Patent ID: 8332528

Claim:
At a content-delivery service provider, a method of distributing content, comprising: maintaining a content-definition table having a delayed-play entry that specifies (i) a content corresponding to the delayed-play entry, (ii) a play time for the delayed-play entry, and (ii) a first target device for playing the content corresponding to the delayed-play entry; selecting a first threshold value; during a time period between (i) a time when said content corresponding to the delayed-play entry becomes available from a corresponding content provider and (ii) said play time, querying a first network about a current traffic load in said first network; determining presence of a first delivery-opportunity window within said time period by: comparing the current traffic load in the first network with the first threshold value; and deciding that the first delivery-opportunity window is present when the current traffic load in the first network is smaller than the first threshold value; while the first delivery-opportunity window is present, transmitting a media file corresponding to the delayed-play entry over the first network to the first target device for storage in a first local storage unit associated with the first target device to enable the first target device to render the media file at the play time specified in the content-definition table; selecting a second threshold value; during said time period, querying a second network about a current traffic load in said second network; determining presence of a second delivery-opportunity window within said time period by: comparing the current traffic load in the second network with the second threshold value; and deciding that the second delivery-opportunity window is present when the current traffic load in the second network is smaller than the second threshold value; and while the second delivery-opportunity window is present, transmitting the media file, over the second network, to a second target device for storage in a second local storage unit associated with the second target device, wherein the step of transmitting over the second network is completed prior to the play time, wherein: the first target device is a first end-user device configured to render the media file for an end user; and the second target device is a second end-user device configured to render the media file for the end user.