Patent ID: 7493287

Claim:
For a content distribution network having a distribution medium, distribution site and a plurality of interacting devices in communication with said distribution site over said distribution medium, a distributed content architecture comprising: a plurality of active content cells, each of said active content cells being external to said content distribution network and containing at least one digital asset and further containing metadata relating to said at least one of said digital asset; and a content management server associated with said distribution site and further being in communication with each of said active content cells wherein said digital asset in each of said active content cells is initially non-communicable to said content management server and further wherein said metadata relating to said digital asset in each of said active content cells is initially communicable to said content management server at which an index of said digital asset in each of said active content cells, wherein said index has an index component respectively corresponding to said digital asset in each of said active content cells, is developed from said metadata from each of said active content cells such that at least one component of said index is selectable at any one of said interacting devices, said digital asset in one of said active content cells subsequently being communicable to said content management server to enable download of said digital asset of said one of said active content cells from said distribution site to one of said interacting devices upon selection of said component of said index corresponding to said digital asset of said one of said active content cells being made at said one of said interacting devices only in the event such selection is validated by said content management server as being in conformity with said metadata relating to one of said digital asset of said one of said active content cells.