Packaging content for delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11438396-B2
Application number	US-202117197855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2021
Priority date	Aug 25, 2016
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for delivering content to user equipment are described. The content may be delivered using Internet Protocol (IP) delivery, Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) delivery, or another delivery format. For example, the system may receive content including a plurality of segments. The system may use manifest data to identify each of the plurality of segments. The system may also use the manifest data to generate index data for the plurality of segments, and the index data may be delivered to user devices with the plurality of segments. In some aspects, the system may use location information (e.g., timestamps, such as program clock references) for one or more data packet of the one of the plurality of segments to generate location information for other data packets.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a request for a content segment, wherein the request is associated with a second format different from a first format in which the content segment is stored;
generating, based on the request, the content segment in the second format, wherein:
location information for a first plurality of packets, comprising the content segment in the first format, is indicated in fewer than all of the first plurality of packets,
location information for a second plurality of packets, comprising the content segment in the second format, is indicated in each of the second plurality of packets,
a first packet of the second plurality of packets comprises first location information that is also in a first packet of the first plurality of packets; and
other packets of the second plurality of packets each comprise location information that is based on the first location information; and

sending, to one or more user devices, the second plurality of packets.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp, and the location information for the second plurality of packets comprises a plurality of timestamps.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a program clock reference.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp, and the location information for the second plurality of packets comprises a plurality of program clock references.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates location information for each packet of the second plurality of packets, wherein the index data comprises:
an index header section for a content delivery associated with the second format; and
an index record section for the content delivery associated with the second format; and

sending, to the one or more user devices, the index data and the second plurality of packets.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates location information for each packet of the second plurality of packets, wherein the index data comprises:
an index header section for a content delivery associated with the second format, wherein at least a portion of the index header section comprises temporary data; and
an index record section for the content delivery associated with the second format;

populating the index record section with index record section data;
replacing the temporary data in the index header section with different data; and
sending, to the one or more user devices, the index data and the second plurality of packets.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request associated with the second format is a request for the content segment in the second format.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, to one or more other user devices, the first plurality of packets.

10. A method comprising:
determining, by a computing device and based on manifest data for a content item, a plurality of packets corresponding to a segment of the content item, wherein a first packet of the plurality of packets comprises first location information corresponding to the segment;
sending the first packet, of the plurality of packets, comprising the first location information; and
sending at least one subsequent packet of the plurality of packets, wherein the at least one subsequent packet comprises second location information that is based on:
the first location information; and
a total quantity of packets in the plurality of packets.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first location information comprises a timestamp.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first location information comprises a timestamp, and the second location information comprises a timestamp.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sending the first packet comprises sending, using Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) delivery, index data associated with the first location information.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first location information comprises a first program clock reference (PCR), and wherein the second location information comprises a different PCR.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining, based on interpolation or extrapolation of the first location information, the second location information.

16. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive a request for a content segment, wherein the request is associated with a second format different from a first format in which the content segment is stored;
generate, based on the request, the content segment in the second format, wherein:
location information for a first plurality of packets, comprising the content segment in the first format, is indicated in fewer than all of the first plurality of packets,
location information for a second plurality of packets, comprising the content segment in the second format, is indicated in each of the second plurality of packets,
a first packet of the second plurality of packets comprises first location information that is also in a first packet of the first plurality of packets; and
other packets of the second plurality of packets each comprise location information that is based on the first location information; and

send, to one or more user devices, the second plurality of packets.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp, and the location information for the second plurality of packets comprises a plurality of timestamps.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a program clock reference.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the location information for the first plurality of packets comprises a timestamp, and the location information for the second plurality of packets comprises a plurality of program clock references.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
generate, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates location information for each packet of the second plurality of packets, wherein the index data comprises:
an index header section for a content delivery associated with the second format; and
an index record section for the content delivery associated with the second format; and

send, to the one or more user devices, the index data and the second plurality of packets.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:
generate, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates location information for each packet of the second plurality of packets, wherein the index data comprises:
an index header section for a content delivery associated with the second format, wherein at least a portion of the index hea

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Barkley James
• Mao Weidong

Classifications

• H04N21/8547

  involving timestamps for synchronizing content · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/2368

  Multiplexing of audio and video streams · CPC title

• H04L27/36

  Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits · CPC title

• H04L65/1095

  Inter-network session transfer or sharing · CPC title