Tony Miranz

US Patent:

7627888, Dec 1, 2009

Filed:

Mar 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/076334

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

VUDU, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H04N 7/173

US Classification:

725 92, 725 50, 725 96

Abstract:

Techniques for updating a library with a significant number of titles are disclosed. A library in each of the boxes in service is updated synchronously or asynchronously. Any release to update the library is performed by propagating data chunks by a gossip protocol to all boxes in service. A proper release package is then recovered in each box from the received data chunk to update the library. According to one aspect of the techniques, a small set of seeding boxes is designated to propagate at least some or all of respective received data chunks to a set of the boxes. Each of the set of the boxes is caused to recursively propagate its received data chunks to other boxes chosen to continue spreading, if necessary, some or all of the received data chunks among the boxes till each of the boxes in service has received a designated portion of the data chunks.

US Patent:

7797440, Sep 14, 2010

Filed:

Mar 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/076343

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709231, 709212, 709213, 709214

Abstract:

Various techniques for a library with a significant number of titles are disclosed. A user may select and order a title whenever desired and play back the title fairly instantly. The library is dynamically updated in accordance with a schedule. According to one aspect of the techniques, whenever an ordered title is played back, a beginning portion of the data pertaining to the title is activated to be played back first. The beginning portion of the data is locally cached while the remaining portion of the data is supplied by other designated devices. To facilitate the management of the remaining portion of data for each of the titles in the library, the titles are partitioned into a number of groups or bands. The amount of the remaining portion of the data to be locally cached for each title is determined by a band the title belongs to. Further, as new titles are added in, the titles in each band are updated by retiring relatively unpopular titles to a lower band.

US Patent:

7810647, Oct 12, 2010

Filed:

Mar 12, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/684637

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US
Richard Sze - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 13/00

US Classification:

209203

Abstract:

To facilitate instant playback of an ordered title (e. g. , a movie), a file pertaining to the title is fragmented into a header and segments. The header is seeded in all boxes in service and none, one or more segments are distributed to the network of boxes. When the title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are streamed in respectively from the boxes having the segments to enable continuous playback of the ordered title. Should one of the boxes fails to deliver the segment according to a certain requirement (e. g. , a lower transmission rate), the box gets immediately replaced by a substitute machine that continues to supply the segment from where it was stopped.

US Patent:

7937379, May 3, 2011

Filed:

Mar 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/076214

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 7/00
G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707705, 707736, 707802, 707803, 725 2, 725 86, 725101

Abstract:

Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.

US Patent:

8099511, Jan 17, 2012

Filed:

Jun 11, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/150653

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US
Richard Sze - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709231

Abstract:

Various techniques for providing instantaneous media services are disclosed. Some of the techniques provide an instantaneous media-on-demand system, process and method for the same. Such a system offers a dynamic library with a significant number of titles from which a user may select and offers play back a desired title fairly instantly. To facilitate instant playback, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and segments. The header is seeded in all boxes in service and none, one or more segments are distributed to the network of boxes. When the title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are streamed in respectively from the boxes having the segments to enable continuous playback of the ordered title.

US Patent:

8219635, Jul 10, 2012

Filed:

Mar 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/075573

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US
Richard Sze - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709217, 709231

Abstract:

Techniques for transporting data in a distributed environment are described. In a media system in which boxes are configured to supply each other needed data, stabilities of data transportation among the boxes are important. According to one aspect of the techniques, when one or more supplying boxes are identified to supply respective data portions to an ordering box, each communication session between the ordering box and one of the supplying boxes is constantly monitored. If the data is not transported correctly, a backup session by a backup box is activated to replace the session in which the data is not transported correctly. Without affecting the number of available boxes that may be designated to supply data to other ordering boxes, in one embodiment, one box is used to backup multiple boxes.

US Patent:

8539536, Sep 17, 2013

Filed:

Mar 24, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/071375

Inventors:

Prasanna Ganesan - Menlo Park CA, US
Shahriyar Matloub - Los Altos CA, US
Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US
Alain Rossmann - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Vudu, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H04N 7/173
G06F 15/16

US Classification:

725 93, 725 86, 725 87, 725 90, 725116, 709229

Abstract:

Techniques for fragmenting a file or a collection of media data are disclosed. According one aspect of the techniques, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented into a header and several tails or segments. The header is a continuous portion of the file while the segments are respective parts of the remaining portion of the file. The header is seeded substantially in all boxes, and none, one or more of the segments are distributed in each of the boxes in service. When a title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the segments, if not locally available, are continuously fetched respectively from other boxes that have the segments.

US Patent:

20060037037, Feb 16, 2006

Filed:

Jun 14, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/867155

Inventors:

Tony Miranz - Palo Alto CA, US

International Classification:

H04N 7/16
H04N 7/173

US Classification:

725002000, 725100000

Abstract:

A set top box, comprises storage storing the lead portion of one or more objects prior to receiving a request for consumption of one of the one or more objects; a user interface for receiving a request for consumption of the requested object; a communication interface for communicating with a remote device, the remote device initiating delivery of a balance portion of the requested object upon request; and a control module coupled to the storage device, to the user interface and to the communication interface for initiating consumption of the lead portion, for requesting delivery of the balance portion, and for receiving at least part of the balance portion of the object during consumption of the object. The size of the lead portion may be computed to reduce the likelihood of consumption interruption. The size of the lead portion may be computed based on communication channel conditions. The size of the lead portion may computed based on the worst case channel condition over a predetermined window of time. The size of the lead portion may be computed by an algorithm accounting for download speed, object size, and playback time. The size of the lead portion may be computed so that the final bit of the balance portion of the object is expected to be received before the final bit is needed for consumption. The size of the lead portion may be computed based on object popularity. The size of the lead portion may be increased based on the expected demand of the object.