Patents by Inventor Drew Major
Drew Major 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).
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Patent number: 11166060Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves transmitting one or more portions of the media content to a client device via a delivery route between a content delivery source and the network, determining a performance metric associated with the transmitting of the one or more portions via the delivery route, and dynamically adjusting the delivery route between the content delivery source and the network based at least in part on the performance metric.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2020Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20210281923Abstract: Systems, devices and processes are provided to facilitate the streaming of commercial content in a video streaming system. Various embodiments facilitate the improved delivery of commercial content in a video streaming system by providing the ability to shift content to allow multiple relatively short commercials to be replaced with one or more longer commercials. As an example, a program channel is monitored to detect commercial content that has a first timespan. This commercial content is replaced with replacement commercial content that has a different timespan. The timing of the video stream is then adjusted to compensate for the difference in the timespan. For example, by monitoring the program channel to detect later commercial content that also has a timespan less than a threshold amount and then skipping this later detected commercial content.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2020Publication date: September 9, 2021Applicant: DISH Network L.L.C.Inventor: ROBERT DREW MAJOR
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Patent number: 11109081Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of assisted streaming of media content over a network involves detecting, by a media player at a client device coupled to the network, a first condition with respect to streaming the media content, and in response to the first condition, requesting, by the media player, a first portion of the media content from a first content delivery source on the network. After requesting the first portion of the media content, the method further comprises detecting, by the media player, a second condition with respect to streaming the media content, and in response to detecting the second condition, requesting, by the media player, a subsequent portion of the media content from a second content delivery source on the network. The first content delivery source transmits the media content using a modified transport layer protocol.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2020Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLCInventor: Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20210227275Abstract: Methods, systems, and machine-readable media for adapting content composites to device operations of an endpoint media device are disclosed. Blockchain data associated with a blockchain address may be processed by one or more processing devices. The blockchain data and/or the blockchain address may be mapped by the one or more processing devices to a first endpoint media device. Based at least in part on the blockchain data, a first content composite may be identified by one or more processing devices for delivery from a content provider system via one or more networks to the first endpoint media device. Transmission of the first content composite may be caused where, consequent to delivery of the first content composite to the first endpoint media device, the first endpoint media device or a second endpoint media device performs at least one operation relating to the first content composite.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2020Publication date: July 22, 2021Inventors: Jorg Nonnenmacher, Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20210195260Abstract: Various arrangements for performing dynamic content insertion are presented. A user profile may be identified as active at a television receiver based on the user profile being mapped to a current television viewing session. A plurality of content items that have been output for presentation while the user profile is active may be tracked across a plurality of television viewing sessions. A set of insertion rules may be evaluated that are mapped to a content item. The content item may be determined to have met an output threshold for the user profile. An alternative piece of content may be selected for insertion based on the set of insertion rules and determining that the content item has met the output threshold for the user profile. The television receiver may be triggered to substitute the alternative content item into a television channel stream to replace the content item.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2019Publication date: June 24, 2021Inventor: Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20210112293Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves transmitting one or more portions of the media content to a client device via a delivery route between a content delivery source and the network, determining a performance metric associated with the transmitting of the one or more portions via the delivery route, and dynamically adjusting the delivery route between the content delivery source and the network based at least in part on the performance metric.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: ROBERT DREW MAJOR
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Patent number: 10951856Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for capturing, transcoding, and caching off-air programming at a location local to the consumer. According to certain embodiments, a device is provided that receives off-air (e.g., broadcast) and/or cable (e.g., ClearQAM) programming via one or more antennas and caches the programming in various streams having various bit rates for later viewing using, for example, Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming. Such a device can be incorporated in a larger system that can stream content via a data communication network (e.g., the Internet) and the device in a seamless manner. The device also can be controlled by a remote system via the data communication network, and further can be configured to stream content to a remote device via the data communication network.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2020Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: Roger Lynch, John Paul, Robert Drew Major, David Kummer
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Patent number: 10951680Abstract: An apparatus for multi-bitrate content streaming includes a receiving module configured to capture media content, a streamlet module configured to segment the media content and generate a plurality of streamlets, and an encoding module configured to generate a set of streamlets. The system includes the apparatus, wherein the set of streamlets comprises a plurality of streamlets having identical time indices and durations, and each streamlet of the set of streamlets having a unique bitrate, and wherein the encoding module comprises a master module configured to assign an encoding job to one of a plurality of host computing modules in response to an encoding job completion bid. A method includes receiving media content, segmenting the media content and generating a plurality of streamlets, and generating a set of streamlets.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2020Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: David F. Brueck, Mark B. Hurst, R. Drew Major
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Patent number: 10945048Abstract: A method for operating a programming receiver is provided. The method displays, by the programming receiver, a sequence of recorded video content comprising a video presentation and a plurality of segments of interstitial content; receives, at the programming receiver, a command to skip one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content; and presents a screen comprising a picture advertisement for the one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content, the screen requesting confirmation to skip the one of the plurality of segments of interstitial content in the sequence.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2016Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Mark B. Hurst
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Patent number: 10904596Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves transmitting one or more portions of the media content to a client device via a delivery route between a content delivery source and the network, determining a performance metric associated with the transmitting of the one or more portions via the delivery route, and dynamically adjusting the delivery route between the content delivery source and the network based at least in part on the performance metric.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2020Date of Patent: January 26, 2021Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20200413115Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming or otherwise delivering media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network using a RS-DVR system involves receiving, at the RS-DVR system, a request for a portion of the media content from a media player on a client device via the network, receiving, at the RS-DVR system, the portion of the media content from an origin server on the network, buffering the portion of the media content at the RS-DVR system, and transmitting the portion of the media content to the media player on the client device. The portion of media content may be transmitted using a modified transport layer protocol, and in some embodiments, marked as non-cacheable.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2020Publication date: December 31, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: ROBERT DREW MAJOR
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Publication number: 20200404350Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves transmitting one or more portions of the media content to a client device via a delivery route between a content delivery source and the network, determining a performance metric associated with the transmitting of the one or more portions via the delivery route, and dynamically adjusting the delivery route between the content delivery source and the network based at least in part on the performance metric.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: ROBERT DREW MAJOR
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Publication number: 20200389510Abstract: An apparatus for adaptive-rate shifting of streaming content includes an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets. The agent controller module is further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets. A staging module is configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player. A system includes a data communications network, a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams, and the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2020Publication date: December 10, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Mark B. Hurst
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Patent number: 10812845Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming or otherwise delivering media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network using a RS-DVR system involves receiving, at the RS-DVR system, a request for a portion of the media content from a media player on a client device via the network, receiving, at the RS-DVR system, the portion of the media content from an origin server on the network, buffering the portion of the media content at the RS-DVR system, and transmitting the portion of the media content to the media player on the client device. The portion of media content may be transmitted using a modified transport layer protocol, and in some embodiments, marked as non-cacheable.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2018Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.Inventor: Robert Drew Major
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Patent number: 10798433Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network involves transmitting one or more portions of the media content to a client device via a delivery route between a content delivery source and the network, determining a performance metric associated with the transmitting of the one or more portions via the delivery route, and dynamically adjusting the delivery route between the content delivery source and the network based at least in part on the performance metric.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2019Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: Robert Drew Major
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Publication number: 20200304750Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for capturing, transcoding, and caching off-air programming at a location local to the consumer. According to certain embodiments, a device is provided that receives off-air (e.g., broadcast) and/or cable (e.g., ClearQAM) programming via one or more antennas and caches the programming in various streams having various bit rates for later viewing using, for example, Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming. Such a device can be incorporated in a larger system that can stream content via a data communication network (e.g., the Internet) and the device in a seamless manner. The device also can be controlled by a remote system via the data communication network, and further can be configured to stream content to a remote device via the data communication network.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2020Publication date: September 24, 2020Inventors: Roger Lynch, John Paul, Robert Drew Major, David Kummer
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Publication number: 20200280594Abstract: An apparatus for multi-bitrate content streaming includes a receiving module configured to capture media content, a streamlet module configured to segment the media content and generate a plurality of streamlets, and an encoding module configured to generate a set of streamlets. The system includes the apparatus, wherein the set of streamlets comprises a plurality of streamlets having identical time indices and durations, and each streamlet of the set of streamlets having a unique bitrate, and wherein the encoding module comprises a master module configured to assign an encoding job to one of a plurality of host computing modules in response to an encoding job completion bid. A method includes receiving media content, segmenting the media content and generating a plurality of streamlets, and generating a set of streamlets.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: DAVID F. BRUECK, MARK B. HURST, R. DREW MAJOR
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Publication number: 20200280595Abstract: An apparatus for multi-bitrate content streaming includes a receiving module configured to capture media content, a streamlet module configured to segment the media content and generate a plurality of streamlets, and an encoding module configured to generate a set of streamlets. The system includes the apparatus, wherein the set of streamlets comprises a plurality of streamlets having identical time indices and durations, and each streamlet of the set of streamlets having a unique bitrate, and wherein the encoding module comprises a master module configured to assign an encoding job to one of a plurality of host computing modules in response to an encoding job completion bid. A method includes receiving media content, segmenting the media content and generating a plurality of streamlets, and generating a set of streamlets.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: DAVID F. BRUECK, MARK B. HURST, R. DREW MAJOR
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Publication number: 20200275144Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for streaming media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of assisted streaming of media content over a network involves detecting, by a media player at a client device coupled to the network, a first condition with respect to streaming the media content, and in response to the first condition, requesting, by the media player, a first portion of the media content from a first content delivery source on the network. After requesting the first portion of the media content, the method further comprises detecting, by the media player, a second condition with respect to streaming the media content, and in response to detecting the second condition, requesting, by the media player, a subsequent portion of the media content from a second content delivery source on the network. The first content delivery source transmits the media content using a modified transport layer protocol.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2020Publication date: August 27, 2020Applicant: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventor: ROBERT DREW MAJOR
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Patent number: 10757156Abstract: An apparatus for adaptive-rate shifting of streaming content includes an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets. The agent controller module is further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets. A staging module is configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player. A system includes a data communications network, a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams, and the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2019Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: DISH Technologies L.L.C.Inventors: Robert Drew Major, Mark B. Hurst