Patent ID: 7970863
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for regulating the transfer of entertainment content, the method comprising: receiving, at a networking device that facilitates the exchange of content between at least first and second devices on a network and first and second external computer systems that are not on the network and from the first device over an internal communication pathway on the network between the first device and the networking device, a first request for entertainment content from the first external computer system; determining, at the networking device, that the first request is a non-human interactive request; in response to receiving the first request for entertainment content, initiating a transfer of at least one portion of the requested entertainment content from the first external computer system to the networking device, wherein the requested entertainment content is separated into portions for the transfer; receiving, at the networking device and from the second device over an internal communications pathway on the network between the second device and the networking device, a second request for content from a second external computer system, the second external computer system being different from the first external computer system; determining, at the networking device, that the second request is a human interactive request; in response to receiving the second request for content, initiating a transfer of the requested content from the second external computer system to the networking device; and based on the determination that the second request is a human interactive request and the determination that the first request is a non-human interactive request, using the networking device to adjust one or more connection parameters between the networking device and the first external computer system in a manner that prioritizes the transfer of the requested content from the second external computer system to the networking device relative to the transfer of the requested entertainment content from the first external computer system to the networking device by increasing the period of time between receiving the at least one portion of the requested entertainment content at the networking device and transmitting an acknowledgement from the networking device to the first external computer system in response to receiving the at least one portion of the requested entertainment content from the first external computer system.