Apparatus and methods for enhanced content control, consumption and delivery in a content distribution network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021120315-A1
Application number	US-201916654662-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 16, 2019
Publication date	Apr 22, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for providing an aggregated and interactive content service over a network. In one embodiment, extant high-bandwidth capabilities of a managed network are leveraged for delivering content downstream to network users or subscribers, and standards-compliant ultra-low latency and high data rate services (e.g., 5G NR based) are leveraged for (i) uploading content, and (ii) enabling interaction with the content based on user input. In one embodiment, the exemplary apparatus and methods are implemented to aggregate content from various third-party sources at a managed content delivery network (CDN) and deliver it as a combined or fused single stream (versus multiple distinct content streams), and allow interaction with the aggregated content stream via the low-latency connection to the aggregation processing entity. Additional enhancements enable user participation individually, or with other subscribers, in live or recorded content-based activities (such as via gesture recognition and learned “skills”).

First claim

1 . A computerized network server apparatus configured to aggregate and distribute digitally rendered content via a fused or single content stream to one or more users of a content delivery network, said computerized network server apparatus comprising:
a storage entity; at least one network interface; and a digital processor apparatus in data communication with the storage entity and the at least one network interface, the digital processor apparatus configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed:
receive first digital content via a first transport mechanism;
receive second digital content via a second transport mechanism;
generate the fused or single content stream, the fused or single content stream comprising at least the first and second digital content;
cause provision of the fused or single content stream to the one or more users;
receive control signaling relating to the fused or single content stream;
cause modification of the fused or single content stream, in accordance with the control signaling, so as to generate a modified fused or single content stream; and
cause provision of the modified fused or single content stream to the one or more users of the content delivery network.

2 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computerized network server apparatus comprises a cloud-based data aggregation and analytics computerized process configured to (i) ingest a plurality of different content from a plurality of different sources, and (ii) encode the plurality of different content via use of a common encoder process as part of said generation of said fused or single content stream.

3 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second transport mechanisms each comprise an Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)-controlled real-time video or data feed, and the computerized network server apparatus is further configured to utilize the RTSP-controlled real-time video or data feeds to generate the fused or single content stream, the fused or content stream comprising an RTSP-controlled stream.

4 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fused or single content stream comprises a plurality of IP (Internet Protocol) packets, and the provision of the fused or single content stream to the one or more users comprises provision via a TCP (Transport Control Protocol).

5 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computerized network server apparatus is part of a micro-edge compute platform further configured to support cloud-based processing of gesture command data received from the one or more users.

6 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control signaling is received via a 5G NR (Fifth Generation New Radio) transport in data communication with the computerized network server apparatus via the at least one network interface.

7 . The computerized network server apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the 5G NR transport comprises one or more 5G NR slices established to support transmission of the control signaling to the computerized network server apparatus.

8 .- 17 . (canceled)

18 . Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a digital processing apparatus:
receive, via a first communication channel having first prescribed quality of service attributes, first control data relating to at least a portion of a plurality of digitally rendered content, the plurality of digitally rendered content originating from respective ones of a plurality of sources; generate a composite media stream based at least on the control data, the composite media stream comprising the plurality of digitally rendered content; and stream, via a streaming protocol, the generated composite media stream to a computerized client device associated with a user of a content distribution network, the streaming of the generated composite media data conducted via a second communication channel having second prescribed quality of service attributes.

19 . The computer readable apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the digital processing apparatus:
cause storage of the first control data at a computerized storage entity; receive second control data relating to the generated composite media stream; utilize the first and second control data in a machine learning algorithm to extrapolate adjustment data; based on the adjustment data, adjust the generated composite media stream to generate an adjusted composite media stream; and stream, via the streaming protocol, the adjusted composite media stream to the computerized client device.

20 . The computer readable apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the receipt of the first control data via the first communication channel comprises:
uplink of the control data from a premises of the user to a computerized gateway apparatus, the uplink of the control data comprising utilization of at least one air interface that uses unlicensed or quasi-licensed spectrum; and uplink of the computerized gateway apparatus to a cloud-based processing and aggregation entity, the cloud-based processing and aggregation entity configured to control, based at least on the control data, aggregation of the plurality of digitally rendered content.

21 . The computer readable apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the streaming via a second communication channel comprises streaming in a downlink to the premises via a QAM modulated radio frequency channel carried over a hybrid fiber coaxial topology.

22 . The computer readable apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the uplink of the first control data comprises uplink via use of a 5G NR (Fifth Generation New Radio) low-latency channel via at least a mobile network operator (MNO) network in data communication with the content distribution network.

23 . The computer readable apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first control data comprises data relating to a user command to replace or substitute one of the plurality of digitally rendered content with another digitally rendered content.

24 . A computerized method of operating a content delivery network, the computerized method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of digital content streams; based on a user control function, causing generation of an aggregated content stream, the aggregated content stream comprising at least two of the plurality of digital content streams; and causing transmission of the aggregated content stream to a computerized device associated with a user of the content delivery network.

25 . The computerized method of claim 24 , wherein the computerized method (i) is performed at least in part by a compute platform configured to support cloud-based processing of gesture command data received from the user, and (ii) further comprises:
receiving the gesture command data relating to a gesture of the user, the gesture observed by an optical or infrared imaging system; and based at least on the received gesture command data, identifying the gesture; and associating the identified gesture with the control function.

26 . The computerized method of claim 25 , wherein the identifying of the gesture comprises utilizing a user skill specification maintained by the cloud-bas

Assignees

• Charter Communications Operating Llc

Inventors

• Makinen Sami S
• Maalej Yassine

Classifications

• H04N21/23106

  involving caching operations (prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568) · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• H04N21/6181

  involving transmission via a mobile phone network (arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004) · CPC title

• H04N21/6437

  Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP] · CPC title

• H04N21/2665

  Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite · CPC title