System and method for increasing data transmission rates through a content distribution network with customized aggregations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027740-B2
Application number	US-201514927145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for increasing data transmission rates through a content distribution network by generating a customized aggregation comprising data packets selected to maximize a data acceptance rate are disclosed herein. The system can include a memory including a content library database having a plurality of data packets and a user profile database. The system can further include a server that can: receive aggregation information identifying a set of delivery data packets and a set of assessment data packets; receive data packet data from the content library database; identify a recipient cohort; determine a recipient cohort lapsed time; generate an estimate of data packet transfer time for the aggregation; generate an updated aggregation based on the recipient cohort lapsed time and the estimate of data packet transfer time; and provide the updated aggregation to the user devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for increasing data transmission rates through a content distribution network by generating a customized aggregation comprising data packets selected to maximize a data acceptance rate, the system comprising:
a memory comprising:
a content library database comprising a plurality of data packets, wherein the plurality of data packets comprise a plurality of delivery data packets and a plurality of assessment data packets; and
a user profile database, wherein the user profile database includes information identifying a cohort of users, and wherein the user profile database includes information identifying plurality of at least one attribute of each of the users in the cohort of users;

at least one server configured to:
receive aggregation information identifying an aggregation comprising a set of delivery data packets and a set of assessment data packets;
receive data packet data from the content library database;
identify a recipient cohort, wherein the recipient cohort comprises a group of users designated to receive the aggregation via a plurality of user devices;
determine a recipient cohort elapsed time, wherein the recipient cohort elapsed time characterizes an amount of time for acceptance of a plurality of previous aggregations by the recipient cohort;
generate an estimate of data packet transfer time for the aggregation, wherein the data packet transfer time is an amount of time between sending of a first data packet in the aggregation and receiving a final response from a user device;
generate an updated aggregation based on the recipient cohort elapsed time and the estimate of data packet transfer time;
generate a modeled aggregation outcome, wherein the aggregation outcome comprises a prediction of a change in a skill level for the recipient cohort;
retrieve a target parameter identifying a desired change to the skill level for the recipient cohort;
generate a modeled aggregation contribution, wherein the aggregation contribution indicates a degree to which the aggregation contributes to reaching the target parameter affected by the estimate of data packet transfer time;
generate a modeled alternative contribution, wherein the alternative contribution indicates a degree to which an alternative aggregation contributes to reaching the target parameter affected by an estimate of data packet transfer time for the alternative contribution; and
determine a difference between the modeled aggregation contribution and the modeled alternative contribution;
wherein the updated aggregation based on the recipient cohort elapsed time and the estimate of data packet transfer time is generated when the alternative contribution is greater than the modeled aggregation contribution; and
provide the updated aggregation to the user devices.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data packet data comprises data packet user data and data packet metadata.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of user devices connected to the at least one server via a communication network.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the amount of time for the acceptance of a plurality of previous aggregations by the recipient cohort is determined by a timer triggered and stopped by receipt of communications by the at least one server.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the timer is located in the at least one server, and wherein the received communications comprise a first communication sent by the at least one server to the user device containing the first data packet in the aggregation and a second communication sent by the user device to the at least one server containing the final response to the aggregation.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of user devices, wherein each of the user devices comprises a timer, and wherein the received communications triggering and stopping the timer in one of the user devices comprises a first communication received by the user device from the at least one server, wherein the first communication triggers the timer, and wherein the first communication contains the first data packet in the aggregation, and a second communication sent by the user device to the at least one server, wherein the second communication stops the timer, and wherein the second communication contains the final response to the aggregation.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of user devices is configured to send a time communication indicative of elapsed time measured by the timer.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the time communication is sent when the timer is stopped.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the time communication is periodically sent after the timer has been triggered and before the timer has been stopped.

10. A method for increasing data transmission rates through a content distribution network by generating a customized aggregation comprising data packets selected to maximize a data acceptance rate, the method comprising:
receiving at at least one server aggregation information identifying an aggregation comprising a set of delivery data packets and a set of assessment data packets from a content library database comprising a plurality of delivery data packets and a plurality of assessment data packets;
receiving at the at least one server data packet data from the content library database;
retrieving at the at least one server data from a user profile database identifying a recipient cohort, wherein the recipient cohort comprises a group of users designated to receive the aggregation via a plurality of user devices;
determining with the at least one server a recipient cohort elapsed time from data received from the user profile database, wherein the recipient cohort elapsed time characterizes an amount of time for acceptance of a plurality of previous aggregations by the recipient cohort;
generating with the at least one server an estimate of data packet transfer time for the aggregation, wherein the data packet transfer time is an amount of time between sending of a first data packet in the aggregation and receiving a final response from a user device;
generating with the at least one server an updated aggregation based on the recipient cohort elapsed time and the estimate of data packet transfer time;
generating a modeled aggregation outcome, wherein the aggregation outcome comprises a prediction of a change in a skill level for the recipient cohort;
retrieving a target parameter identifying a desired change to the skill level for the recipient cohort;
generating a modeled aggregation contribution, wherein the aggregation contribution indicates a degree to which the aggregation contributes to reaching the target parameter affected by the estimate of data packet transfer time;
generating a modeled alternative contribution, wherein the alternative contribution indicates a degree to which an alternative aggregation contributes to reaching the target parameter affected by an estimate of data packet transfer time for the alternative contribution; and
determining a difference between the modeled aggregation contribution and the modeled alternative contribution;
wherein the updated aggregation based on the recipient cohort elapsed time and the estimate of data packet transfer time is generated when the alternative contribution is greater than the modeled aggregation contribution; and
providing with the at least one server the updated aggregation to the user devices.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data packet data comprises data packet user data and data packet metadata.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the amount of time for the acceptance of a plurality

Assignees

• Pearson Education Inc

Inventors

• González Brenes José Pablo
• Goldin Ilya
• Larusson Johann A
• Behrens John
• Mctavish Thomas

Classifications

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L47/41

  by acting on aggregated flows or links · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L69/28

  Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols · CPC title