUSHSPRING, LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; SPRINTCOM LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM LLC
Reel/Frame 062595/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 2, 2020
From: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ISBV LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; CLEARWIRE LEGACY LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM L.P.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
Reel/Frame 053182/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2020
From: DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; IBSV LLC
Reel/Frame 052969/0381 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2020
From: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; IBSV LLC; METROPCS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.; METROPCS WIRELESS, INC.; T-MOBILE SUBSIDIARY IV CORPORATION; LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.
Reel/Frame 052969/0314 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2019
From: LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.
To: DEUTSHCE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 050643/0243 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2019
From: LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.
To: DEUSTSCHE TELEKOM AG
Reel/Frame 050642/0986 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2017
From: BINDER, JEFFREY; HASEK, CHARLES
To: LAYER3 TV, INC.
Reel/Frame 043096/0293 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 62161197 · May 13, 2015
Cited By (6)
US 12,192,578 US 12,197,918 US 12,273,421 US 12,279,009 US 12,289,490 US 12,464,192