COMMUNICATION NETWORK USING MEDIA MANIPULATION

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is being filed on 13 February 2017, as a PCT International application and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/294,947, filed February 12, 2016, which application is hereby incorporated by reference.

INTRODUCTION

[0002] There is a range of techniques for delivering media data from source to destination typically flowing through a series of intermediate relay or switching nodes. A variety of underlying transports ranging from circuit switched and packet switched techniques using serial transmission or media access control mechanisms such as Ethernet. These networks have varying characteristics including signaling protocols, transmission distance, bandwidth, latency and delay variation. Effective use of these networks depends on the type of media being conveyed, the number of simultaneous streams, the number of sources, the number of endpoints and characteristics of the services being delivered.

[0003] In recent years, sharing of the network resources has been adopted as a way to spread the cost of building and operating the network over a variety of revenue generating services. For example, classic telephone switch networks have been modified to support delivery of high speed data and video services. Cable operator coaxial networks originally used to deliver broadcast television have been modified to support high speed data, voice and interactive TV services leveraging inter-service resource coordination via a session resource manager or policy manager. Typically, large portions of these systems are "always on" from a power consumption perspective.

[0004] Networks delivering media services can propagate media over extensive distances. The connected networks fan out services into nodes in the physical network fan like a lung's bronchi branching into bronchioles. Delivering dedicated carriers to the sub sections of the network creates bandwidth. Each of the carriers propagates through a physical medium (e.g. air, copper wire). This propagation depends on electrical power overcoming the impedance of the transmission medium.

[0005] The overall power consumption of the system is a function of the number of physical carriers and the number of individual nodes. Power is applied at the source (or transmitter) for the signal to be detected at the distant receiver. Hence, power is consumed (dissipated as a function of medium resistance) at each leg of the transmission for propagation across the network. The amount of power required is also a function of the breadth of spectrum being used for communication. For illustration purposes we will explore an example hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, sometimes also referred to as an HFC plant, however the reader should keep in mind that this is just an example and that the concepts, technology, systems and methods described herein are applicable to all networks which consume power. An HFC or HFC plant is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network that uses a combination of physical transmission media, particularly optical fiber and coaxial cable, to deliver content to end user devices. HFC plants have been commonly employed globally by cable television operators since the early 1990s. Table 1, below, shows some typical figures in power per Hz in an HFC network for a traditional modem and Set Top Box (STB).

TABLE 1

[0006] Total power is a function of Frequency (Hz). The rate of power that must be applied on a Power per Hz depends on the receiver type used in the service.

[0007] An example forward communication channel with 6 MHz in bandwidth and a typical HFC plant is in the range from 54 (future extension to 108 or 258) MHz up to 850 to 1002 Mhz (in future extensions to 1218 or 1794 MHz) . When operating in broadcast mode, a service is delivered to all nodes continually leading to considerable power consumption. This results, as stated above, in large portions of these systems effectively being "always on" from a power consumption perspective.

[0008] For example, for a 75 Ohm coaxial cable used in standard HFC system, the loop resistance is 1.1 Ohms per 1000 feet (center core and sheath return). An example reference model calculates 2.1 Watts (0.05 KW/day) @ 90 V per home passed - 100 homes per mile, 500 homes per node (18.4 kW/year). [E ₍ kwh/day) ^x day) / 00() _(W/kW) ] =.0504 kWh/day. Using 12 cents per kilowatt hour, the calculated an annual cost per home of $2.20.

[0009] Calculating C0 ₂ emissions per home based on (6.89551 x 10-4 metric tons C0 ₂ / kWh) * 18.4 KW/ yr= .0127 metric tons per year per home (28 pounds). It is not unusual for a cable operator system to service a million homes to produce more than 12,700 metric tons of C0 ₂ each year to have a $2.2 M annual power bill. Extrapolating to 1 15M homes in US, C0 ₂ consumption is equivalent to the total power consumed by more than 100,000 homes. Percentage reduction in consumption can have a considerable impact on operations cost, climate change, and energy security.

[0010] However, much of this power is wasted. In studies of typical television broadcast usage, 200+ channels have only 1 viewer on a node watching the service with a 500 home passed node size.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPECTRUM & POWER RECOVERY IN A

COMMUNICATION NETWORK USING MEDIA MANIPULATION

[0011] This disclosure describes systems and methods for a spectrum and power recovery (SPR) system for network-based media delivery controlled by quality of service and business priorities. Media manipulation is performed by media delivery systems within a network between media sources and destination devices. The systems and methods adapt signaling protocols and media data to efficiently pack media into fixed bandwidth channels based on a target data rate and other service level parameters like delay and delay variation.

Embodiments of the system can be adapted to operate simultaneously across a set of media services (including live and on demand content), and a variety of media characteristics (resolutions, frame rates, codecs, data rate profiles). To assist in management, embodiments of the system may provide control interfaces to business systems allowing business rules (e.g. tiered pricing, time of day based allocation, destination device, content type, energy cost) as well as quality of service parameters to be applied to bandwidth optimization. Additionally, embodiments of the system can selectively shutdown nodes to reduce power consumption when bandwidth demand drops or when requested as part of an energy demand response by an electric utility while minimizing the impact on content delivery.

SUMMARY [0012] In one aspect, the technology relates to a system for delivering media over a channel having a fixed channel capacity in a network having: a multiplexer that generates an output stream based on an instruction set, each output stream being a sequence of individual segments defined by the instruction set; a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing computer-readable instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the following method: receiving a request for an offering in a content library to be delivered to a media device over the fixed bandwidth capacity, the offering associated with a first version of content and a second version of content stored in the content library, the first version being a first sequence of first segments in the first format and the second version being a second sequence of second segments in the second format; retrieving delivery constraints associated with the network and the media device; selecting a subset of individual segments from first and second versions to be delivered in a third sequence based on the delivery constraints, the selected subset including at least one first segment and at least one second segment; generating an instruction set for the multiplexer identifying the third sequence of segments; and sending the instruction set to the multiplexer, thereby causing the multiplexer to generate an output stream of the third sequence of individual segments.

[0013] In another aspect, the technology relates to a method for reduced power delivery of communications in a network including: receiving a request to deliver content to a first device via the network; determining a node serving the first device and a plurality of channels generated by the node available for delivering content to the first device; selecting, from the plurality of channels, a lowest power channel available for delivering content to the first device; and streaming the content to the first device on the lowest power channel via the node.

[0014] In yet another aspect, the technology relates to a method for reduced power delivery of communications in a network including: receiving a plurality of requests to deliver content to devices via the network; determining a plurality of channels deliverable to the devices by the network; identifying a reduced power subset of channels from the plurality of channels capable of delivering the content to the devices based on characteristics of the content; and streaming the content to the devices on the reduced power subset of channels.

[0015] These and various other features as well as advantages which characterize the systems and methods described herein will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. Additional features are set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the technology. The benefits and features of the technology will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

[0016] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The following drawing figures, which form a part of this application, are illustrative of described technology and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed in any manner, which scope shall be based on the claims appended hereto.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a communication network implementing spectrum and power recovery.

[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an SPR Media Delivery System.

[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a hardware and software implementation of an embodiment of an

SPR media delivery system.

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a block flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for generating an individual stream for a specific device from the various constraints.

[0022] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate how embodiments of an SPR media delivery system can be implemented to support different common communication protocols.

[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a PRN incorporated into a traditional HFC plant.

[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a PRN integrated with an amplifier within the local box of an HFC plant.

[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a PRN that incorporates optical signal transmission into the PRN 800 to support optical signals.

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates a high level scheme for managing the power use of a network using PRNs.

[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of an embodiment of the method for operation a network that incorporates PRNs and an SPR media delivery device.

[0028] FIG. 11 illustrates a simplified network that includes a series of intermediate nodes and an end node, each configured for power recovery as described herein. [0029] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the signaling associated with an energy curtailment event.

[0030] FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a method for energy -based management of network that spans multiple PDZs.

[0031] FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of a more detailed method for responding to a curtailment event notice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Although the spectrum and power recovery (SPR) technology introduced above and discussed in detail below may be implemented for a variety of communications networks and protocols, the present disclosure will discuss the implementation of these techniques primarily in a packet-switched context in which video media packets are transmitted over an HFC network to end user devices. The reader will understand that the SPR technology described in the context of a communication network that delivers video (i.e., audiovisual data such as a television program) to a device is not limited to video delivery but is broadly applicable to the communication of any type of electronic data over a communication network, including, for example, text data, email data, document data, image data, voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) data, or raw data for use by a computing system. Likewise, the SPR technology described herein in the context of an HFC packet-switched network could be adapted for use with other types of networks (e.g., networks that include as a physical transmission medium, at least some, twisted pair wire, Ethernet cable, fiber optic cable, deep fiber cable, hybrid fiber coax cable, fixed and mobile wireless networks, free space optical networks, or networks that operate, at least in part, on different communication protocols such as circuit-switched networks or wireless networks). In fact, one aspect of the SPR technology is that embodiments of the systems and methods can be adapted for use with any legacy communication network, even analog based circuit-switched communication networks. Occasionally, some of these variations and adaptions for different networks will be discussed in detail. However, in many cases such adaptions will be immediately suggested to one of skill in the art by the main embodiments described below.

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of communication network implementing spectrum and power recovery. FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of a network 100 for delivering media content to end user devices 102 over a fixed channel capacity. Generally, the SPR elements of the network 100 allow for dynamic manipulation of the media content delivered to the end user devices 102 in response to changing demand and changing constraints.

[0034] In the communication network 100 shown, users can request offerings from the network to be delivered to their devicel02. In an embodiment, devices 102 may be what the industry refers to as customer premises equipment (CPE). CPE are devices typically provided by and/or controlled by the service provider that are located on the customer's premises (physical location) rather than on the provider's premises or in between. Telephone handsets, cable TV set-top boxes (STBs), cable modems, and digital subscriber line (DSL) routers are examples of CPE. CPE may be considered a component of the network. CPE typically output a signal to another device, such as a TV, computer, display, speakers, etc. which are owned and provided by the customer. In an alternative embodiment, the devices 102 may be customer devices adapted to receive the network signal directly from a transmission node 106 without the need for CPE.

[0035] Examples of offerings are content titles such as Episode 1, Season 9 of the Game of Thrones®; NBC Nightly News®; and The General starring Buster Keaton. Offerings may be stored content that can be delivered on-demand such a pre-recorded movies and programs, live streamed content such as sporting events or news broadcasts, or a combination of the two, such as a stream of content generated on-the-fly from stored content having different characteristics. The term 'offering' is used to remind the reader that, while an offering may be thought of as a single abstract item by the user, to the network an offering corresponds to many different, potentially interchangeable, items of content. For example, The General starring Buster Keaton may be stored in multiple different versions, each with a different encoding format having a different resolution, bit rate, and/or codec. This distinction will be important to understanding certain embodiments below.

[0036] Likewise, the term 'stream' here refers to data that can be transmitted (streamed) to a device, or transferred in response to requests from a device, over time. The device can interpret the data to play sounds and/or display images to a user. An example of a stream is audiovisual data serially transmitted to a device from which the device can play Episode 1, Season 9 of the Game of Thrones®.

[0037] In the network 100 shown, an SPR media delivery system 104 is provided that selects and retrieves the appropriate content from the content library 108 and multiplexes the content into a data stream that is then passed to a delivery network 110 for delivery to the media consuming end user devices 102. In addition, the SPR media delivery system 104 is connected to one or more live content sources 109, such as live content source 1 and source 2. The live data being streamed from these sources 109, likewise, may be delivered to any media consuming end user devices 102 via the SPR media delivery system 104.

[0038] The delivery network 110 includes a number of transmission nodes 106 that can deliver some number of individual communication channels of fixed capacity to any attached device 102. A communication channel is a signal transmitted over a physical transmission medium that contains within it at least one stream of information. For the sake of simplicity, most of the following discussion will talk about the context of a node delivering a fixed capacity channel, but the reader will understand that most nodes may simultaneously deliver multiple fixed capacity channels, each with different streams in which typically not all of the streams at any given time are directed to a particular receiving device 102.

[0039] An example of transmission node 106 is a QAM modulator that takes one or more data streams (each of which may be directed to a different device) and modulates them onto a carrier frequency (the channel) using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The QAM modulator then transmits that channel to all devices it is currently supporting. In this example, the end user device 102 includes a QAM tuner that can demodulate the data streams from the channel, reconstruct the data stream that is directed to that end user device and then render the content, e.g., play the audiovisual stream on the device's display and speaker.

[0040] Nodes may use any modulation technique now known or later developed, such as quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), or phase-shift keying, to name but a few. For example, one common transmission nodes include a QPSK modulator which produces signals that are upconverted and transmitted via a satellite uplink, then received by a dish antenna, downconverted, and finally received by an end-user's device such as a STB. Another example is a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) which is a combination of an IP router and modulator(s) such as the QAM modulator described earlier.

[0041] In addition to the modulation technique, depending on the network, the data and the implementation, a particular multiplexing technique may be more or less suitable. An SPR media delivery system 104 may use any type of multiplexing technique now known or later developed. For example, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM) and/or statistical time division multiplexing (STDM) may be used to name but a few. The balance of this description will assume STDM unless otherwise noted. [0042] Each fixed channel capacity transmission node 106, as that term is used herein, is a transmission node within a communication network that has a fixed capacity in terms of bit rate. That is, the node 106 can only supply so much data in a given period, regardless of the number of devices it is currently sending streams to. Thus, the number of devices 102 that a given node 106 can support is a function of the total data being required by the devices 102 at any given time, which may be referred to as the "current bandwidth demand" on the node and its capacity.

[0043] One aspect of the network 100 of FIG. 1 is that each end user device 102 receives its data from only one fixed channel capacity transmission node 106 at any given time. In simple terms, if the current bandwidth demand on a node 106 exceeds the node's fixed capacity, absent any action by the network 100, then the content delivery to one or more of the served devices 102 will be interrupted resulting in a poor user experience.

[0044] Another aspect of the network 100 of FIG. 1 is that the amount of data required by a particular device 102 at any particular time or, stated another way, the current bandwidth demand of the device, is constantly changing. This is especially true for media content such as video, which accounts for approximately 80% of all communication network traffic today.

[0045] The current bandwidth demand for a particular device 102 receiving a content stream is a function of several things. First, it is a function of how much data are required at any particular instance for the device to render the content to the user. For example, a highly complex scene from a movie where the images are constantly and drastically changing, all other things being equal, requires a greater amount of data and, thus, bandwidth during that period, than the display of simple text on an unchanging background. Second, content streams may be delivered in many different formats (e.g., high resolution, low resolution, high bit rate, low bit rate), each corresponding to different bandwidth requirements even though this is perceived by the user as the same content (albeit in, perhaps, a noticeable difference in quality).

[0046] One way of addressing the fixed bandwidth limitation of nodes is to allocate a fixed amount of bandwidth to each stream. If the current bandwidth demand for a stream being delivered to a device exceeds the allocated amount, the device is instead sent a reduced bandwidth version of the requested content (e.g., content at a lower bit rate or lower resolution). In order to do this, the content library 108 contains multiple versions of each potential offering that a device might request, each requiring a different bandwidth. If more devices 102 request content from the network than a node 106 can support, a second node 106 is turned on and the devices 102 are allocated between the two nodes 106, again providing a fixed amount of bandwidth for each stream to each device 102. This method is inefficient for a number of reasons. First, at any given instant a media device 102 may not be using all of its allocated bandwidth. Second, during periods of high bandwidth demand by one device, the user of that device may be given a poor user experience even though there is unused bandwidth allocated to other devices on the channel. Third, at any given time there may be unallocated capacity in a channel that could be used to either serve higher resolution content in one or more of the active streams or to support a stream to an additional device 102.

[0047] In the network 100 implementing the SPR technology, the SPR media delivery system 104 dynamically builds streams for the different devices (illustrated as Streams 1 through n in FIG.1) in order to more efficiently pack the channels ultimately delivered by the transmission nodes 106. In an embodiment, this is done at least in part based on the current and projected bandwidth demand of each device on the individual nodes. Because the SPR system has knowledge of the upcoming bandwidth demand of each device on a particular node, it can proactively allocate bandwidth to different streams to take advantage of dynamic variations in the bandwidth demand. In addition to building streams based on projected bandwidth demand, embodiments of the SPR system may also take into account other factors when dynamically building streams such as energy demand, business preferences, device limitations, network limitations, network access costs, and other constraints. Embodiments of how steams can be built are discussed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2-5, below.

[0048] It should be noted that embodiments of the SPR media delivery system 104 may be adapted for use with currently deployed legacy transmission nodes 106 without the need to modify the hardware, or even the software, of the nodes. This allows a centrally located SPR media delivery system 104 to efficiently control the entire downstream delivery of content on a legacy communication network including what channel a particular stream is delivered on without changing the node's equipment.

[0049] In addition, an embodiment of the SPR media delivery system 104 can support both variable as well as constant bit rate content sources. A constant bit rate source attempts to maintain a given bit rate while allowing the encoded quality of the content to vary. Variable bit rate streams allow the bit rate to change while attempting to maintain a constant quality. The encoded quality of the content can be approximated using the complexity (entropy) of the content itself. The range of the quality achievable is governed by the bandwidth limit of the encoding channel as stated in Shannon's Law. As an example, the variant sources described above could be labeled in terms of their encoded quality as high, medium and low. Alternately, a numeric scale could also be used to reflect finer degrees of distinction of encoded quality.

[0050] In the embodiment shown, the SPR media delivery system 104 delivers the various individual streams to the delivery network 110. The streams delivered by the SPR media delivery system 104 include an identification of the destination device 102 and also of the dynamically-selected fixed capacity channel for the node 106 on which to deliver the stream. In this embodiment, the delivery network 110 is responsible for modulating the streams onto the selected channels and passing the channels containing particular streams to their requesting devices 102.

[0051] This is but one possible implementation of the SPR media delivery system 104. In an alternative embodiment, the SPR media delivery system 104 may be provided with a modulator and may output a channel to the delivery network 110 along with an identification of which devices to pass the channel to and, optionally, which nodes and transmission routes through the delivery network 110 the channel should be transmitted. Additional

embodiments are discussed with reference to FIGS. 5A-5D, below.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a content management system 112 is provided to manage the interaction between the content library 108 and the SPR media delivery system 104. The content management system (CMS) 1 12 marshals offerings into a system from different source locations, oversees offering lifecycles, publishes meta data and offering locations so that offerings stored at different locations on the network 100 may be easily accessed.

[0053] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a session resource manager 114 is provided. In many communication networks, as discussed above, sharing of the network various connected resources within the network 100 has been adopted as a way to spread the cost of building and operating the network over a variety of revenue generating services. The session resource manager 114 is the arbitrator of QoS parameter requests from each service sharing the communication network resource pool. In the network 100 of FIG. 1, the session resource manager 114 has also been adapted to provide QoS parameters, which are constraints related to what can and cannot be delivered over the network 100, to the SPR media delivery system 104. [0054] The network 100 further includes a network management system 116 that directly or indirectly controls the operation of some or all of the components of the network 100 such as the nodes 106 and SPR media delivery system 104. For example, in an embodiment the network management system 116 has the ability to turn nodes 106 or various pieces of equipment within nodes on and off in response to directions from the business logic and control system 118. For example, when it is determined that there is not enough bandwidth to handle a stream request from a newly connected device, the network management system 116 is responsible for turning on and allocating another node to handle that stream. Likewise, the network management system 116 can turn off or place in standby or low power state components that are not needed at the current time to meet the current bandwidth demand.

[0055] The business logic and control system 118 provides an interface to the network operators to review, manage and update business-related constraints and communicate those constraints to the SPR media delivery system 104 for use when building streams and packing channels. An example of a business-related constraint is a premium level of service in which a particular user pays a higher fee to receive a minimum guaranteed level of service or priority treatment in times of network scarcity. While QoS constraints from the session resource manager 114 are oriented toward the services, network, and media general preferences, business priority and power management components adjust to the more near term needs of the system, as well as specific customer and business use cases. Thus, the business-related constraints may result in more frequent changes in building streams and packing channels than would otherwise occur if only the QoS constraints were considered.

[0056] In an alternative embodiment the business logic and control system 118 may obtain and combine all constraints including QoS constraints and be the single source for constraints for the SPR media delivery system 104. In this embodiment, the business logic and control system 118 may reconcile different competing constraints before providing a comprehensive constraint set to the SPR media delivery system 104. Constraints may be provided to SPR media delivery system 104 as needed, such as after a change in constraints, or periodically. In yet another embodiment, some constraints may be requested on an as needed basis by the SPR media delivery system 104, such as QoS constraints related to specific components dynamically added to the network 110.

[0057] In addition, in an embodiment the business logic and control system 118 may receive network utilization status reports from the SPR media delivery system 104 describing the current bandwidth demand and current levels of service being provided to the devices. Based on the status reports, the business logic and control system 118 can notify the network management system 116 that a node or component within a node may be turned off or that additional nodes or components must be powered up.

[0058] In the embodiment shown, a power management system 120 is included that communicates power demand information, and particularly curtailment requests, to the business logic and control system 118. In the embodiment shown, the power management system 120 in communication with one or more electrical utilities and their supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems 140. Electrical utilities monitor energy consumption across a wide area and compare the current consumption to energy consumption set points. In an embodiment, if a set-point is exceeded, the electrical utility system SCADA signals a demand response or curtailment event to the power management system 120 of the data service/network provider. This is an instruction to reduce power consumption for a period of time in a particular consumption area. For instance, a summer day when air conditioner usage has pushed up energy demand can cause the electrical utility to send a curtailment message. Based on a curtailment request, the business logic and control system 118 may change the constraints passed to the SPR media delivery system 104 so that power demand from the network 100 may be reduced while reducing, as much as practicable, the overall impact on the end users' experience. The network's response to a curtailment request is discussed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 12-14.

[0059] As mentioned above, FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of a network 100 for delivering media content and leaves out some details of a modern communication network. For example, in practice a delivery network may include many intermediate transmission components including signal amplifiers, various types of physical transmission media, switches, optical routers, wireless transmitters, and other electronic equipment in any particular communication path between an SPR media delivery system and the node or nodes serving an end user device. For simplicity, these intermediate components are not illustrated but the SPR technology described herein may take into account these components as well as the nodes 106 and other elements of the network 100 when managing the network 100.

[0060] The SPR technology in the network 100 enables the network 100, and the communications across the network 100, to be managed in ways not currently possible. As discussed above, at an individual node level, the SPR media delivery system 106 allows for channels to be more efficiently packed and, thus, nodes to be more efficiently utilized, than is currently possible. The stream building and channel packing can also be done in accordance not only with QoS constraints but also business-related constraints and power demand constraints at the node and network level. This, in turn, allows the network management system to power down nodes or other network components that are not necessary at any given time, thus saving energy over the current system. Additionally, the ability to directly interface with utilities allows the network 100 to modify the delivery of streams in response to external commands to reduce power. Yet another aspect of the SPR technology in the network 100 is that it allows for emergency management of the network 100 in the event of a power outage or other emergency. Various aspects of the SPR technology and the use cases it enables are discussed in greater detail below.

Media Delivery System

[0061] FIG. 2 illustrates, at a high level, a functional block diagram of some of the functional elements of an embodiment of an SPR media delivery system. In the embodiment shown, the SPR media delivery system 200 includes a capacity monitor 202, a QoS profile generator 204, a stream builder 206, and a multiplexor 208. Each element will be discussed in turn below.

[0062] As discussed above, the SPR media delivery system 200 uses delivery constraints 212 to dynamically build streams and allocate those streams onto channels. In the embodiment shown, the QoS profile generator 204 is responsible for obtaining the constraints 212, including for example, any QoS constraints 212, business-related constraints 212, and power demand constraints 212 that the operator desires to consider when delivering content over the network. The QoS profile generator 204 then generates a QoS profile 214 from the constraints 212 for a particular stream 220 to be delivered by the SPR media delivery system 200.

[0063] In an embodiment, the QoS profile 214 may simply be a collection of those constraints 212 that apply to a particular stream. In this embodiment, the function of the QoS profile generator 204 may simply be to determine which constraints 212, from all the known constraints 212, to use when building a particular stream 220 for a particular device. In an alternative embodiment, the QoS profile 214 may include additional information or constraints 212 derived from the known constraints 212.

[0064] The QoS profiles 214 created by the QoS profile generator 204 take many different forms depending on how the system 200 is architected. For example, a QoS profile 214 may take the form of a stored file or may simply be a transient set of data fed to the stream builder 206.

[0065] In an embodiment, the QoS profile 214 includes a set of discrete limitations associated with a particular stream 220 requested by a device. In addition to the QoS constraints 212, business-related constraints 212 and power constraints 212 discussed above, the QoS profile 214 may also include an identification of the device to which the stream 220 is to be delivered, an identification of the node to which that device is connected and the stream 220 is to be delivered through, and an identification of the offering to be streamed to the device. Additional stream-specific information may be included in the QoS profile.

[0066] The stream builder 206 refers to those hardware and software components that dynamically select the specific content to be streamed to the device from the content library and pass that selection on to the multiplexor 208. In the embodiment shown, the output of the stream builder 206 is an instruction set 216. The instruction set 216 includes an identification of exactly what individual segments of content 218 are to be streamed to the device and some indication of the sequence in which the individual segments 218 are to be rendered on the device.

[0067] The instruction set 216 may also include an identification of the node and the channel from that node over which the stream 220 is to be delivered (recall that a node may be able to output multiple channels to the same device). In an embodiment, in the process of dynamically selecting the individual segments 218 the stream builder 206 takes into consideration the available bandwidth of the channel or channels currently being delivered by the node to the requesting device. In an embodiment, this information may be conveyed to the SPR media delivery system 200 as one of the QoS constraints 212. In addition, because the SPR media delivery system 200 has knowledge of the offering and time period over which the stream 220 is to be delivered, the stream builder 206 can predict the future bandwidth demand at any particular time in the future for any particular stream 220 to be delivered. This allows the stream builder 206 to predict the maximum aggregate bandwidth necessary for all the streams 220 being delivered over any particular node and/or channel over a particular time period. In turn, this allows the stream builder 206 to determine if the maximum instantaneous aggregate bandwidth demand for all streams being delivered over a channel will exceed that channel's capacity and, if so, to take some sort of remedial action such as proactively reallocate a stream 220 to a different channel or generate a notification to the business logic and control system and/or the network management system that more resources will be needed to accommodate the predicted bandwidth need for those particular devices.

[0068] The multiplexor 208 generates the stream 220 as dictated by the instruction set 216. That is, the multiplexor 208 creates a data stream containing the individual segments of content 218 that, when received by the device, can be played back in the identified sequence. In an embodiment, the stream builder 206 may retrieve the selected individual segments 218 and deliver them to the multiplexor 208 along with the sequence information. Alternatively, the multiplexor 208 may be tasked with retrieving the individual segments 218 depending on how the system is architected. Regardless, the output of the multiplexor 208 is a stream of content that can be rendered by the device to display the requested offering and, possibly, additional content such as advertisements or emergency notifications to the user.

[0069] FIG. 2 also shows a modulator 210. Depending on the desired implementation, a modulator 210 may also be included as part of an SPR media delivery system 200.

Alternatively, the modulator 210 may be provided within the network downstream of the SPR media delivery system 200, such as included as part of a node 106, or depending on the type of communication media and protocol used, may not be required at all for delivery of content to a particular device or set of devices.

[0070] FIG. 3 illustrates a hardware and software implementation of an embodiment of an SPR media delivery system. In the embodiment shown, the SPR media delivery system 300 is implemented as a blade server for insertion in a central location of the network such as at the headend. Alternatively, an SPR media delivery system may be located at a node 106 or upstream of some or all of the nodes 106 of the network. A blade server is a stripped-down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power consumption and other considerations, while still having all the functional components to be considered a computer.

[0071] In the blade server embodiment shown, the computer architecture shown illustrates a conventional network server computer, including a central processing unit 302 ("CPU" or "processor"), a system memory 304 (which may include random access memory ("RAM") and a read-only memory ("ROM")), and a system bus 306 that couples the memory 304 to the CPU 302. A basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer, such as during startup, is stored in the memory 304, typically in ROM. The blade server 300 may further include a mass storage device 308 providing additional storage in addition to the memory 304.

[0072] The processor 302 may be a single core processor such as the 8086 CPU by INTEL or a modern multicore processor in which two or more independent processors are provided as a single integrated unit such as the AZUL SYSTEMS' VEGA 3 54-core processor.

[0073] The memory 304 and mass storage device 308 are connected to the CPU 302 through the bus 306. The memory 304 and mass storage device 308 and their associated computer-readable media, provide non-volatile storage for the blade server 300. Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk, CD-ROM drive or solid-state storage drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available storage media, now known or later developed, that can be accessed by the processor.

[0074] By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, transient and non-transient, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer- readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the processor 302.

[0075] As described briefly above, the blade server operates in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network 312, such as the Internet or a proprietary content distribution network such as a cable network. The blade server 300 may connect to the network 312 through a network interface unit 310 connected to the bus 306. In an embodiment, multiple network interface units 310 may be provided, each for connecting to a different network 312. Thus, the SPR media delivery blade server 300 may be connected to as many different networks 312 as desired by the operator.

[0076] As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the memory 304 and/or the mass storage device 308, including an operating system 320 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked server computer, such as the WINDOWS 10 operating system from MICROSOFT CORPORATION or the well-known open source LINUX operating system.

[0077] The mass storage device 308 and memory 304 may also store one or more application programs 322, 324. In particular, in the SPR media delivery blade server embodiment 300 shown, at least one SPR media manipulation application 322, 324 is provided. This SPR media manipulation application or set of applications 322, 324 includes the computer-readable instructions that when executed cause the processor 302 to perform the functions of the SPR media delivery device described in this disclosure. For example, such instructions include instructions for obtaining and collecting the constraints, generating QoS profiles and, from the QoS profiles, instruction sets, building the individual streams and multiplexing the streams for delivery to a node. These instructions may be embodied in separate, individually executable applications or as part of one or a few larger applications. For example, in the embodiment shown the multiplexing functions are performed by a multiplexing application 324.

[0078] The mass storage device 308 and memory 304 may also store data 326, at least temporarily until no longer needed. Examples of data 326 that could be stored are the constraints, bandwidth usage and network operational data, the QoS profiles, the instruction sets, and/or the individual segments of content selected by the SPR media delivery device and obtained from the content library when building the various streams.

[0079] The blade server shown in FIG. 3 is but one embodiment of hardware and software implementation of an SPR media delivery system 300. Numerous other configurations are possible including a stand-alone computer embodiment, a rack-mounted server embodiment, and a virtual machine embodiment.

[0080] FIG. 4 illustrates a block flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for generating an individual stream for a specific device from the various constraints. For a greater understanding, this method description will be followed by an example walking through the various operations of the method. The method 400 is primarily presented in a way that is specific to the building and delivery of a single stream to a single device, but the reader will understand that the SPR media delivery system is designed to be continuously building and delivering multiple streams to multiple devices in parallel processes.

[0081] The method 400 starts with receiving a request for an offering to be delivered to a media device in a request operation 402. In that operation 402, the request information includes the offering to be delivered and an identification of the device the offering is to be delivered to. The request may include additional information generated by the device or by the network as part of conveying the request, such as the node currently serving the device, the channel currently serving the device, an identification of the stream currently being served to the device, device information such as the application on the device requesting the offering, resolution, bit rate, codec and other limitations of the device, and the user account associated with the device.

[0082] Depending on the embodiment, some or all of the requests may be received by the SPR media delivery system and/or the request may be received by one or more of the upstream management systems such as the session resource manager, the network

management system and the business logic and control system. If the request is received by an upstream management system, the request may be processed by the system to generate constraints for the SPR media delivery system which, in effect, embody the request.

[0083] The method 400 also include retrieving delivery constraints associated with the offering request in a obtaining constraints operation 404. In this embodiment, the SPR media delivery system does not receive all of the necessary constraints in a single package from an upstream management system, but rather obtains constraints from multiple upstream systems. Depending on the embodiment, the constraints may be requested from the various upstream systems as needed (e.g., "pulled" from the systems) or may be received from the upstream systems as a matter of course (e.g., "pushed" to the SPR media delivery system) or a combination of push and pull transfer of constraints may be used.

[0084] As discussed above, the constraints may be QoS constraints, business-related constraints and power constraints, to name but a few. Examples of different constraints are provided in greater detail below. However, in general, any limitation or selection criteria, for example that can be used to determine what content to select and when and how to deliver it as a stream over the network to a requesting device, could be articulated as a constraint. Business-related constraints, for example, include where to insert advertisements into a stream for a requested offering.

[0085] From the constraints, a QoS profile is generated in a QoS profile generation operation 406. As mentioned above, in an embodiment the QoS profile for a stream represents all of the constraints specific to that stream that inform what content will be selected and streamed and how it will be delivered to the device. In particular, the QoS profile generation operation 406 takes into account the other streams to be delivered on the same fixed capacity channel when generating the QoS profile for a stream. [0086] A QoS profile may include constraints on the content to be streamed, such as an identification of the offering, acceptable resolutions, a minimum and/or maximum bit rate, a list of codecs and/or digital rights management (DRM) technologies the device can handle, the device's buffer size, a minimum and/or maximum burst rate, a minimum and/or maximum delay, and/or a minimum and/or maximum average bit rate. The QoS profile may include network and routing constraints such as an identification of the device the stream is to be delivered to, the node currently serving the device, the channel currently serving the device, the available nodes and/or channels which could serve the device, and the current and available network paths from the SPR media delivery system to the device. Business-related constraints may also be included such as constraint that a premium user receive content at no less than some minimum bit rate or resolution.

[0087] For example, in an embodiment the output QoS profile is determined using the desired network characteristics such as latency and burst rate; as well as characteristics such as the maximum bit rate in the delivery channel. The output QoS profile can be adjusted further based on service parameters such as client priority and overall demand in the system. In addition, the client capabilities may also be considered such as supported codecs, digital rights management system and the maximum resolution supported.

[0088] For example, some client devices have large buffers for receiving data. The SPR media delivery system can delay output to such a device for relatively long periods while the client draws data from its large buffer during ongoing playback. Other devices have relatively small buffers, so the streaming and delay must be tightly controlled to maintain buffer compliance and prevent underflow or overflow of the client's buffer. In addition, some content may be encoded with error correction codes and other redundancy mechanism to increase robustness. This allows a portion of packets to be dropped during media delivery, knowing that the receiving client can still reconstruct the missing data from the data that does arrive. All of these are examples of constraints that can be included in the QoS profile.

[0089] In an embodiment, a separate QoS profile is generated for each stream. The QoS profile is divided into time periods and a different set of constraints is provided for each time period. The size and number of time periods in a QoS profile may be determined by the operator. For example, a QoS profile may include constraints for six 10-second intervals so that it covers the next 60 seconds of streaming. In an alternative embodiment, the QoS profile projects forward to the complete delivery of the requested offering, e.g., if the offering is a 2-hour movie the QoS profile may include constraints covering the entire delivery of the offering plus any advertisements, network communications or other ancillary content that may be also be delivered.

[0090] Note that, in an embodiment, excessively long QoS profiles may not be efficient. This is because in order to accommodate the dynamic changes in the network a QoS profile for any given stream will most likely be updated periodically to respond to the changes. In an embodiment, in the SPR technology the changes in the network are embodied by revised constraints being delivered to the SPR media delivery system for use in generating a revised QoS profile. This allows any given stream to be manipulated as bandwidth demands change because of new users connecting to the network, disconnecting from the network, or changing their requests.

[0091] In an embodiment, the QoS profile generation operation 406 may include processing some constraints obtained from one or more upstream management systems to generate constraints that can be used to inform what content will be selected and streamed and how it will be delivered to the device. In this embodiment, the SPR media delivery system is tasked with deriving constraints from information provided by the other systems.

[0092] As mentioned above, the QoS profile generation operation 406 may take into account the other streams to be delivered on the same fixed capacity channel when generating the QoS profile for a stream. Thus, when multiple streams are sharing a fixed capacity channel, the SPR media delivery system determines the capacity of the channel and allocates that capacity between the different streams based on the external constraints received. In effect, this derives another constraint for each stream that corresponds to the bandwidth allocated to that stream by the SPR media delivery system. In an alternative embodiment, this arbitration and allocation of fixed capacity may be performed at a higher level and the derived constraints delivered to the SPR media delivery system as just another external constraint as part of operation 404. In yet another embodiment, this arbitration and allocation may be done as part of the segment selection operation 408, below, taking into account what segments are actually available.

[0093] After the QoS profile for a given stream is created, the method 400 then selects the content for the stream from the content library in a segment selection operation 408. As discussed above, the content library contains multiple versions of each potential offering that a device might request, in which each version has a different encoding format in terms of bit rate, resolution, codec, DRM, etc. Each version of the offering is also broken into discrete temporal segments consistent with the temporal divisions in the QoS profile, e.g., if the QoS profile is divided into 10-second intervals, offerings will be a set files in which each file will be a different 10-second interval (or smaller such as 5-second, 2-second or 1 -second interval) of the offering.

[0094] In the selection operation 408, the SPR media delivery system takes an inventory of the versions of the offering available in the content library. Based on the constraints in the QoS profile for that stream, it selects a segment from all those available in the library for each interval in the QoS profile. In the selection operation 408, the best quality version of each segment for each interval that meets the QoS profile is selected.

[0095] In an embodiment, it is possible that there is no version for a particular segment stored in the library that meets the constraints. In this embodiment, the SPR media delivery system may generate a segment that meets the constraints in real time from a master version. As an example, a segment could be "re-encoded" to match the bit rate constraints for the segment if none exists. This generated segment would then be treated as a stored segment for the rest of this method 400.

[0096] The output of the selection operation 408 is a list of segments, i.e., a list of content files, covering the time period of the QoS profile and an identification of the sequence in which these files are to be played back by the device. This list of content files and the identification of the proper playback sequence is referred to as the instruction set. Note that the phrase 'an identification' of the sequence is used to remind the reader that the SPR technology can be implemented with synchronous communication networks, asynchronous communication networks, and with networks that combine the two. Thus, in a synchronous embodiment the identification of the sequence may be the order in which the files are listed and streamed while in an asynchronous embodiment, each segment may be transmitted with information indicating when it should played by a device relative to the other segments.

[0097] Instruction sets are particular to the requesting device and include an identification of the device for proper delivery. This may also include an identification of the network path for delivery, the end node serving the target device, and the fixed capacity channel over which the stream is to be delivered to the device. In an alternative embodiment, the instruction set may not include an identification of the fixed capacity channel in the instruction set.

[0098] The segments in the instruction set are then obtained from the library and built into a stream in a stream building operation 410. In an embodiment, this includes retrieving each selected segment from the library and passing the segment, along with the playback sequence, to the multiplexor for multiplexing and delivery to the network. In the embodiment of the method 400 shown, at the stream building operation 410 is when the different streams for different devices are combined. The multiplexor takes the different segments for each stream and multiplexes them as is known in that art into one or more combined data streams that are passed to the network for routing and delivery.

[0099] The method 400 further includes the generation of a bandwidth usage report in a reporting operation 412. In the reporting operation, the projected bandwidth that will be used by the stream is reported back to the controlling systems of the network in some fashion. The projected bandwidth is that bandwidth which would be required to deliver the stream identified in the instruction set. As the instruction set identifies the actual content to be delivered over some known period time in the future, the projected bandwidth (assuming no changes in the network usage) at any given time in that period can easily be determined. The report may include the projected bandwidth per time interval for each individual stream being delivered by the SPR media delivery system. In an embodiment, the SPR media deliver system may also calculate the aggregate projected bandwidth per time interval for all streams on each delivery channel. In an alternative embodiment, the controlling systems of the network may calculate the aggregate projected bandwidth from the reported projected bandwidth for each individual stream. These systems may then adjust their particular constraints and communicate them to the SPR system so that it may adjust its behavior accordingly.

[00100] The bandwidth reporting operation 412 provides usage information to the controlling systems of the network so that nodes may be activated or deactivated based on the projected bandwidth usage of the network in real time. As users drop off the network, the controlling systems can use the projected bandwidth information to direct that the remaining streams be reallocated onto a smaller number of paths, nodes, and even channels. This further allows the controlling systems to turn off unnecessary components or shift such components into a power-saving state until demand increases, potentially without any loss in quality of service to the end users.

[00101] As mentioned above, in an embodiment the SPR media delivery system may be tasked with arbitrating the allocation of a fixed capacity channel between a number of streams. In this embodiment, it is possible that during the period over which the QoS profile is generated the fixed capacity of the channel may be exceeded. In this situation, the SPR media delivery system may issue an error, either immediately or as part of the reporting operation 412, alerting the controlling systems that something in the network should be adjusted in response to this excess demand to prevent interruption of service to one or more of the requesting devices.

[00102] The following is an illustrative example walking through the various operations of the method 400. In the example, the SPR technology is used to provide a movies-on-demand service. The example service is simplified and has only two pieces of content available: a movie ("movie") and an advertisement ("ad"). For further simplification, there are only two customers using the service connected to a single node capable of delivering several different fixed bandwidth channels: Bob, a normal subscriber, and Alice, a premium subscriber. The business rules of the movies-on-demand service are such that "premium" customers like Alice do not receive advertisements, whereas "normal" customers like Bob are required to watch an advertisement before each movie.

[00103] As such, the first 60 seconds of a movie streamed to a premium customer like Alice would be:

Table 2 - Premium Movie Playback Constraints- Alice

[00104] Whereas the first 60 seconds of a movie streamed to a normal customer like Bob would be as shown in Table 3.

Table 3 - Normal Movie Playback Constraints

[00105] Additionally, our two customers have the following devices with their associated parameters:

Table 4 - Client Device QoS Constraints

[00106] The content library includes the requested movie offering in a variety of encoded formats conveniently including versions having the codecs and DRM needed by Alice and Bob. These versions may differ in codec, bit rate (both variable and constant), resolution, audio rate and the like. In the example, the movie might be available as the versions (which may also be referred to as variants) shown in the Table 5.

Table 5 - Movie Variants

[00107] Similarly, the advertisement may also be available in a variety of encoded formats like the example in Table 6.

Table 6 - Advertisement Variants

[00108] In our example system, each of the versions is segmented into smaller individual files (blocks of encoded content that when streamed to a device can be played back) that each represent a specific period within the content (e.g., a 10-second interval). The identification of these segments and the periods they represent may be identified in advance (e.g., a separate playlist where segments are individually identified) or may be determined "on the fly" by the SPR media delivery system using information present in the content itself (e.g., clock references, timestamps, encoded syntax). The content can thus be represented as the collection of all the version segments.

[00109] In the current example, the collection for the first 60 seconds of our movie in the content library is as follows in Table 7.

Table 7 - Movie Segments

[00110] In a similar fashion, the segments of the 30 second advertisement might be as shown in Table 8, below.

[00111] As discussed above, the selection of which variant segment to use is based on the all of the input QoS constraints and the resultant QoS profile. The SPR system can use both quality and bit rate in its determination of the output QoS profile. For example, using streams of different qualities, the variant segments may differ significantly in bit rate when the entropy of the content is high (e.g., live sports scene) while in lower entropy scenes (e.g., "talking heads" on a news channel) the differences may be relatively small. As a result, segment lengths for different bite rate streams as shown in Tables 7 and 8 will not necessarily be multiples of the bit rate. Using this information, the SPR system can make the proper selection based on the bit rate availability as well quality.

[00112] As an additional QoS constraint for this example, the network path to both Alice and Bob is subject to the following rate constraint over the next 60 second period as shown in Table 9. This illustrates that even absent other media consumers the available bandwidth on a path or node may be dynamically changing.

[00113] Typically, network QoS constraints such as the total available rate will be determined at regular intervals. This example purposely simplifies such behavior to show the determination made over the first 60 seconds for illustration purposes.

[00114] Given the above framework of network and device constraints, the example is as follows. A request is received (operation 402) from Alice's device, "CLIENT- ALICE-001", to deliver the offering movie to that device starting at network time period of 0. A second request is later received from Bob's device, "CLIENT-BOB-002", requesting the offering movie be transmitted to that device starting at network time period of 20. This represents a second request operation 402 that will be processed in parallel with the processing of Alice's request.

[00115] The demand on the communication network from these two requests, then, looks like the following table 10:

[00116] Next, the SPR media delivery system obtains the constraints associated with the two streams by performing the obtain constraints operation 404 for each stream. Next, a QoS profile is generated for each device (operation 406).

Table 12 - Output QoS Profile - Bob

[00117] Next, the individual segments must be selected for each stream in separated segment selection operation 408. Note, however, that Bob's client can only accept MPEG-2 encoded content and there is only one MPEG-2 encoded version of both the advertisement and movie offering in the content library. Thus, Bob's stream will require 3.75 Mbps of bandwidth during each interval of delivery. In order to accommodate both Bob's and Alice's streams on this channel (with its bandwidth limitations), the SPR technology dynamically selects from the content library the best segments available based on the remaining bandwidth available on the channel after allocating 3.75 Mbps to Bob's stream.

[00118] As discussed above, depending on the embodiment this arbitration between streams and subsequent allocation of bandwidth between the different streams on a single fixed capacity channel may be done by the SPR media delivery system during the QoS profile generation operation 406 or during the stream selection operation 408 or may be done at a higher control level and the allocation simply received as an additional constraint by the SPR media delivery system in the obtain constraints operation 404. In this example, the allocation is done either as part of the QoS profile generation operation 406 or was done by the control systems and provided as an additional constraint for each stream so that the total available capacity of the channel of Table 9 is not exceeded. The resulting QoS profiles are provided in Tables 13 and 14.

[00119] Using the individual output QoS profiles and the available variants/segments, the SPR media delivery system then creates an instruction set for the playback engine to produce an output stream for each client (select segment operation 408). In this example, the instruction sets would be as shown in the tables below. Note that in this example, the bit rate of the output stream is variable, while the individual content sources are constant bit rate. This illustrates how the SPR technology can optimally deliver content based on the network bandwidth availability, which is translated into the output QoS profile and finally into an instruction set to meet that profile.

[00120] The individual packets of data that form the segments are now output at the appropriate rate, based on their individual delivery timestamps (e.g., MPEG-2 transport packet PCRs) in the stream building operation 410. This is to ensure that packets are delivered to the client's input buffer in a manner that avoids over-flowing or under-flowing the client's input buffer.

[00121] Finally, a report is generated to the network control systems in the reporting operation 412. An example of information that may be included in the report is provided in Table 17, below. Using this information, additional decisions may be made for the network by the control systems. For example, there may be sufficient capacity in this channel to deliver additional services such as voice, text, or data services to Alice, Bob or a third party on this channel as long as those services can be provided within the unallocated capacity.

[00122] The example above serves to illustrate several other aspects of the SPR technology. One aspect is the monitoring of projected bandwidth usage for the QoS profile period. In the example shown, it was possible within the constraints given to deliver Alice's and Bob's stream because the available bandwidth capacity never fell below a possible aggregate demand based on the selections available to Alice. However, if, for example, the available channel capacity for the time interval 20-30s was 4.0 instead of 6.0, no combination of segments for Alice and Bob is possible that meets the constraints. This situation will not occur for the embodiment in which the channel arbitration and allocation is done by the network control systems. However, for the embodiments in which the SPR media delivery device is tasked with channel arbitration and allocation, the SPR media delivery device would output an error to the higher control systems. In response, the control systems could change the minimum QoS constraints (e.g., temporarily drop Alice to a less than premium service, for example). Alternatively, new capacity could be provided by powering up a new node or opening another channel on an existing node for use.

[00123] Another aspect illustrated by the above example is that the SPR technology supports the above functionality for both "live" sources (e.g., a real-time broadcast news channel) as well as "stored" content (e.g., a video-on-demand movie on a filesystem). To the extent that the live source is a simple ongoing stream, that data could be easily copied and streamed in the same way that the stored content is handled.

[00124] Yet another aspect illustrated by the above example is the SPR technology's ability to dynamically respond to temporarily available bandwidth by 'up-selecting' one or more streams to better quality (e.g., higher bit rate or higher resolution) content. To the extent that, as discussed below, the cost of delivering data on a channel is relatively constant regardless of the amount of bandwidth being used, this allows for the network operator to provide some users with improved services at little different in operating cost.

[00125] Yet another aspect illustrated by the above example is the improvement in efficiency when providing so-called broadcast services to multiple users at once over the current "always on" technology. In some current systems, each 'broadcast' channel is just that, a content stream assigned to a channel and delivered at all times by a node, regardless of whether any of the served devices are tuned and consuming that content stream or not. Using the SPR technology, such a so-called broadcast offering could be allocated on demand, and only when at least one device has requested and is consuming it. Every additional request for that same broadcast offering could be easily serviced by simply adding a new device identifier as another destination for the active 'broadcast' stream. When there are no more consumers of the content, the content stream could stop being broadcast, and the bandwidth it occupied re-allocated to other active streams in the system (or turned off as discussed in greater detail below).

[00126] Yet another aspect illustrated by the above example is the different control scenarios now possible with a network that implements the SPR technology. Clearly, bandwidth demand-based allocation and deallocation of network components including nodes and, even, individual channels of nodes are now possible and can be centrally controlled. However, the SPR technology allows for other scenarios such as energy demand-based management of the communication network and content delivery as well as new premium services. These different management scenarios will be described in greater detail below.

[00127] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate how embodiments of an SPR media delivery system can be implemented to support different common communication protocols. FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment 500A adapted to handle communications with devices using the Internet Protocol (IP). In the embodiment shown, an IP device 502 is connected to a network through a cable modem termination system (CMTS) 510. A CMTS 510 is a piece of equipment, typically located in a cable company's headend or hubsite, which is used to provide high speed data services, such as cable Internet or Voice over Internet Protocol, to cable subscribers. The system 500A further includes an HTTP Proxy 506 is provided between the CMTS 510 and SPR media delivery system 504 to receive HTTP requests 512 from the IP client and return the generated output stream from the multiplexor over the IP protocol. [00128] FIG. 5B illustrates an embodiment 500B adapted to handle communications with devices using the Internet Protocol (IP) for streaming requests using the user datagram protocol (UDP). UDP is an alternative communications protocol to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) used primarily for establishing low-latency and loss tolerating connections between applications on the Internet. In the embodiment shown, an IP client device is connected to a network through a gateway device (e.g., a cable modem). In a typical scenario, the client device would make TCP requests through the gateway to the delivery network. Those responses are then delivered to the client via TCP. If a TCP packet is lost, it can be recognized that it was lost because the receipt was not acknowledged, and it will be re-transmitted to the client. In the embodiment shown, the TCP

request/response/acknowledgement cycle could be terminated or proxied in the gateway device. The gateway device would transform those TCP requests into a request for a stream to be delivered. Then, rather than delivering individual responses, the content may be streamed using a protocol such as UDP to the gateway. The gateway then buffers the incoming content, and then delivers the content as TCP responses to the client's original TCP requests. In this way, the SPR system provides a means to reduce or eliminate portions of the request/response/ acknowledgement cycle from the delivery network to the gateway, while still providing compatibility with IP client devices that use it. While a streaming protocol like UDP may be inherently lossy, the nature of the content and the service may be such that missing elements are acceptable and embody a lowered constraint on the quality of service. In other services, the loss of packets might be unacceptable and impose a higher constraint on the system which may require a lossless streaming mechanism other than plain UDP streaming.

[00129] FIG. 5C illustrates an embodiment 500C adapted for use with legacy STB networks. This embodiment is similar to that described in FIG. 2. In the embodiment shown, a modulator 516 is provided between the SPR media delivery system 504 and the end user, such as co-located with the SPR media delivery system 504, with the node serving the end- user or somewhere in between. The modulator 516 modulates the stream onto the channel and passes it to the STB 518. The tuner in the STB 518 demodulates the channel and passes the stream to the display device 520 such as a standard TV. Note that this embodiment also describes an over-the-air implementation in which STB 518 is simply an antenna coupled with the proper tuner. [00130] FIG. 5D illustrates an embodiment of the basic elements of a client device, such as a STB 518. As data is received, it is placed inside a buffer 522. From the buffer 522, the content data is retrieved to be decoded by a decoder 524. The rate of decoding is governed by the frame rate of the content (for example, 24 frames per second for movies typically). The size of the buffer 522 in the client dictates how quickly and to what amount the buffer can be filled. As discussed before, larger buffers can handle larger bursts of data from the delivery network, while small buffers force the delivery to be more uniform. The output is then delivered to a display device 520, such as a TV or monitor.

Power Recovery from Nodes

[00131] As mentioned several times, current media communication networks include many components that are "always on". However, the SPR technology described herein can be used to support smart management of communication network components in order to reduce power consumption. For example, simply by reducing the number of carrier channels that are continually provided across each network leg on the path to each device, overall power consumption of the network can be reduced.

[00132] Power reduction can take many forms depending on the type of transmission through the medium. Energy consumption can be reduced by reducing power consumption of individual components by manipulation of the data delivery signal. For example, in addition to simply reducing the number of channels needed, changes to amplitude, time/duration, frequency /bandwidth, or optical spectrum/power may be effected that have the effect of reducing the power necessary to propagate a given amount of data to its destination. Power Recovery Nodes (PRN) uses this principle to realize power savings in the network.

[00133] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a PRN incorporated into a traditional HFC plant. Recall that in a traditional HFC plant, the television channels are sent as individual streams from the cable system's distribution facility, the headend, to local communities through optical fiber trunk lines. At the local community, a box called an optical node 604 converts the optically transmitted data received via the fiber optic 610 to electrically transmitted data, typically modulated onto a predetermined number of channels of fixed capacity. The channels are then distributed via coaxial cable lines 612 to subscribers' homes 606.

[00134] In the embodiment 600 shown, the optical node 604 includes an optical receiver 614 that receives the optically transmitted data and outputs the electrical signal with the data modulated onto channels. Depending on the amount of impedance of the connections due to the length of the coaxial cables to various connected homes, amplifiers or line extenders, illustrated by amplifier 616 may need to be included with the optical node 604 so that the output electrical signal has sufficient strength when it reaches the subscribers' homes. In the traditional HFC plant delivering 1000 streams of cable TV content, the optical node and electrical distribution equipment are "always on" and always delivering the various channels to the subscriber, regardless of whether the subscriber is viewing, or even subscribes to, a particular channel.

[00135] In the SPR technology embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a PRN 602 is provided between the optical node 604 and the end user homes/devices (e.g., cable modems and/or STBs) 606. In an embodiment, the PRN 602 is simply inserted between the existing components in the local box. In an alternative implementation, the PRN may replace some of the distribution equipment normally provided at the optical node 604 and the end user homes, such as a signal splitter that divides the electrical signal between the different coaxial cables to the homes.

[00136] FIG. 6 shows a PRN 602 connected in series with the optical node 604. The PRN 602 contains an upstream bidirectional signal port 618 and multiple (N) downstream bidirectional signal ports 620 (FIG. 6 shows four downstream ports). Rather than deliver the typical spectrum of channels (for example 96 MHz as shown in FIG. 6 as 350-446 MHz) to each end user 606 (e.g. home, hotel, factory, apartment building, etc.), the PRN 602 divides the spectrum into N subsets of channels using the downstream ports 620 (for example each subset of channels totaling 24 MHz in spectrum). Each downstream signal port 620 is connected to a different set of end users 606 so that each subset of channels is passed on only to its associated subset of end users 606.

[00137] In the embodiment, an SPR media delivery system upstream of the optical node 604 ensures that the subset of channels being delivered to any given house 606 includes the offering that receiver has requested. Because the PRN 602 is not driving the full spectrum across each of the N downstream ports, the node power is significantly reduced. Assuming that the different subset of channels require approximately the same amount of power to deliver the data to the end users, the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 uses 1/N the amount of power of that the legacy optical node uses to deliver the same to the attached end users.

[00138] In an embodiment, the PRN 602 may be connected to a remote PRN manager 608.

The PRN manager 608 may be able to configure, control and monitor the operation of the PRN 602, including specifically the quality and power levels of the various channels being delivered to the end users 604. The PRN 602 is controlled allowing the spectrum delivered to each of the N downstream ports 602 to be independently managed and monitored.

[00139] In an alternative embodiment, downstream signal ports 620 may be dynamically allocated to different end users 606. In this embodiment, an upstream media delivery system is not needed. Rather, for any given request from a particular house 606, the PRN 602 or some remote controller such as the PRN manager 608 directs the PRN 602 to change which downstream signal port is delivering to that house 606 so that the requested offering is delivered. This, however, requires an additional switching layer (not shown) between the downstream signal ports 620 and the end users 606 allowing each to the downstream signal ports 620 to be connected at any given time to any attached end user 606 served by the PRN 602.

[00140] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the PRN 602 is shown as a discrete module downstream from the optical node amplifier or line extender. In an alternative embodiment, the PRN 602 may be incorporated directly into the node, amplifier or extender.

[00141] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a PRN integrated with an amplifier within the local box of an HFC plant. When integrated with an amplifier or other component, the PRN 700 can perform a variety of functions in addition to managing the spectrum, and thus the power consumption, of each downstream port.

[00142] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the PRN 700 includes a central processing unit 702 ("CPU" or "processor"), a system memory 704, and a system bus 706 that couples the memory 704 to the CPU 702 as well as to the other components. These components may be equivalent to those described with reference to FIG. 3 in that they are the basic general computing system components that control the other hardware elements of the PRN 700. The PRN 700 may further include a mass storage device, however it is not shown in FIG. 7.

[00143] The PRN 700 further includes the following components a direction coupler 708, a communication device 710 such as a transponder or modem, a splitter 712, some number, N, of bandpass filters with amplifiers 714 (again, four are shown in FIG. 7), N number of diplexors 716, a combiner with amplifier 718, N number of downstream ports 722 each connected by coaxial cables to end user locations, an upstream port 724, a full spectrum downstream port 726, and a backup power source 728. Each of these will be discussed in greater detail below. [00144] In the embodiment shown, the PRN 700 controls the various components using the processor 702 and based on the instructions stored in the memory 704. This includes the ability to configure and monitor the other components. In the embodiment shown, the memory includes an operating system, PRN specific executable instructions, for example in the form of an application or applications, and data which may include monitoring logs, request logs including offering requests from end users, and power consumption logs.

[00145] The full spectrum output 730 by the optical node (not shown) is received at the upstream port 724. The direction coupler 708 can split this signal and route a copy of it to the splitter 712. Another copy can be routed to full spectrum downstream port that can be connected to remote nodes or other components in the network including delivering power signal to those components. This allows the incoming power and a copy of the complete incoming communication signal to bypass the rest of the components in the PRN 700 in case such bypass is needed. This allows for a redundancy in the system and for the PRN to be easily retrofit into legacy nodes without loss of legacy functionality. The processor 702 controls the operation of the direction coupler 708 and where communication signals can be routed at any given time.

[00146] The splitter 712 splits the incoming signal and passes the complete signal to the individual bandpass filters 714. In the embodiment shown, each bandpass filter 714 passes a different portion of the received spectrum, i.e., a subset of the received channels, to its associated diplexor 716 and hence out the associated downstream port 722 through the coaxial cables to the connected end users. The bandpass filters 714 may take the form of a band specific filter or may be configurable so that the passed band may be changed if needed. In the embodiment shown, each bandpass filter 714 includes an amplifier for increasing the power of the passed channels. Each bandpass filter 714 is passing a different portion of the received signal, e.g., a first filter is passing the channels from 350-374 MHz, the second 374- 398 MHz, the third 398-422 MHz, and the fourth 422-446 MHz. Thus the entire incoming spectrum of 350-446 MHz is divided equally and passed via the four filters 714.

[00147] The splitter 712 and individual bandpass filters 714 are also controlled by the processor 702 to configure gain, delay, pedestal, tilt, and pass band size. In addition, the amplifier may be controlled by the processor 702 in response to detecting that there is a need for additional amplification for the single to get to one or more the end users with sufficient strength. [00148] In an embodiment, the combiner 718, which may also include an amplifier, may be configured by the microcontroller 702 aggregates the return path signal and connects it to the upstream port 724 with properly adjusted output profile (gain, pedestal, tilt, delay, etc.).

[00149] The diplexors 716 route requests and other communications from the end users received via the coaxial cables 712 to the combiner 718. The combiner 718 then aggregates these requests and passes them back to the network via the upstream port 724.

[00150] The communication device 710 may be a transponder or a modem or any other suitable component that allows for the communication of the node processor 702 with other remote networked components such as the Power Management system (PMS) or intermediate PRN Manager (See, e.g., FIG. 12).

[00151] In an embodiment, PRN 700 may include a backup power source 728. In an embodiment, line power (not shown) to the PRN 700 also provides power to the backup power source 728, such as a battery or ultra-capacitor. In an alternative embodiment, the backup power source 728 may be an external device such as a remote uninterruptable power supply or electrical generator operating off of diesel, wind or solar energy. The processor 702 may manage the backup power source 728, for example, by monitoring the available charge level and delivering power as needed to recharge the power backup source 728 when power surplus exists. Upon a power failure, the processor 702 may manage the switch over to the backup power and the switch back to line power at the end of the failure in order to prevent interruption of service to any of the end users.

[00152] Implementation of the signal processing is performed using analog signal and/or digital signal processing techniques. The specific implementation choice depends on signal fidelity and power consumption goals. FIG. 7 illustrates a set of components that break the signal processing into a series of processing subcomponents. A digital implementation would take the incoming spectrum and convert the signal to the digital domain for further processing. For example, in an HFC network the analog to digital conversion can use multiple analog to digital converters each working on a subset of the frequency range for example 100 Mhz. Alternatively, the entire frequency band, for example 54 - 1002 Mhz, can be converted by a single converter, such as by a Full Band Capture Digital Tuner as provided by Broadcom Corporation. The signal in the digital domain is then passed through the processing steps described in FIG. 7. After the processing is complete the resultant signal is delivered from digital to analog converter for conversion to analog domain for output. As part of the conversion to analog, an analog reconstruction filter is applied to remove frequencies above the Nyquist sampling rate.

[00153] FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a PRN that incorporates optical signal transmission into the PRN 800 to support optical signals. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the PRN 800 includes a central processing unit 802 ("CPU" or "processor"), a system memory 804, and a system bus 806 that couples the memory 804 to the CPU 802. These components may be equivalent to those described with reference to FIG. 3 in that they are the basic general computing system components that control the other hardware elements of the PRN 800. The PRN 800 may further include a mass storage device, however it is not shown in FIG. 8.

[00154] In the embodiment of the PRN 800 as shown, the signal is received via the optical fiber 830 that connects to an optical transmitter/receiver 822. The optical transmitter/receiver 822 is monitored and controlled by the processor 802. For example, the optical receiver portion of the optical transmitter/receiver 822 is monitored for characteristics such as power level, noise, distortion and errors by the microcontroller that provides this information to the PMS.

[00155] The optical signal output of the optical receiver portion of the optical

transmitter/receiver 822 is passed to an optical demultiplexer such as a wave division demultiplexer. The optical demultiplexer 812 can refract a number of optical wavelengths and direct them to a bank of optical electrical converters 814. The different optical to electrical converters 814, may include amplifiers to boost the electrical signal, each convert a different subset of the optical wavelength to an electrical signal within a finite frequency range i.e., channel or set of channels, that is carried to the downstream ports 824.

[00156] As with the PRN 700 in FIG. 7, diplexors 816 are provided to route requests and other communications from the end users received via the coaxial cables 812 to the combiner 818. The combiner 818 then aggregates these requests and passes them back to the network via the optical transmitter portion of the optical transmitter/receiver 822. As with the PRN 700 in FIG. 7, the PRN 800 includes a backup power system 826 and communication device 810, which operate as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[00157] FIG. 9 illustrates a high level scheme for managing the power use of a network using PRNs. In the embodiment 900 shown, a PRN 902 is providing signals to three end users 904, 906, 908. The PRN 902 is in communication with a power management system (PMS) 910. In the embodiment, one aspect of the PRN is that feedback from each of the end users 904, 906, 908 is being obtained. For example, in an embodiment the end users' cable modems or set top boxes periodically push information such as the received power level of channels being received. Alternatively, such information may be pulled from the end users' devices as needed. In either case, the power level information is provided to the power management system 910. If the power management system 910 determines that the power of a particular channel to a particular end user is too low, a command may be transmitted to the PRN to increase the power of the signal serving that end user.

[00158] For example, in an embodiment the cable modem of End User Conner 908 may transmit the received power level of each of the channels being received from the PRN 902 back to the PRN on a regular basis. Possibly due to some environmental or physical circumstance affecting the coaxial cable, the cable modem detects a drop in received power level of one or more of the channels received. This information is transmitted to the PRN 902 and is then passed to the PMS 910. The PMS 910 may determine that this received power level is too low and send a command to the PRN 902 to amplify the signal being distributed to Conner 908. As this signal may be being delivered to other end users, this may increase the power to those users as well. Alternatively, the PMS 910 may determine that a service call by a technician is needed to either inspect the coaxial cable or to add a line extender at the node to increase only the signal to End User Conner 908.

[00159] Other responses are also possible such as determining the best channel (i.e., the channel requiring the least power to deliver the content) available to End User Conner 908 from the PRN 902 the way it is currently configured and directing the SPR media delivery device 912 to move all content being sent to End User Conner 908 to the best channel.

Essentially, this becomes an additional network constraint that is passed to the SPR media delivery device 912 when developing a QoS profile for End User Conner 908.

[00160] FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of an embodiment of the method for operation a network that incorporates PRNs and an SPR media delivery device. In the embodiment of the method 1000 illustrated, a network such as that in FIG. 1 is provided in which at least one node is provided with a PRN, as described above that delivers only a subset of the channels received from the network to any particular device. This method 1000 describes an embodiment where the SPR media delivery device and PRN work together to efficiently deliver the requested offerings to the devices served by the node.

[00161] The method 1000 begins with the receipt of one or more requests to deliver an offering to devices served by one downstream port of a PRN in a receive requests operation 1002. In this operation 1002, the network control system or other, higher level control system may be tasked with receiving all requests from devices served by a node and segregating those requests by downstream port. Regardless of the control architecture used, the requests are identified so that it is known to the system which devices are active on the downstream port and what offerings they are requesting.

[00162] Given the downstream port, the method 1000 then identifies the channels that downstream port uses to deliver content to the requesting devices in an available channel identification operation 1004. For example, in the PRN 700 of FIG. 7, the devices may be those connected to the downstream port 1 which delivers content via the channels within 350- 374 MHz.

[00163] The method 1000 then identifies from, the available channels, a subset for channels that can be used to deliver all the requested offerings to their associated requesting devices that reduces and/or minimizes the power needed to transmit the content from the downstream port 1 to the requesting devices. This is illustrated by the reduced power channel

identification operation 1006. In an embodiment, the channel identification operation 1006 is performed by the SPR media delivery and is as described above with reference to FIG. 4. That is, the channel identification operation 1006 may include, selecting, for each requested offering, a version of content for the offering from a plurality of versions for the offering based on constraints associated with the associated device as well as the other devices.

[00164] The identification operation 1006 may further include the optimal combination of the different streams onto the one or more identified channels to reduce the overall number of channels needed at any given time. This may result in streams being assigned to different channels at different times in order to achieve optimal packing among the channels.

[00165] Thus, in an embodiment, the channel identification operation 1006 includes reconciling the different device requests served by the same downstream port and identifying the fewest number of channels necessary to deliver the content to the devices. Recall that each channel delivered requires about the same amount of power regardless of how much data, if any, is being delivered on the channel. By efficiently allocating the content onto the lowest total number of channels, power is not wasted on delivering channels with no information at any given time or delivering many channels that are less than completely utilized.

[00166] In an embodiment, the channel identification operation 1006 also preferentially prioritizes the use the lower frequency channels within the set of available channels over the higher frequency channels in order to reduce power use further. All other things being equal, transmitting data over a higher frequency channel requires more power than transmitting the same data over a lower frequency channel. By prioritizing use of the lower frequency channels, significant power will be saved over the long run.

[00167] After the channel identification operation 1006, the streams are then built and modulated on the onto the identified reduced power subset of channels in a build streams operation 1008.

[00168] The channels are then transmitted via the network through the PRN to the devices as described above in a stream delivery operation 1010. In this the content is delivered using a reduced power subset of channels. Note that in this embodiment, the PRN has to this point been a passive device. The SPR media delivery device identifies the versions of content and assigns the content streams to different channels that will be passed to the appropriate devices automatically by the PRN. As part of this, the SPR media delivery device selects a version of content for each offering such that the total number of channels needed to deliver the content to the devices is reduced while still meeting constraints associated with each device. Thus, the SPR media delivery device is minimizing the power needed to deliver the content from the PRN to the devices by its decisions based on its knowledge of the network and delivery constraints for the content.

[00169] The PRN may, however, take a more active role, depending on the embodiment. For example, in an embodiment, the PRN may be designed to not deliver channels on which there is no data. This may include determining that not all of the channels that could be passed through a bandpass filter are carrying data and, in response, dynamically reducing the bands that are passed through the filter so as to filter out the unused channels. For example, upon determination that only certain channels are transmitting content, the processor of the PRN may direct a particular bandpass filter to pass only the subset of channels actually carrying data to the devices, thereby delivering only the subset of channels to the devices. This may further reduce the power needed to operate the network.

[00170] The method 1000 further includes a monitoring operation 1012 that monitors the power level received by the devices. It should be noted that dynamically changing the channels being delivered by the node can have a detrimental effect on the power received by the individual devices. For example, there is some crosstalk and other real-world effects that occur when delivering multiple channels of data over a transmission medium such as coaxial cable. This means that, in some cases, the ceasing to deliver a channel to a device may affect the received power level of other channels being delivered to the device. The monitoring operation 1012 identifies such detrimental changes in power level that may be caused by changes to streams and channels made by the SPR media delivery system.

[00171] The monitoring operation 1012 may include periodically polling any devices receiving content to determine the sufficiency of the power level of the channel or channels in use. In an embodiment, content streamed from the SPR media delivery system is first routed through an IP network onto the HFC plant. If the network includes CPE, these devices may be referred to as being in a service group if there is a common plant

infrastructure (e.g., HFC coax and downstream signal ports 620, for instance) that can be used to reach them. Thus, a service group that includes a particular downstream port 620 also includes all the devices 606 served by that port and the same frequencies are available to all CPE devices within the service group. Service groups may be identified by the network in various ways. A typical service group discovery technique uses the 16-bit MPEG2 transport stream identifier (carried in the MPEG2 Program Association Table) to determine the resident service group for the CPE device.

[00172] When the power management system dynamically modifies energy and frequency output from amplifiers in the system, nodes reaching different CPE within a subset of the plant will vary. For instance, as shown in FIG. 7, within a common service group, power on channel 1 and 2 (e.g., modulated onto 350-356 MHz and 362-366 MHz) may be used to deliver data to home 1 while channel 3 and 4 may be used to deliver to home 2. The typical discovery technique which depends on static service group frequencies discovery will fail. To account for this, in an embodiment of the network a CPE will report the channels that are detected using a discover message. This report acts as a further qualifier with the service group allowing a media delivery path to be identified. Such a discover message may include such data as a message type identifier identifying it as a discover message, an indication of the stream or streams being received or requested, the channels those streams are on, and a power level associated with those channels. In addition, the discover message may include a power level of all channels, even those not currently used by the CPE.

[00173] For example, in an embodiment an STB, or any component of the network, may automatically transmit a discovery message to return the received power level of the channel delivering its streamed content every few seconds or minutes. Alternatively, the network may periodically issue a request for discovery messages from any of the components in the network. The power level information provided may be an actual measures power level or some information indicative of the sufficiency of the signal being received. The received power level information is transmitted over the coaxial cable to the PRN and, depending on the network, to one or more of the control systems upstream of the PRN.

[00174] A decision operation 1014 is performed to determine if the received power level at the devices are sufficient. This may be done, for example, by comparing received power levels, signal to noise ratios, or other monitored parameters to a predetermined threshold for that parameter or parameters. In an alternative embodiment, the received power level information may include a specific indication that the received power is sufficient or insufficient based on the device's internal assessment. Regardless, if it is determined that the received power level for a device is insufficient, the signal to the device may be boosted in a boost power operation 1016. Otherwise, the current power is maintained and the method continues as described above to server subsequent requests from devices.

[00175] For example, in an embodiment, the PRN includes software that determines from the received power level information for each device served whether to amplify or otherwise increase the power level of a channel or channels to the device. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, in response to comparing the received power level information from a device connected to downstream port 1 to a threshold, the PRN may control the amplifier in the attached bandpass filter to boost the power level of the channels delivered through downstream port 1. This will have the effect of increasing power received for all devices attached to downstream port 1 but will prevent poor reception on the device experiencing the power loss.

[00176] The method 1000 is presented from the point of view of devices served by a single downstream port of a PRN. In an embodiment, this method is continuously performed for each downstream port of a PRN to respond to new requests for offerings and to continuously monitor the delivery of the content to the requesting devices. As mentioned above, various decisions may be allocated to different systems throughout the network as desired without changing the power reduction benefits to the network of the SPR system as a whole.

[00177] While a PRN is operating as part of the network, the spectrum scanning Media Access Control algorithms in the downstream end user devices continue to operate without modification since they detect which channels are present because of the sufficient received power. Higher-level communication stack protocols are then used to establish and control data service delivery on the identified carrier. This allows existing legacy end users to be served by the PRNs described above without modification even though they are no longer receiving the full spectrum of channels. [00178] The PRNs in FIGS. 7-9 may also optimize consumption when facing a power outage. To preserve service delivery, these network devices switch to auxiliary power such as a battery backup. Inherently, the battery can only supply a limited duration power. The SPR technology can respond to such an outage by reducing the number of carriers needed to deliver the media streams to the customer premises and transitioning into a 'lifeline' mode. Lifeline mode provides essential service delivery while reducing energy consumption during an outage. This extends the battery life allowing service technicians more time to restore power to the area with limited impact on customer experience.

[00179] In an embodiment, lifeline mode may be implemented simply by changing the constraints provided to the SPR media delivery device to direct it to deliver some

predetermined minimum QoS profile to each device. For example, in an embodiment, lifeline mode may automatically override any premium services or other business-related constraints with a minimum QoS profile for each device.

[00180] Product Environmental Requirements for Cable Telecommunications Facilities (ANSI/SCTE 186 2012) specification provides guidelines for energy management of data centers, cable headends and distributed hubs with HVAC equipment. It also recommends equipment with device energy management capability be used as per SCTE 184 2012, Facilities Energy Management and Recommended Practices 2012. Network management protocol and information architecture such as SNMP and the SCTE HMS Management Information Base (SCTE 184 2012) are example mechanisms for managing these network nodes. SCTE 216 addresses broadest set of energy management concerns and SCTE 211 addresses energy metrics for HFC outdoor components.

[00181] The concept of energy objects may be used when implementing the lifeline mode or managing the network for power reduction in general. Energy objects are used as part of the energy management business logic and communications. For example, Power Energy Monitoring & Control Mib RFC 7460 specifies an information management base for energy objects. A set of power states are defined, for example: on, off, and sleep or higher level of granularity when possible depending on the embodiment. The PMS may use this information to monitor current network device energy states, record a history of energy states, and transition network devices into different energy states in response to changing conditions.

[00182] The use of PRNs is not limited only to end nodes that directly deliver a signal to an end-user. The same power recovery concepts can be applied to intermediate nodes by using intermediate PRNs. [00183] FIG. 11 illustrates a simplified network that includes a series of intermediate nodes and an end node, each configured for power recovery as described herein. In the embodiment 1100 shown, two intermediate PRNs 1102 in series deliver content to an end node 1104 that is also a PRN. The end node 1104 then delivers content to end user devices such as device 1106 associated with End User Bob.

[00184] Nodes within a sequence flow can be viewed as part of a common circuit. As a result, changing output characteristics of one node, for instance narrowing output spectrum and power can impact the transmit characteristics of sibling nodes and downstream nodes. As signals propagate through the components of the network, they are attenuated by the passive components of the network such as wires and splitters. Active components of the system are used to restore the signal strength so that the downstream receivers can detect the signal. In addition, distortion and noise are also contributed to the signal during propagation. Each successive component through which the signal passes as it propagates to the end device adds to the overall noise and distortion. The noise and distortion interfere with signal reception at each receiver along the path. In selecting the power level for each relay leg between components (for example RF amplifiers), the PRN power management system, such as the PRN manager 1110, may independently configure power levels at each node 1102, 1104 to address the tradeoff between distortion and signal strength while also minimizing power consumption.

[00185] In an embodiment, this may be performed by measuring, at different nodes 1102, 1104 or different components along the network path, the received power level, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, phase delay, bandwidth, roll-off and other parameters.

[00186] The monitored parameters are then analyzed, for example based on a model, and each PRN configured for the optimum output power level. In an HFC plant, for example, the received power as well as other parameters including indications of signal impairment are measured at one or several points across the received frequency range. The measured parameters are then transmitted to the PMS 1110 which compares the measured parameters to optimal levels. The PMS 1110 then sends configuration instructions as necessary to optimize the power levels at each PRN 1102, 1104.

Energy -based Network Management

[00187] The SPR technology described above, especially in conjunction with the PRN, illustrate just some aspects of how the SPR technology may be used to reduce the overall energy use by a communication network. The SPR technology further enables many other ways to manage a communication network based on energy demand. By delivering media in accordance dynamically controlled constraints, management based on energy demand can be achieved by changing the constraints to get the desired energy performance.

[00188] Energy demand response is one example of energy-based network management that could be implemented using the SPR technology. In this embodiment, the network, such as the network 100 shown in FIG. 1, is supplied power from one or more electrical utilities using SCADA systems that monitor energy consumption across a wide area and compares to energy consumption set points. When a set-point is exceeded, the electrical utility system SCADA signals a demand response or curtailment event to the power management system of the data service/network provider. This is an instruction to reduce power consumption for a period of time in a particular consumption area. For instance, a summer day when air conditioner usage has pushed up energy demand can cause the electrical utility to send a curtailment message.

[00189] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the signaling associated with an energy curtailment event. In the embodiment 1200 shown, the utility's demand system 1202 sends a curtailment event notice to the network's power management system (PMS) 1204. In an embodiment, multiple utility demand systems can be communicating to a single PMS 1204 at any given time if the network is served by more than one utility. In the embodiment shown, the PMS 1204 uses a PRN manager 1208 as a proxy to control the network nodes 1210 and update their configurations so that the nodes 1210 operate in reduced power modes.

[00190] When responding to a curtailment event, the PMS 1204 identifies network nodes/elements and other components drawing power in the demand zone identified by the curtailment event notice. From this information, the PMS 1204 generates one or more power-related constraints on how media should be delivered over the network, at least in the demand zone. It then sends the power-related constraints to the SPR media delivery system 1206 to be used when generated QoS profiles for individual streams.

[00191] Power-related constraints may override other constraints, such as business-related constraints. In an embodiment (not shown), the PMS 1204 may provide the power-related constraints to an intermediate control system, such as the business logic and control system (not shown), so that any conflicting constraints (e.g., premium service constraints versus power-related constraints) may be arbitrated and a final set of constraints determined and passed to the SPR media delivery system 1206 for implementation. Alternatively, the SPR media delivery system 1206 may arbitrate such conflicts based on a set of rules stored in memory.

[00192] For example, a power-related constraint may be to dictate the maximum number of channels that can be delivered during the curtailment event. This constraint is passed to the SPR media delivery system 1206 and a QoS profile is created for each stream being built so that the maximum number of channels in that region is not exceeded. Once the SPR media delivery system 1206 has achieved the requested decrease in spectrum, it may send the PMS 1204 a confirmation message that may include the bandwidth usage and the amount of spectrum recovery achieved.

[00193] Optionally using the PRN manager 1208 as a proxy, the PMS 1204 may then signal the PRNs 1210 of the power reduction request. The nodes 1210, including the individual components such as RF modulators/upconverters, distribution amplifiers, and line extenders and other power consuming devices, discontinue transmission of signals on the abandoned channels. This may be achieved, for instance, through remote protocol lowering of an energy object power set state or, simply, by turning off a component. This allows power

consumption to be reduced during the event from data center to last mile connection in a communication network.

[00194] Customer premises equipment such as modems, routers, wifi transmitters, set-top boxes, televisions, laptop computers, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets, internet of things devices, sensor networks and other commercial and consumer networked devices can also participate as part of the power management resource pool. For example, such equipment could be individually managed as a PRN 1210 on the network. As long as the PMS 1204 or the PRN manager 1208 has knowledge of the equipment and is capable of communicating with and configuring the equipment to different power states, central management of these devices can be easily achieved.

[00195] As mentioned above because the network may span across a broad geography, multiple power utilities may be responsible for supplying energy to various portions of the network. To facilitate power management of the network, portions of the network may be divided into power demand zones (PDZs). A PDZ is a set of equipment (e.g., network nodes 1210) that is managed under a common power demand contract with a common energy supplier. In an embodiment, the PMS 1204 is responsible for managing the power load across multiple power suppliers. Media streams traversing through a several PDZs introduce additional complexity. [00196] FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a method for energy -based management of network that spans multiple PDZs. In the embodiment 1300 shown, the PMS receives a curtailment event notice from one of the PDZs in a receive notice operation 1302. The PMS determines the acceptable power amount that the network can consume in the PDZ based on the curtailment event notice in a target determination operation 1304. In an embodiment, the acceptable power amount may then be converted into an acceptable number of channels for use in delivering content to the devices served. Other metrics or targets may be derived and used, such as target power reduction in percentage terms or absolute terms.

[00197] Given the acceptable power amount, the current media being delivered is analyzed and the necessary power-related constraints are determined that will reduce the power consumption of the nodes within the PDZ to the acceptable power amount. This is illustrated by the determine power-constraints operation 1306. In an embodiment, starting from some predetermined minimum level, constraints for the current media streams are iteratively modified (i.e., bandwidth is reduced by changing the constraints) until the optimum QoS profile for each stream is determined that, together, represent the acceptable power level identified in the curtailment request. In an embodiment, the predetermined minimum level may be delivery of a minimum network service to devices identified as priority 1 emergency services. If that can be achieved without exceeding acceptable power level, individual streams of lesser priority may be added until the acceptable power level is reached.

[00198] In an alternative embodiment, the SPR system could iterate through the current media being delivered and reduce each stream to successively lower power-consuming constraints until the target power usage is reached.

[00199] Regardless of the technique, upon determination of the necessary power-related constraints needed to reduce the power consumption of the PDZ to the acceptable power level, those constraints are provided to the SPR media delivery system for implementation as part of a deliver new constraints operation 1308. The SPR media delivery system then builds and delivers the streams as per the constraints, thereby reducing the power demand of the network in the PDZ to the target levels 1310.

[00200] FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of a more detailed method for responding to a curtailment event notice. In an embodiment 1400, an information architecture that incorporates both the media flow from source to destination as well as the PDZs is maintained by the PMS is illustrated in Table 1. Network components are each associated with a PDZ via a PDZ identifier. A flow structure identifies a sequence of primary and redundant nodes between source and destination.

Table 18 - Stream Management Table

[00201] In the method 1400, a power curtailment event notice is delivered to the PMS by, for instance, a SCADA in a receive curtailment event notice operation 1402. This event can be driven by several factors such an energy demand request from power utility or a localized power outage.

[00202] In the embodiment shown, the PMS then determines acceptable power usage as described above in a target determination operation 1404. In this embodiment, the target is in the form of a power budget allowed to the components within the PDZ.

[00203] Next a determination operation 1406 is performed to determine if the current power usage is at or below the power budget. If the budget is met, a compliance report is sent to the utility in a reporting operation 1422 to determine if all nodes are optimized, discussed below.

[00204] If the budget step has not been satisfied, the active streams traveling through the PDZ are identified in an identification operation 1408. In that operation 1408, the components receiving power from the PDZ identified in the curtailment request are identified by matching the PDZ ID. Then the streams being handled by those components are identified. [00205] A stream is then selected from those streams identified as passing through equipment in the PDZ in a selection operation 1410. In that operation 1410, any of a variety of techniques may be used to direct the actual selection. Streams may be selected at random or proceeded through in some predetermined order. In addition, a weighted round robin algorithm may serve as the basis of the selection. In this case, the weighting function in based on a histogram of peak network capacity. These techniques may also be used in combination. Alternatively, the selection may include investigating the identified streams for particular attributes such as priority, equipment/nodes being used, power requirements, or offering being streamed and the streams selected based on this information.

[00206] A power reduction action is then determined for the selected stream in an action determination operation 1412. In an embodiment, the action selection operation 1412 includes assessing the selected stream against a set of predetermined possible actions, such as rerouting within the PDZ, reducing the bandwidth, delaying delivery, terminating the delivery, and doing nothing to that stream. The power reduction that could be achieved by each action is projected and a selection of one of the actions is made. In an embodiment, for example, one action entails determining where excess capacity is present in the PDZ and the power savings by migrating the selected stream onto that route. As another possible action, streams that can be delivered via alternate routes, particularly routes around the PDZ, routes that use less equipment of the PDZ or routes that avoid particularly power intensive equipment in the PDZ, may be identified and the power saving for each of these possible routes may be determined.

[00207] The selected power reduction action is then implemented by generating the appropriate new constraints for the stream and passing those constraints to the SPR media delivery system for implementation as part of a deliver new constraints operation 1414. The SPR media delivery system then builds and delivers the stream as per the constraints.

[00208] If the action selected for the stream results in any component or node within the PDZ to be turned off or set into a reduced power consumption state that is performed in a turn off components operation 1418 as soon as the power reduction action is implemented.

[00209] The power reduction achieved by the selected power reduction action is determined and the new power demand for the PDZ is obtained in a power determination operation 1420. This may be done by calculation or by monitoring the actual power usage of the network equipment or a combination of both. Flow now returns to the first determination operation 1406 to determine if the power budget is met and, if not, the above process is repeated. [00210] Using table 18, above, as an example, all elements for the flow sequences are within a common PDZ. Consider a curtailment request to reduce the network power usage by 12 power 'units'. The PMS may terminate flow sequence 0001 to recover 8 units. It is 4 units short of the curtailment request. It may then proceed with terminate flow sequence 0002 to obtain an additional 8 units meeting the curtailment request with a surplus of 4 units.

[00211] In the case where a flow sequence transits multiple PDZ, the PMS only considers the PDZ associated with the requested curtailment event when determining power reduction. In Table 19 below, element with ID of 0001 is in PDZ 0002 and therefore is not considered in curtailment events for PDZ 0001.

Table 19 - Stream Management Table, Multiple PDZs

[00212] To meet the curtailment event for PDZ 0001, the power manager would terminate sequence flow 0001. It would be 6 units short of the curtailment event request. It would then terminate sequence flow 0002 to reach the total request of 12 units with no surplus.

[00213] To facilitate power management of the network, a Power Management User

Interface PMUI may be provided. In an embodiment, the PMUI supplies the operations console for the PMS. The PMUI can be instantiated on any display or device such as a computer terminal display, smartphone, tablet, or other interactive display device. In an embodiment the PMUI provides a representation of the underlying information architecture driving the PMS process and allows for configuration and tuning of energy recovery. PMUI may represent streams, SPR media delivery systems, content libraries, nodes network components, PDZs and any other aspect of the network. Operations states of SPR media delivery systems and nodes are illustrated by changes in the graphics to indicate warning and alarm states. For instance, if connectivity to a node is lost an alarm indicator may appear.

[00214] The SPR technology further allows end users to be prompted and given an option of voluntarily terminating their stream or going to a reduced bandwidth version of their stream to voluntarily reduce their personal power consumption. This may be done, for example, in response to a curtailment request or other times of peak power. In an embodiment, the PMS may cause a user interface (UI) to appear on the user's device explaining the situation and allowing the user to volunteer to reduce the power use of his or her device. Through the UI, the user may be reminded of participation in the program and their positive contribution to the power savings and greenhouse gas reductions through the user interface display on the media device. For example, in an embodiment, once the curtailment event has been initiated and at scheduled times during the curtailment event a message and or icon may be displayed to the user. Power information is sent to the media device two-way interactive channel or one way targeted for the specific device. Information can include messages, emoticons, reward medallions, video clip, coupon, free movie pass, and animated graphics to provide feedback on critical parameters like C0 ₂ reduction and power reductions being achieved either individually or collectively. The information can also be accessed from other second screen device such as PC, Smartphones and tablets.

[00215] In an embodiment, the UI on the device may allow the subscriber to decline the power saving opportunity by selecting an option on the display screen or via a TV remote control. When the subscriber selects this option a message is sent to the PMS excludes the stream from the power management methods described above.

[00216] In yet another embodiment, a motion sensor either attached to the media display device or connected to a sensor network can be used to indicate the presence of the user. Depending on configured preference, when motion in the room is detected the user can be prompted to save power. If no motion is detected the stream is utilized for the power recovery.

[00217] Notwithstanding the appended clauses, the disclosure is also defined by the following clauses:

1. A system for delivering media over a channel having a fixed channel capacity in a network comprising:

a multiplexer that generates an output stream based on an instruction set, each output stream being a sequence of individual segments defined by the instruction set;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing computer-readable instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the following method:

receiving a request for an offering in a content library to be delivered to a media device over the fixed bandwidth capacity, the offering associated with a first version of content and a second version of content stored in the content library, the first version being a first sequence of first segments in a first encoding format and the second version being a second sequence of second segments in a second encoding format different from the first encoding format;

retrieving delivery constraints associated with the network and the media device;

selecting a subset of individual segments from first and second versions to be delivered in a third sequence based on the delivery constraints, the selected subset including at least one first segment and at least one second segment.

generating an instruction set for the multiplexer identifying the third sequence of segments; and

sending the instruction set to the multiplexer, thereby causing the multiplexer to generate an output stream of the third sequence of individual segments.

2. The system of clause 1 further comprising:

a modulator that modulates the output streams onto the channel having the fixed channel capacity and transmits the channel to at least one device connected to the network.

3. The system of clause 1 or 2 wherein the selecting operation further includes: generating a quality of service (QoS) profile for a delivery period, the delivery period divided into one or more QoS intervals, the QoS profile containing at least one delivery constraint for each QoS interval; and

selecting an individual segment from the first segments and the second segments for each QoS interval based on the at least one delivery constraint for that QoS interval.

4. The system of clause 1 or any clause that depends from clause 1 wherein the delivery constraints are selected from device constraints, network constraints, business- related constraints or power constraints.

5. The system of clause 1 or any clause that depends from clause 1 wherein each selected segment has an associated further comprising:

calculating the amount of capacity necessary to transmit the third sequence of individual segments; and

generating a bandwidth usage report indicating the calculated amount. 6. The system of clause 1 or any clause that depends from clause 1 further comprising:

a network control system that receives the report and, in response to the report, activates a second channel having a fixed channel capacity and transmits a constraint to the processor to transmit the stream to the media device via the second channel.

7. The system of clause 1 or any clause that depends from clause 1 further comprising:

one or more of the content library, a power management system, a power recovery node, or a power recovery node manager.

8. The system of clause 1 or any clause that depends from clause 1 wherein the delivery constraints are selected from an identification of the offering, a minimum acceptable resolution, a maximum acceptable resolution, a minimum bit rate, a maximum bit rate, a codecs, a digital rights management technology, a buffer size, a minimum burst rate, a maximum burst rate, a minimum delay, a maximum delay, a minimum average bit rate, a maximum average bit rate, an identification of the media device, an identification of the node currently serving the media device, an identification of the channel currently serving the media device, an identification of the available nodes and/or channels which could serve the media device, an identification of the available network paths from the processor to the media device, an identification of a priority associated with the media device relative to other media devices on the network.

9. A method for reduced power delivery of communications in a network comprising: receiving a request to deliver content to a first device via the network;

determining a node serving the first device and a plurality of channels generated by the node available for delivering content to the first device;

selecting, from the plurality of channels, a lowest power channel available for delivering content to the first device; and

streaming the content to the first device on the lowest power channel via the node.

10. The method of clause 9 wherein selecting further comprises: identifying at least one second device also provided the plurality of channels by the node and the content on the plurality of channels being delivered to the second devices;

modifying a format of the content being delivered to one or more of the second devices based on the available capacity on the lowest power channel.

11. The method of clause 9 or any clause that depends therefrom further comprising: monitoring a received power level of the lowest power channel as received by the first device;

comparing the received power level to a threshold; and

increasing or decreasing the power level of the lowest power channel based on the comparison.

12. A method for reduced power delivery of communications in a network comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests to deliver content to devices via the network;

determining a plurality of channels deliverable to the devices by the network;

identifying a reduced power subset of channels from the plurality of channels capable of delivering the content to the devices based on characteristics of the content; and

streaming the content to the devices on the reduced power subset of channels.

13. The method of clause 12 wherein the requests to deliver content are requests for an offering to be delivered to an associated device and the method further comprises:

for each requested offering, selecting a version of content for the offering from a plurality of versions for the offering based on at least one constraint of the associated device and a capacity of the plurality of channels; and

modulating the selected versions of content onto the reduced power subset of channels.

14. The method of clause 13 wherein selecting a version of content for the offering further comprises:

selecting a version of content for each offering such that the number of channels needed to deliver the content to the devices is reduced while still meeting constraints associated with each device. 15. The method of clause 12 or any clause that depends therefrom further

comprising:

directing a bandpass filter to pass only the reduced power subset of channels to the devices, thereby delivering only the subset of channels to the devices.

16. The method of clause 12 or any clause that depends therefrom wherein identifying a reduced power subset of channels further comprises:

determining a set of lowest frequency channels in the plurality of channels with sufficient capacity to deliver the content to the devices; and

identifying the set of lowest frequency channels as the reduced power subset of channels.

17. The method of clause 12 or any clause that depends therefrom wherein the characteristics of the content include at least one of a bit rate, a resolution, or a codec.

18. The method of clause 12 or any clause that depends therefrom further

comprising:

monitoring a received power level of at least one of the subset of channels received by each device; and

comparing the received power levels to a threshold; and

increasing or decreasing the power level of the subset of channels based on the comparison.

19. A method for reducing powder usage of a communication network comprising: receiving a curtailment event notice identifying a power demand zone and a target power reduction level;

determining the components of the network within the power demand zone;

determining the communication streams being delivered by the components in the power demand zone;

for at least one communication stream, generating a set of one or more constraints for the stream that will reduce the power needed by the components delivering the stream; building the at least one communication stream in accordance with the constraints; and

streaming the at least one communication stream to its destination, thereby reducing the power used by the components in the power demand zone.

20. The method of clause 19 further comprising:

transmitting the constraints to a media delivery system which builds the at least one communication stream.

21. The method of clause 19 or 20 further comprising:

determining the power used by the components in the power demand zone after building and transmitting the at least one communication stream using the generated constraints.

22. The method of clause 21 further comprising:

reporting the power used by the components in the power demand zone after building and transmitting the at least one communication stream using the generated constraints to a source of the curtailment request.

23. The method of clause 19 or any clause that depends therefrom further comprising:

repeating the generating, building and streaming operations until the target power reduction level is achieved.

24. The method of clause 19 or any clause that depends therefrom further comprising:

identifying at least one network component that, as a result of the streaming operation, is no longer used by the network; and

directing the at least one network component to switch to a reduced power state.

25. The method of clause 19 or any clause that depends therefrom wherein building the at least one communication stream further comprises:

selecting a reduced bit rate version of content; and building the stream using the reduced bit rate version of content.

26. The method of clause 19 or any clause that depends therefrom wherein building the at least one communication stream further comprises:

changing the channel over which the at least one communication stream is transmitted.

[00218] It will be clear that the systems and methods described herein are well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those inherent therein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and systems within this specification may be implemented in many manners and as such is not to be limited by the foregoing exemplified embodiments and examples. In other words, functional elements being performed by a single or multiple components, in various combinations of hardware and software, and individual functions can be distributed among software applications at either the client or server level. In this regard, any number of the features of the different embodiments described herein may be combined into one single embodiment and alternate embodiments having fewer than or more than all of the features herein described are possible.

[00219] While various embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, various changes and modifications may be made which are well within the scope of the technology described herein. Numerous other changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in the spirit of the disclosure and as defined in the appended claims.