Methods and systems for redirecting content players

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12470759-B2
Application number	US-201715812867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2017
Priority date	Nov 14, 2017
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

Methods and systems for redirecting content players are described. A request for content may be received by a network device from a user device. A session ID may be generated to track both the current and subsequent request for the content. The network device may redirect the user device to an initial segment of an advertisement. For an initial request by the content player that requests a segment of the content not associated with an initial segment of the advertisement, the content player can be redirected to the initial segment of the advertisement. For subsequent request for the content, the content player can be provided the particular segment of the content initially requested without redirection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, from a device, a request for a content stream, wherein the content stream comprises one or more segments of a content item and one or more advertisements, and wherein the request causes the content stream to initiate output of the content stream at a segment of an advertisement of the one or more advertisements; and causing, before output of the segment of the advertisement, based on a determination that the request is an initial request and based on a determination that the segment of the advertisement occurs after an initial segment of the advertisement, the device to initiate the content stream at the initial segment of the advertisement, wherein the content stream resumes output of the segment of the advertisement after output of the initial segment of the advertisement, and wherein the content stream resumes output of the one or more segments of the content item after output of the segment of the advertisement.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a redirect message, wherein the redirect message comprises an identifier and one or more uniform resource locator (URL) addresses, wherein the identifier is associated with the request.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on a determination that a session identifier for the request does not exist, that the request is an initial request.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising associating the session identifier with the request for the content stream.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the output of the initial segment of the advertisement is tracked.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item and the advertisement are associated by a genre.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the device, a redirect message, wherein the redirect message comprises a resource location for the initial segment of the advertisement, a resource location for the segment of the advertisement, and one or more resource locations for the one or more segments of the content item; retrieving, based on the resource location for the initial segment of the advertisement, the initial segment of the advertisement for output; retrieving, based on the resource location for the segment of the advertisement, the segment of the advertisement for output after the initial segment of the advertisement; and retrieving, based on the one or more resource locations for the one or more segments of the content item, the one or more segments of the content item for output after the segment of the advertisement.

8 . A method comprising:
sending a request for a content stream, wherein the content stream comprises one or more segments of a content item and one or more advertisements, and wherein the request causes the content stream to initiate output of the content stream at a segment of an advertisement of the one or more advertisements; causing, before output of the segment of the advertisement, based on a determination that the request is an initial request and based on a determination that the segment of the advertisement occurs after an initial segment of the advertisement, the content stream to initiate at the initial segment of the advertisement; retrieving, based on a resource location for the initial segment of the advertisement, the initial segment of the advertisement for output; retrieving, based on a resource location for the segment of the advertisement, the segment of the advertisement for output after the initial segment of the advertisement; and retrieving, based on one or more resource locations for the one or more segments of the content item, the one or more segments of the content item for output after the segment of the advertisement.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the content stream comprises video.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the resource location for the initial segment of the advertisement and the resource location for the segment of the advertisement comprise a uniform resource locator (URL) address, and wherein the one or more resource locations for the one or more segments of the content item comprise one or more URL addresses.

11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving, based on a determination that an identifier associated with the request for the content stream does not exist, the identifier that indicates that the request for the content stream is an initial request.

12 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving a redirect message, wherein the redirect message comprises information for tracking consumption of the initial segment, the one or more segments of the content item, or both.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the content item and the advertisement are associated by a genre.

14 . An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and memory storing processor executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive, from a device, a request for a content stream, wherein the content stream comprises one or more segments of a content item and one or more advertisements, and wherein the causes the content stream to initiate output of the content stream at a segment of an advertisement of the one or more advertisements; and
cause, before output of the segment of the advertisement, based on a determination that the request is an initial request and based on a determination that the segment of the advertisement occurs after an initial segment of the advertisement, the device, to initiate the content stream at the initial segment of the advertisement, wherein the content stream resumes output of the segment of the advertisement after output of the initial segment of the advertisement, and wherein the content stream resumes output of the one or more segments of the content item after output of the segment of the advertisement.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the content stream further comprises video.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to receive a redirect message, wherein the redirect message comprises an identifier and one or more uniform resource locator (URL) addresses, wherein the identifier is associated with the request.

17 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to determine, based on a determination that a session identifier for the request does not exist, that the request is an initial request.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the processor executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to associated the session identifier with the request for the content stream.

19 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the output of the initial segment of the advertisement is tracked.

20 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the content item and the advertisement are associated by a genre.

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Communications Man Llc

Inventors

• Ramaley Alan

Classifications

• H04L65/765

  intermediate · CPC title

• G06Q30/0277

  Online advertisement · CPC title

• H04N21/6175

  involving transmission via Internet (broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82) · CPC title

• H04N21/26258

  for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list (retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40) · CPC title

• H04N21/658

  Transmission by the client directed to the server · CPC title