Patent ID: 9596095
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A method of optimizing the distribution of multimedia content to a plurality of users within a predetermined temporal duration, by a computing machine in a network node, the method comprising: monitoring the multimedia content requests of a plurality of users; correlating users based on the multimedia content requested by the users and the times at which the multimedia content is requested by the users; forming one or more groups of users based on the correlations among the users; receiving requests for first multimedia content from a set of users in a first one of the one or more groups, the requests received within a predetermined temporal duration; in response to the reception, predicting requests for the first multimedia content from other users in the first one of the one or more groups; in response to the prediction, allocating a broadcast channel for the broadcast of the first multimedia content to users in the first one of the one or more groups; controlling terminal equipments associated with users in the first one of the one or more groups to receive and buffer the first multimedia content; receiving a request for the first multimedia content from a second user in the first one of the one or more groups not in the set of users; individually distributing at least an initial portion of the first multimedia content to the second user; and terminating the individual distribution of the first multimedia content to the second user after the terminal equipment associated with the second user begins rendering the first multimedia content from the buffered first multimedia content.