Methods and apparatus for packetized content delivery over a content delivery network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11368498-B2
Application number	US-201916384752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2019
Priority date	Oct 30, 2009
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for delivery of packetized content (e.g., video, audio, data, etc.) over a content delivery network. In one embodiment, the content is packetized using an Internet Protocol (IP), and delivered by a service provider over both managed and unmanaged networks to subscribers of the provider, so as to provide delivery at any time, at any location, and via any designated user device. The delivered content may originate from the service provider, third-party content sources (e.g., networks or studios), the subscriber(s) themselves, or other sources including the Internet. Use of a common control and service functions within the network afford the ability to integrate or blend services together, thereby affording the service provider and subscriber new service and economic opportunities. Content delivery sessions may also be migrated from one device to another. A network-based user interface infrastructure, and gateway-based client-side architecture, are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A content delivery network configured to provide packetized delivery of at least video, voice or data to a plurality of computerized client devices associated with a respective plurality of users, the content delivery network comprising:
a common network core in data communication with multiple access networks, wherein each of the multiple access networks provide access to the content delivery network and wherein the common network core comprises an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS)-compliant network core managed by an operator of the content delivery network;
a common service layer configured to deliver services to the plurality of computerized client devices in the content delivery network, wherein the common service layer comprises an IMS-compliant service layer and wherein the services include the delivery of the at least two of video, voice or data;
a common control plane, the common control plane comprising an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) configured to control and coordinate the provision of the services to the plurality of computerized client devices in the content delivery network; and
a service delivery entity based at least on a service-oriented architecture (SOA), the service delivery entity configured to integrate, via use of the common service layer and the common control plane, the at least two of the video, voice or data to provide a blended service to the plurality of computerized client devices via a single application, the single application configured to extend to different ones of the multiple access networks based on an IMS application layer applicable to each of the multiple access networks.

2. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of computerized client devices comprises IMS-enabled computerized client devices and non-IMS enabled computerized client devices, and wherein provision of the blended service to both the IMS-enabled computerized client devices and the non-IMS enabled computerized client devices within the content delivery network is enabled based on use of IMS and an IP (Internet Protocol) multimedia service as different subsystems.

3. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the multiple access networks comprise a first access network and a second access network, wherein the first access network is at least partially a wired or wireline network and the second access network is at least partially a wireless network.

4. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the common control plane is configured to establish a data session between a first one of the plurality of computerized client devices of a particular user of the plurality of users and a core network function in the content delivery network.

5. The content delivery network of claim 4 , wherein the common control plane is configured to utilize a single subscriber authentication mechanism to enable a transfer of the data session from the first one of the plurality of computerized client devices to a second one of the plurality of computerized client devices of the particular user.

6. The content delivery network of claim 4 , wherein the common control plane is configured to enable the particular user to transfer a connection with the content delivery network between the multiple access networks while maintaining the session.

7. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the common control plane is configured to collectively manage the resources of the multiple access networks at least during the provision of the blended service.

8. The content delivery network of claim 7 , wherein the management of the resources comprises reserving quality of service (QoS) transport resources for each of the services on each of the multiple access networks.

9. The content delivery network of claim 7 , wherein the management of the resources comprises selecting a first one of the multiple access networks instead of a second one of the multiple access networks for the provision of the services.

10. The content delivery network of claim 1 , further comprising a network server in communication with the common network core, wherein the network server comprises a subscriber database, wherein the subscriber database comprises subscriber information of all users in the content delivery network.

11. The content delivery network of claim 10 , wherein the subscriber information comprises first subscriber information related to first services and second subscriber information related to second services.

12. The content delivery network of claim 10 , wherein the common network core comprises a computerized identification process in communication with the subscriber database, wherein the computerized identification process is configured to provide and manage identify information of all users in the content delivery network based at least on the subscriber information.

13. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the common network core comprises a computerized charging process in communication with the subscriber database, wherein the charging process is configured to interface with at least a portion of the services delivered through the content delivery network.

14. The content delivery network of claim 1 , wherein the content delivery network further comprises:
a plurality of data centers in communication with the common network core;
wherein the common control plane comprises a computerized network optimization process, the computerized network optimization process configured to select individual ones of the plurality of data centers for the provision of at least some of the services to respective subsets of the plurality of computerized client devices; and
wherein the individual ones of the plurality of data centers are in network topological proximity to the respective subsets of the plurality of computerized client devices.

15. A computerized method of providing services within a content delivery network, the computerized method comprising:
configuring a common network core to be in data communication with multiple access networks, the common network core comprising an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS)-compliant network core managed by an operator of the content delivery network, and wherein each of the multiple access networks provide access to the content delivery network;
providing, via a common service layer, at least two of video, voice or data services to at least one computerized client device in the content delivery network, wherein the common service layer comprises an IMS-compliant service layer;
controlling and coordinating, via a common control plane, the provision of the at least two of video, voice or data services to the at least one computerized client device in the content delivery network, the common control plane comprising an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS); and
utilizing, via a service delivery entity, the common service layer and the common control plane to integrate the at least two of the video, voice or data services to provide a blended service to the at least one computerized client device via a single application, the single application extending to different ones of the multiple access networks based on an IMS application layer applicable to each of the multiple access networks, wherein the service delivery entity is based at least on a service oriented architecture (SOA).

16. The computerized method of claim 15 , wherein:
the at least one computerized client device comprises an Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled client device; and
the integrating the at least two of the video, vo

Assignees

• Time Warner Cable Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Lajoie Michael L
• Williamson Louis
• Aissi Wilfird
• Cholas Chris
• Gaedtke Jason
• Gould Kenneth
• Hardin Glen
• Hasek Charles
• Hegde Vedavati
• Markley Jeffrey P
• Patel Vipul
• Pfeffer Howard

Classifications

• H04L65/1023

  Media gateways · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• H04L65/612

  for unicast · CPC title

• H04L65/1016 Primary

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04L65/611

  for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) · CPC title