Patent ID: 9538249
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: H04N

Claim:
1. A method for resource shifting in a communications infrastructure having a provider-side system in communication with a plurality of subscriber-side systems, the method comprising: receiving a first request for a content object via a requesting one of a plurality of subscriber-side systems associated with a subscriber; determining, by a provider-side system, whether to perform resource shifting in the communications infrastructure in response to a network resource usage calculated from subscriber-side system demands; calculating, by the provider-side system, a request engagement relationship between the requested content object and a plurality of watch-nowable content objects, wherein the watch-nowable content objects are determined to be watch-nowable content objects with respect to the requesting subscriber-side system as being deliverable to the requesting subscriber-side system substantially in real time according to present characteristics of a network for delivering the plurality of watch-nowable content objects, and each of at least some of the watch-nowable content objects has an associated content engagement relationship between itself and others of the plurality of watch-nowable content objects; determining, by the provider-side system, a set of alternate content objects comprising those of the plurality of watch-nowable content objects having content engagement relationships most similar to the request engagement relationship of the requested content object; and communicating, to the subscriber via the requesting subscriber-side system, in response to the determined network resource usage and the determined set of alternate content objects an offer of a discount in exchange for the subscriber opting for delivery of one of the set of alternate content objects instead of opting for delivery of the requested content object, the requested content object not being communicated to the requesting subscriber-side system when the offer is received; receiving, in response to the offer, a second request from the subscriber via the requesting subscriber-side system for a selected content object, such that the selected content object is the requested content object; and delivering the selected content object to the subscriber via the requesting subscriber-side system in response to the second request.