Packaging content for delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11805162-B2
Application number	US-202217902355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2022
Priority date	Aug 25, 2016
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

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 content, wherein the request is associated with a second format different from a first format in which the content is stored, and wherein position information for content in the first format is indicated in fewer than all content segments of the content; and
based on the request, sending, to at least one user device, a plurality of content segments in the second format, wherein:
position information is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format,
a first content segment of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprises first position information that is also in a first content segment of the content in the first format, and
other content segments of the plurality of content segments in the second format each comprise position information that is based on the first position information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position information for content in the first format and the position information that is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprise at least one of offset information, timing information, a timestamp, or a program clock reference.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position information for content in the first format comprises a timestamp, and the position information that is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprises a plurality of program clock references.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates position information for each segment of the plurality of content segments in the second format, 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

wherein sending the plurality of content segments in the second format comprises sending the index data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the plurality of content segments further comprises:
sending, based on a manifest file, audio in a first audio format of a plurality of audio formats associated with the content.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first format is an Internet Protocol format and the second format is a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation format.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the content from a content source, wherein a geographic location of where the content is stored is geographically closer to the at least one user device than the content source.

8. A method comprising:
sending, to at least one user device and based on manifest data for content, a first content segment of a plurality of content segments of the content, wherein the first content segment comprises first position information for the content; and
sending at least one subsequent content segment of the plurality of content segments of the content, wherein the at least one subsequent content segment comprises second position information that is based on:
the first position information; and
a total quantity of content segments in the plurality of content segments of the content.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first position information and the second position information comprise at least one of offset information, timing information, a timestamp, or a program clock reference.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
sending, based on the manifest data, index data that indicates position information for each content segment of the plurality of content segments, wherein the index data comprises:
an index header section for a content delivery; and
an index record section for the content delivery.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
sending, based on the manifest data, audio in a first audio format of a plurality of audio formats associated with the content.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first content segment is associated with an Internet Protocol format and the at least one subsequent content segment is associated with a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation format.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining, based on interpolation or extrapolation of the first position information, the second position information.

14. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive a request for content, wherein the request is associated with a second format different from a first format in which the content is stored, and wherein position information for content in the first format is indicated in fewer than all content segments of the content; and
based on the request, send, to at least one user device, a plurality of content segments in the second format, wherein:
position information is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format,
a first content segment of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprises first position information that is also in a first content segment of the content in the first format, and
other content segments of the plurality of content segments in the second format each comprise position information that is based on the first position information.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the position information for content in the first format and the position information that is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprise at least one of offset information, timing information, a timestamp, or a program clock reference.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the position information for content in the first format comprises a timestamp, and the position information that is indicated in each of the plurality of content segments in the second format comprises a plurality of program clock references.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
generate, based on a manifest file, index data that indicates position information for each segment of the plurality of content segments in the second format, 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 the plurality of content segments in the second format by sending the index data.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to send the plurality of content segments by sending, based on a manifest file, audio in a first audio format of a plurality of audio formats associated with the content.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first format is an Internet Protocol format and the second format is a Quadrature Amplitude Modulation format.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:
receive the content from a content source, wherein a geographic location of where the content is stored is geographically closer to the at least one user device than the content source.

21. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
send, to at least one user device and based on manifest data for content, a fi

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Barkley James
• Mao Weidong

Classifications

• H04L65/70 Primary

  Media network packetisation · CPC title

• H04L12/2878 Primary

  Access multiplexer, e.g. DSLAM (generic distributed time multiplexers, e.g. TDM/TDMA H04J3/1694) · CPC title

• H04L12/2887

  characterised by the offered subscriber services · CPC title

• H04L65/612

  for unicast · CPC title

• H04L65/762

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