Patents by Inventor Weidong Mao

Weidong Mao has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Overhead Reduction In Media Storage And Transmission
    Publication number: 20200221131
    Abstract: A media file may comprise a plurality of frames, each frame having a header that stores systems level information associated with the media file. A first portion of a frame that comprises the systems level information and a second portion of the frame that comprises the media content itself may be determined for one or more frames of the media file. A compressed header may be generated that comprises a subset of the systems level information associated with the media content of the frame. The compressed header may be generated by removing or compressing information that is determined to be redundant across the frames. The compressed header, as well as information for reconstructing the first frame based on the compressed header, may be sent to a device instead of the first portion of the frame, thereby reducing transmission bandwidth and storage requirements of the media file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao, Blake Orth
  • Media Content Redirection
    Publication number: 20200213637
    Abstract: A content delivery server may allow users to redirect browsed content from one system to another. A user may install or activate a plug-in to a browser, such as an Internet browser, and the plug-in may be linked to the user's account on another service. As the user browses content from the browser, the user may select a command to cause the browsed content to be delivered to the other service, ingested by the other service, and made available to the user from the other service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Mark Swan, Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay, Mark Vickers, Mohsin Roowalla, Chris Kennedy
  • Collaborative Media Quality Determination
    Publication number: 20200213675
    Abstract: A playback device may determine a quality measurement associated with one or more versions of a content fragment. The quality measurements may be based on one or more encoding characteristics associated with the plurality of versions of the content fragments. The quality measurements may be received by a content delivery system from the one or more devices and may be used by the content delivery system in determining a content playlist. By determining the quality measurements at the user device side, a larger number of quality measurements may be received and more accurate quality measurements may be utilized for determining the content playlist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Jason Press
  • Dynamic distribution of media content assets for a content delivery network
    Patent number: 10701406
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, methods, and software for using a network to efficiently distribute media content assets from a virtually unlimited content library and/or other storage to a plurality of client devices, as well as bi-directional local content sharing between head ends, and dynamic distribution and generation of media content assets within the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Weidong Mao
  • Content segment detection and replacement
    Patent number: 10623457
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing content are disclosed. One method can comprise receiving a request for content comprising at least a first segment. The method can also comprise determining an expiration condition of the first segment, and replacing the first segment with a second segment based on the expiration condition. The method can also comprise providing the second segment to a user or a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: David Andrew Ohare, Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Andrew Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay
  • PER-SEGMENT PARAMETERS FOR CONTENT
    Publication number: 20200107056
    Abstract: Per-segment parameters for content delivery are described herein. A manifest file for a segment and a parameter file for the segment may be sent to a user device. The parameter file may indicate one or more time ranges each corresponding to a parameter value. Requests for content segments based on the manifest file and the parameter file may be received. The user device may access the parameter file to determine a time range of the one or more time ranges into which a start time of a particular segment falls. The user device may determine a parameter value as corresponding to the determined time range. The user device may then generate a request to include the determined parameter value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao, Jiang Xu
  • Geography-based dynamic content packaging and delivery
    Patent number: 10582226
    Abstract: To be accessed on different media players, requested content must be delivered in a format that is supported by the requesting device. A dynamic content packager for encrypting and packaging requested content for different requesting devices at the time of consumption is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay
  • Media content redirection
    Patent number: 10582230
    Abstract: A content delivery server may allow users to redirect browsed content from one system to another. A user may install or activate a plug-in to a browser, such as an Internet browser, and the plug-in may be linked to the user's account on another service. As the user browses content from the browser, the user may select a command to cause the browsed content to be delivered to the other service, ingested by the other service, and made available to the user from the other service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Swan, Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay, Mark Vickers, Mohsin Roowalla, Chris Kennedy
  • Packaging content for delivery
    Patent number: 10574718
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: James Barkley, Weidong Mao
  • Delivering content
    Patent number: 10567816
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for delivery of one or more channels of programming in an IP network. An edge gateway device may retrieve segments of programming, based on information in a manifest file, and output the segments via multicast to one or more edge devices. Advertising content may be inserted, or replaced if already present, before the segments are multicast. Segments encoded at various bit rates may be available for retrieval. Segments may be selected for retrieval based in part on a quality indicator associated with each segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Robert Gaydos
  • Control Plane Architecture for Multicast Cache-Fill
    Publication number: 20200029101
    Abstract: A multicast content delivery system can use both multicast and unicast streams to efficiently use available bandwidth to deliver content. Available multicast content can be identified to gateways serving consumption devices, and the gateways can receive requests for unicast content deliver, but honor the requests with multicast group sessions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Jorge Salinger, Weidong Mao
  • Methods and systems for delivering content
    Patent number: 10498866
    Abstract: Methods and systems for delivering content are disclosed. An example method can comprise receiving, at a gateway device located at a user network, packetized data asset via a packet switched network. The gateway device can convert the packetized data asset to a non-packetized data asset, and transmit the non-packetized data asset via a non-packet switched network to a computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Mark Francisco
  • Content-Aware Predictive Bitrate Ladder
    Publication number: 20190208214
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses may encode a media content item based on metadata from previous encoding. The encoding may also generate encoding metadata, which may comprise a qualitative or quantitative characterization of the encoded media content item. A prediction engine may, based on this metadata, determine new encoding settings for the same or a different video resolution. The prediction engine may cause an encoded media content item to be stored and may cause encoding of the media content item using the new encoding settings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Applicant: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Alexander Giladi, Alex Balk
  • Control plane architecture for multicast cache-fill
    Patent number: 10327012
    Abstract: A multicast content delivery system can use both multicast and unicast streams to efficiently use available bandwidth to deliver content. Available multicast content can be identified to gateways serving consumption devices, and the gateways can receive requests for unicast content deliver, but honor the requests with multicast group sessions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Jorge Salinger, Weidong Mao
  • POLICY BASED TRANSCODING
    Publication number: 20190124409
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing video content in response to requests in a content delivery system with more speed and efficiency. In some aspects, network monitoring devices may gather content specific and network performance metrics, from user devices and content delivery components, to provide input to a computing device for deciding whether to store or delete different versions of the same or different items of content. The decision may be based on a policy which may include a weighted score based on a combination of usage and network efficiency scores. In other aspects, methods and systems are provided to initially provide to a user device a stored version of a content item, and then switch, as needed, to a different version of the content item using on-demand transcoding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Jason Press
  • Content Segment Detection And Replacement
    Publication number: 20190081995
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing content are disclosed. One method can comprise receiving a request for content comprising at least a first segment. The method can also comprise determining an expiration condition of the first segment, and replacing the first segment with a second segment based on the expiration condition. The method can also comprise providing the second segment to a user or a device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventors: David Andrew Ohare, Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Andrew Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay
  • Method of using tokens and policy descriptors for dynamic on demand session management
    Patent number: 10230799
    Abstract: Tokens and policy descriptors are used for dynamic on demand session management in a distributed and scalable architecture for on demand sessions and resource management. The architecture includes an on demand client, a purchase server, and a session manager. A purchase token is generated at the purchase server and assigned to the on demand client. The purchase token represents at least one requested asset. In response to an on demand session set-up request corresponding to the purchase token from the on demand client to the session manager, the purchase token is expanded to generate at least one dynamic policy management descriptor for the on demand session. This provides token-based purchase authorization and policy management for on demand services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Weidong Mao, Neville A. Black, Charles L. Compton
  • Delivery of Multimedia Components According to User Activity
    Publication number: 20190036838
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media may be configured for establishing at least one session for delivery of multimedia. In an aspect, a first transmission of data fragments of a first component and a second transmission of data fragments of a second component may be transmitted and synchronized for presentation. If an inactivity event is detected the session may be maintained while reducing bandwidth consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Anthony Werner, Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay
  • Media Content Redirection
    Publication number: 20180338165
    Abstract: A content delivery server may allow users to redirect browsed content from one system to another. A user may install or activate a plug-in to a browser, such as an Internet browser, and the plug-in may be linked to the user's account on another service. As the user browses content from the browser, the user may select a command to cause the browsed content to be delivered to the other service, ingested by the other service, and made available to the user from the other service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Mark Swan, Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay, Mark Vickers, Mohsin Roowalla, Chris Kennedy
  • Network Recorder Buffer
    Publication number: 20180316960
    Abstract: A network digital video recording (nDVR) system may take into account the capabilities of a requesting user's local DVR when managing network recordings. The user's local DVR may include a temporary buffer that is normally used to record what the DVR is tuned to, and may be used for local trickplay functionality such as pausing live television. The nDVR features described herein may track the usage of the user's temporary DVR buffer, and use that in determining what to stream in response to a user's playback request. The nDVR system can also determine if the user's local DVR has an unused tuner at a time of a program recording, and can instruct the user's local DVR to also tune to the program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Todd Walker, Bruce Bradley, Thomas Day, Robert Gaydos, John Leddy, Weidong Mao