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).
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Publication number: 20240107026Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Inventors: Weidong Mao, Alexander Giladi, Alex Balk
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Patent number: 11943487Abstract: An encoder may determine one or more encoding characteristics associated with a content segment of a content asset. The one or more encoding characteristics may comprise an estimated bitrate required for transmission of the content segment over a network. The one or more encoding characteristics associated with the content segment may be inserted into a portion of an other content segment, such as into a header of the other content segment. The content segment and the other content segment may be configured for linear transmission, such as using adaptive bitrate streaming. When the other content segment is received at a playback device prior to the content segment, the playback device may use the one or more encoding characteristics of the content segment embedded in the header of the other content segment to determine one or more playback characteristics of the content segment.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2019Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLCInventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao
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Patent number: 11863540Abstract: Techniques for encrypting content in a content distribution network are disclosed. The content distribution network may comprise a number of national and local sites, and a number of hubs at each local sites. A content segment encrypting device may be operative at a local site to encrypt and cache segments of content. The segment encrypting device may provide the segments to streaming devices that encode content for delivery downstream to network or user devices.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Robert Gaydos, Weidong Mao, James Barkley
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Publication number: 20230412827Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for encoding media content based on an ending delay of first media content and a startup delay of second media content. Second media content may be configured for transmission after first media content in a media content stream. The first media content may be associated with an ending delay corresponding to transmission and/or decoding of frames of the first media content. The second media content may be associated with a starting delay corresponding to transmission and/or decoding of frames of the second media content. The first media content and the second media content may be encoded using different encoding formats. Based on comparing the ending delay and starting delay to a threshold, encoding parameters may be selected, one or more frames may be removed from the first media content and/or the second media content, and/or buffers of one or more devices may be adjusted.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2022Publication date: December 21, 2023Inventors: Srinath V. Ramaswamy, Weidong Mao, Jason Press
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Publication number: 20230412857Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2023Publication date: December 21, 2023Inventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao, Jiang Xu
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Publication number: 20230396672Abstract: Methods and systems for managing data are disclosed. One method can comprise storing first data locally relative to a user device and storing second data remotely relative to the user device. The first data and the second data can relate to the same content. The method can also comprise generating a manifest comprising location information relating to the first data and the second data and receiving a request for transmission of one or more of the first data and the second data based upon the manifest.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2023Publication date: December 7, 2023Inventors: Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Andrew Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay, Bruce Bradley
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Publication number: 20230388591Abstract: A method and system for delivering content is provided. In one example, responsive to a request by a client device identifying a video program, the system is configured to determine different first and second network paths for delivery of the video program from a content source; deliver the video program via the first network path to the client device; and responsive to a change in status of the video program being delivered via the first network path, deliver the video program via the second network path to the client device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2023Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Weidong Mao, Phillip Gabler
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Patent number: 11805162Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 2, 2022Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: James Barkley, Weidong Mao
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Publication number: 20230328126Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2023Publication date: October 12, 2023Inventors: David A. O'Hare, Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay
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Patent number: 11777871Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 28, 2022Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Anthony Werner, Weidong Mao, Sree Kotay
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Patent number: 11778197Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 20, 2022Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Weidong Mao, Alexander Giladi, Alex Balk
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Publication number: 20230300424Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2023Publication date: September 21, 2023Inventors: Weidong Mao, Jason Press
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Publication number: 20230283835Abstract: Methods and systems are described for storing content. The content may be divided into user-specific portions and common portions. One or more selection rules may be used to divide the content into the user-specific portion and the common portions. The one or more selection rules may be selected such that the common portion is not decodable without the user-specific portions. The user-specific portions or data indicating a location of the user-specific portion may be stored in user-specific storage. The user-specific storage may be used to determine content for playback to a user.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2023Publication date: September 7, 2023Inventors: Alexander GILADI, Weidong MAO, Robert FORD
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Patent number: 11729467Abstract: A method and system for delivering content is provided. In one example, responsive to a request by a client device identifying a video program, the system is configured to determine different first and second network paths for delivery of the video program from a content source; deliver the video program via the first network path to the client device; and responsive to a change in status of the video program being delivered via the first network path, deliver the video program via the second network path to the client device.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2022Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Weidong Mao, Phillip Gabler
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Patent number: 11706479Abstract: Methods and systems are described for storing content. The content may be divided into user-specific portions and common portions. One or more selection rules may be used to divide the content into the user-specific portion and the common portions. The one or more selection rules may be selected such that the common portion is not decodable without the user-specific portions. The user-specific portions or data indicating a location of the user-specific portion may be stored in user-specific storage. The user-specific storage may be used to determine content for playback to a user.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2019Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao, Robert Ford
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Patent number: 11700431Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 15, 2018Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Weidong Mao, Jason Press
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Publication number: 20230216906Abstract: According to some aspects, methods and systems may include receiving, by computing device from one or more client devices, a plurality of requests for one or more content items formatted in a first format and determining whether to multicast the one or more content items based on a data structure configured with one or more conditions associated with multicasting content. The methods and systems may also include transmitting, to the one or more client devices, the one more content items via one or more multicast streams if the requests meet a first condition of the one or more conditions. The methods and systems may also include formatting the one or more content items in a second format prior to the transmitting if network resources fail to meet a second condition of the one or more conditions.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2022Publication date: July 6, 2023Inventors: Weidong Mao, John G. Bevilacqua
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Patent number: 11671636Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 10, 2022Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Alexander Giladi, Weidong Mao, Jiang Xu
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Patent number: 11652861Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 23, 2021Date of Patent: May 16, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: David A. O'Hare, Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay
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Patent number: 11627184Abstract: Methods and systems for managing data are disclosed. One method can comprise storing first data locally relative to a user device and storing second data remotely relative to the user device. The first data and the second data can relate to the same content. The method can also comprise generating a manifest comprising location information relating to the first data and the second data and receiving a request for transmission of one or more of the first data and the second data based upon the manifest.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2021Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLCInventors: Weidong Mao, Elad Nafshi, Mark Andrew Vickers, Gregory Allen Broome, Sree Kotay, Bruce Bradley