Dynamically adaptive media content delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10993069-B2
Application number	US-201514801206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Jul 16, 2015
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

Media content delivery method and systems are provided for transmitting media content to a mobile client device in a format automatically selected from alternative versions of the media content based on one or more dynamically variable resource parameters. The variable resource parameters can include historical device and/or network performance corresponding to one or more current attributes applicable to a request for media content delivery from the mobile client device, such as a current location of the device and/or a time value for the requested media content delivery. Similar media content can thus be delivered to similar mobile client device in different formats depending on, say, the time and location of respective requests for receiving the media content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a request for delivery of media content to a mobile client device over a data transmission network, delivery of the requested media content comprising non-streaming transmission to the mobile client device of one or more media content files processable by the mobile client device to present the requested media content on the mobile client device subsequent to completed download of the media content by the mobile client device;
determining a respective value for each of one or more variable resource parameters applicable to delivery to and/or presentation on the mobile client device of the requested media content;
in an automated operation based, at least in part, on the one or more variable resource parameters, selecting from a predefined plurality of alternative delivery formats a delivery format specific to the request, the selecting including selecting a compositional format for one or more composite thumbnails that are to be displayed on the mobile client device as respective selectable user interface elements forming part of a graphical user interface, each composite thumbnail being composed from a respective plurality of media content items, the compositional format being selected from the group comprising:
a precomposed format, wherein the respective composite thumbnail is composed server-side and is delivered to the mobile client device as part of the requested media content; and
a non-precomposed format, wherein the respective composite thumbnail is composed client-side, delivery of the requested media content including delivery of the respective plurality of media content items, thus enabling composition of the respective composite thumbnail by the mobile client device; and

causing delivery of the requested media content to the mobile client device according to the selected delivery format specific to the requested media content.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more variable resource parameters include at least one estimated performance value determined based on historical performance data for a respective content delivery resource; and
the predefined plurality of alternative delivery formats comprises, for each of the one or more media content files, two or more alternative file versions of the media content file.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least two of the two or more alternative file versions for a respective media content file differ in compression format used for pre-delivery file compression.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least two of the two or more alternative file versions for a respective media content file differ in image resolution available for post-delivery presentation on the mobile client device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined plurality of alternative delivery formats includes alternative delivery schemes for a set of media content files, the alternative delivery schemes comprising:
initial delivery of relatively lower-quality versions of at least some files in the set of media content files, followed by subsequent replacement by relatively higher-quality versions of corresponding media content files; and
initial delivery of relatively higher-quality versions of all delivered files in the set of media content files.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more variable resource parameters include previous data usage of the mobile client device over a current cellular network within a current billing period.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more variable resource parameters includes current availability of server-side resources for compressing the one or more media content files prior to transmission.

8. A system comprising:
one or more computer processor devices; and
one or more memories having stored thereon instructions for configuring the one or more computer processor devices, when executing the instructions, to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request for delivery of media content to a mobile client device over a data transmission network, delivery of the requested media content comprising non-streaming transmission to the mobile client device of one or more media content files processable by the mobile client device to present the requested media content on the mobile client device subsequent to completed download of the media content by the mobile client device;
automatically determining a respective value for each of one or more variable resource parameters applicable to delivery to and/or presentation on the mobile client device of the requested media content;
automatically selecting from a predefined plurality of alternative delivery formats, based at least in part on the one or more variable resource parameters; a delivery format specific to the request, the selecting including selecting a compositional format for one or more composite thumbnails that are to be displayed on the mobile client device as respective selectable user interface elements forming part of a graphical user interface, each composite thumbnail being composed from a respective plurality of media content items, the compositional format being selected from the group comprising:
a precomposed format, wherein the respective composite thumbnail is composed server-side and is delivered to the mobile client device as part of the requested media content; and
a non-precomposed format, wherein the respective composite thumbnail is composed client-side, delivery of the requested media content including delivery of the respective plurality of media content items, thus enabling composition of the respective composite thumbnail by the mobile client device; and

causing delivery of the requested media content to the mobile client device according to the selected delivery format specific to the requested media content.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more variable resource parameters include at least one estimated performance value determined based on historical performance data for a respective content delivery resource.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one estimated performance value comprises a predicted value of the corresponding variable resource parameter at a future time at which delivery and/or presentation of the requested media content is to be performed.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions are to configure the one or more computer processors to determine the one or more variable resource parameters by performing operations comprising:
accessing the historical performance data for the respective content delivery resource applicable to delivery and/or presentation of the requested media content;
identifying one or more current attributes applicable to the request; and
determining the at least one estimated performance value based, at least in part, on the historical performance data corresponding to the one or more current attributes applicable to the request.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more current attributes applicable to the request include a current cellular network to which the mobile client device is connected and over which the requested media content is to be delivered.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more current attributes applicable to the request include a current geographic location of the mobile client device.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more current attributes applicable to the request include a time and/or date value for delivery of the requested media content.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the historical performance data comprises historical

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Son Aaron
• Hendriks Brian

Classifications

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title

• H04L65/762

  at the source  (reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355) · CPC title

• H04L65/612

  for unicast · CPC title

• H04L65/1063

  Application servers providing network services (systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04W4/18

  Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals · CPC title