Geographic Proxy System for Roaming Content Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users accessing over-the-air television content via the internet face limitations such as limited selection, outdated content, and restricted access to live and recorded broadcasts when outside their home market due to geographical restrictions.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to access and stream content from their home market by transferring requests to regional capture and distribution systems, which act as geographic proxies, using global positioning, cellular phone systems, or Internet protocol addresses to determine location and enable access to live and recorded content via dedicated network links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users access over-the-air television content via the internet from their home market, then content selection and availability are improved, but access is restricted when users are outside their home market
Solution Approach 1:
A central qualifying system acts as an intermediary between users and regional capture systems. When a user is detected outside their home market, the qualifying system redirects their request to the appropriate regional system in their home market, which then captures and streams content back to the user. This mediator approach maintains geographical licensing restrictions while enabling continuous access for mobile users.
Solution Approach 2:
The service is segmented into multiple regional capture and distribution systems, each serving a specific home market. Users are associated with their home market's regional system, but the central qualifying system manages cross-regional access by routing requests appropriately. This segmentation allows the service to maintain local content restrictions while providing national coverage.
2Reliability
If regional capture systems are deployed in each home market, then content distribution accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The central qualifying system performs multiple functions: it determines user location, identifies the user's home market, redirects requests to appropriate regional systems, and manages the overall network coordination. This multi-functional approach consolidates complex management tasks into a single system, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable content distribution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If users can access content from any location, then user mobility is improved, but geographical licensing restrictions are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines user location using GPS, cellular positioning, or IP address geolocation, and dynamically redirects content delivery based on the user's current location versus their home market. This dynamic approach allows users to move freely while the system automatically ensures licensing compliance by routing all content requests through the user's home market regional system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for enabling a user to access video capture services from a home market while temporarily located in outside of it, i.e., roaming. The user temporarily located outside of their home market uses a regional system as a proxy in a home market in which the user is able to receive regional content. The regional system transfers the regional content to the roaming user.