Patent ID: 8463876

Claim:
A method of distributing partial content objects in a content delivery network (CDN), the method comprising: receiving at a distribution server an indication that a content object is available at a first point of presence; determining whether the content object is a candidate for distribution; upon determining that the content object is a candidate for distribution: determining a select portion of the content object to be distributed; retrieving the select portion of the content object, the select portion including at least one of information indicative of a content type associated with the content object, or information used by an end user system to prepare to playback the content object; selecting a plurality of edge servers to receive the select portion of the content object, the plurality of edge servers being selected based on a property of the content object, a usage property of the CDN and/or a property of a target customer; not in response to an end user request for the content object, sending the select portion of the content object to the plurality of edge servers; receiving a request from an end-user device for the content object; assigning the request to one of the plurality of edge server; and sending the select portion of the content object to the end-user device.