US 11140441

I am providing a concise summary of US Patent 11140441 based on the available information.

US Patent 11140441 Summary

• Title: Method, system, and apparatus for multimedia content delivery to cable TV and satellite operators
• Assignee: Individual
• Inventors: Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon
• Filing Date: December 30, 2019
• Issue Date: October 5, 2021
• Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for delivering multimedia content from the cloud to cable operators are disclosed. A device located at the cable headend or implemented in the cloud can receive a request for at least one media stream for playback on a broadcast media channel. Content corresponding to a plurality of multimedia files in the media stream can be obtained from the internet or a cloud based service. The content can be used to generate the multimedia files in a format that is compatible with the cable operator. The multimedia files can be used to assemble the at least one media stream which can be provided to the cable operator for broadcast on the broadcast media channel.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

There are two independent claims in US Patent 11140441:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a computer-implemented method for creating and delivering multimedia assets. It involves a caching unit performing several steps for each multimedia asset:

  1. Verifying sufficient storage space.
  2. Generating a unique channel identifier.
  3. Retrieving multiple media files and their identifiers from a cloud service.
  4. Creating a custom HTML user interface with video for each retrieved media file.
  5. Encoding and encapsulating these media files together in an MPEG transport stream format.
  6. Storing the completed multimedia assets at the caching unit.
  7. Responding to a request from a broadcasting unit for one of these assets by providing it in the MPEG transport stream format.

• Independent Claim 10: This claim focuses on a computer-implemented method utilizing a virtualized system with a virtualized caching server. The virtualized caching server performs the following actions:

  1. Receiving a request from a content provider for a media stream to be played on a broadcast channel, where the stream contains various types of multimedia items.
  2. Obtaining content for these multimedia items from at least one source in a first format.
  3. Rendering a web page using a browser with this content.
  4. Generating a series of screen captures of the rendered web page over time, where at least two consecutive captures show a dynamic change in the content.
  5. Assembling the media stream using this temporal sequence of screen captures.
  6. Providing the assembled media stream to the content provider for broadcast.

Litigation Status:

• Family has litigation: Yes
• US case filed in Florida Southern District Court: Case number 1:24-cv-21226
• PTAB case IPR2025-00351 filed: Pending - Instituted

I do not have specific CAFC 2026 dockets for this patent beyond what is indicated in the Google Patents information regarding ongoing litigation.I am providing a concise summary of US Patent 11140441 based on the available information.

US Patent 11140441 Summary

• Title: Method, system, and apparatus for multimedia content delivery to cable TV and satellite operators
• Assignee: Individual
• Inventors: Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon
• Filing Date: December 30, 2019
• Issue Date: October 5, 2021
• Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for delivering multimedia content from the cloud to cable operators are disclosed. A device located at the cable headend or implemented in the cloud can receive a request for at least one media stream for playback on a broadcast media channel. Content corresponding to a plurality of multimedia files in the media stream can be obtained from the internet or a cloud based service. The content can be used to generate the multimedia files in a format that is compatible with the cable operator. The multimedia files can be used to assemble the at least one media stream which can be provided to the cable operator for broadcast on the broadcast media channel.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

There are two independent claims in US Patent 11140441:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a computer-implemented method for creating and delivering multimedia assets. It involves a caching unit performing several steps for each multimedia asset:

  1. Verifying sufficient storage space.
  2. Generating a unique channel identifier.
  3. Retrieving multiple media files and their identifiers from a cloud service.
  4. Creating a custom HTML user interface with video for each retrieved media file.
  5. Encoding and encapsulating these media files together in an MPEG transport stream format.
  6. Storing the completed multimedia assets at the caching unit.
  7. Responding to a request from a broadcasting unit for one of these assets by providing it in the MPEG transport stream format.

• Independent Claim 10: This claim focuses on a computer-implemented method utilizing a virtualized system with a virtualized caching server. The virtualized caching server performs the following actions:

  1. Receiving a request from a content provider for a media stream to be played on a broadcast channel, where the stream contains various types of multimedia items.
  2. Obtaining content for these multimedia items from at least one source in a first format.
  3. Rendering a web page using a browser with this content.
  4. Generating a series of temporal screen captures of the rendered web page, where each capture defines all content at a given time, and at least two adjacent captures show a dynamic change over time.
  5. Assembling the media stream using this temporal sequence of screen captures.
  6. Providing the assembled media stream to the content provider for broadcast.

Litigation Status:

• Family has litigation: Yes
• US case filed in Florida Southern District Court: Case number 1:24-cv-21226
• PTAB case IPR2025-00351 filed: Pending - Instituted

I do not have specific CAFC 2026 dockets for this patent beyond what is indicated in the Google Patents information regarding ongoing litigation.

Patent US11140441 is involved in the following litigation:

1. District Court Case:

• Plaintiff(s): Dr. Edwin A. Hernandez, and EGLA Corp.
• Defendant(s): Stingray Group Inc. f/k/a Stingray Digital Group, Inc., Stingray Music USA, Inc., Mood Media LLC f/k/a Mood Media Corporation, AT&T Enterprises, LLC, Millicom International Services, LLC, and Blue Stream Communications, LLC d/b/a Blue Stream Fiber
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-21226-RAR
• Filing Date: April 2, 2024
• Current Status: As of August 6, 2025, the patent claims (Counts 3, 4, and 5) in this case have been stayed pending Inter Partes Review (IPR) by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). There have been motions to dismiss some claims, with the court overruling objections related to a mutual release between Mood Media and the plaintiffs, and finding sufficient legal and factual support for infringement allegations against AT&T, Millicom, and Blue Stream.

2. PTAB Inter Partes Review (IPR) Case:

• Petitioner: Stingray Group Inc.
• Patent Owner: Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon
• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Case Number: IPR2025-00351
• Filing Date: The case is listed as "Pending - Instituted"
• Current Status: Instituted. The PTAB has commenced an inter partes review of all claims of the asserted patents, leading to a stay of the patent claims in the related district court litigation. The PTAB's analysis in this case has included considerations of "Fintiv factors" and guidance from the "Workload Memo" regarding discretionary denials.

Proceedings overview

There is one AIA trial proceeding on file, IPR2025-00351, which concluded with an institution denied status. This means the patent claims were not invalidated in this proceeding, thus maintaining the patent owner's defensive posture.

IPR2025-00351 — Stingray Group Inc. et al. v. Hernandez-Mondragon, Edwin et al.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-12-23
• Status: Final Written Decision (per USPTO data); however, the proceeding resulted in a denial of institution, meaning no trial on the merits of the patent claims occurred. The "Final Written Decision" status likely refers to the ultimate procedural disposition of the petition.
• Judge panel: The specific judge panel for the institution decision is not explicitly public in the provided search results. Decisions concerning discretionary denial, especially around June 2025, were subject to evolving guidance, sometimes involving the Director in consultation with APJs.
• Petition grounds: Claims 1-26 of US11140441 were challenged as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 (anticipation) and 103 (obviousness). The petitioner cited prior art references including Farber & Avellan.
• Institution decision: Denied on June 12, 2025. The Board analyzed Fintiv factors, considering guidance from the Workload Memo, and exercised its discretion to deny institution. The petitioner had argued that discretionary denial was unwarranted because the petition relied on prior art not considered during prosecution and the co-pending district court litigation was in an early stage. A motion to stay the parallel district court case (Hernandez v. Stingray Digital Group Inc., 1:24-cv-21226, S.D. Florida) pending the IPR had been denied on February 12, 2025.
• Final Written Decision: Not applicable. Because institution was denied, no trial on the merits of the patent claims was conducted, and therefore no Final Written Decision on patentability was issued.
• Settlement / termination: No information found indicating a settlement or termination other than the institution denial.
• Appeal: No information found indicating an appeal of the institution denial to the Federal Circuit.
• Defensive value: The patent owner prevailed in this IPR by securing a discretionary denial of institution. This means claims 1-26 were not adjudicated on their merits for patentability. An IPR-based defense by Stingray Group Inc., Stingray Music USA, Inc., or their privies, on the same grounds raised or that reasonably could have been raised, would likely face estoppel. However, the claims themselves have not been "hardened" by surviving a full IPR trial.

Strategic summary

The sole AIA trial proceeding on US patent 11140441, IPR2025-00351, concluded with a denial of institution, rather than a decision on the patentability of the claims. As such, all 26 claims (claims 1-26) of US11140441 remain UNTESTED at the PTAB regarding the specific prior art and grounds raised in this petition. None of the claims have been canceled or sustained on the merits by the PTAB.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) would likely bar Stingray Group Inc., Stingray Music USA, Inc., and their privies from raising any ground that they raised or reasonably could have raised in IPR2025-00351 in future district court litigation or subsequent PTAB proceedings against claims 1-26 of US11140441. The petition challenged claims 1-26 based on anticipation (§ 102) and obviousness (§ 103) using references like Farber & Avellan. These specific prior-art grounds, therefore, are likely unavailable to the petitioner and its privies for future challenges to the challenged claims. Other prior art or statutory grounds (e.g., § 112) that were not raised or reasonably could not have been raised, would remain available to a different challenger or for unasserted claims.

A pattern signal observed is the parallel district court litigation, Hernandez v. Stingray Digital Group Inc., 1:24-cv-21226, S.D. Florida, which influenced the PTAB's discretionary denial of institution under the Fintiv factors. The denial of the motion to stay in the district court case highlights a common strategy interplay between district court and PTAB proceedings.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant currently facing assertion of US11140441, it is important to understand that while IPR2025-00351 did not invalidate any claims, it also did not validate them on the merits. The institution was denied on discretionary grounds related to parallel litigation, not on the patentability substance of the claims.

• Review the institution denial decision (Paper 18 in IPR2025-00351, dated June 12, 2025) to understand the specific Fintiv factors and reasoning employed by the Board for denying institution. While a direct public link to the USPTO document is not available in the search results, this document would provide full details on the Board's rationale. This decision serves as a guide for what types of arguments related to parallel litigation might succeed or fail in future IPR petitions against this patent.
• Given that the claims' patentability was not substantively reviewed, a different defendant (not privy to Stingray Group Inc.) could potentially file a new IPR challenge against claims 1-26, or other claims, using the same or different prior art, potentially avoiding the Fintiv discretionary denial if their litigation circumstances differ.
• Monitor the ongoing district court litigation (Hernandez v. Stingray Digital Group Inc., 1:24-cv-21226, S.D. Florida) for any developments, as its outcome could impact the broader enforcement landscape of this patent.

Inventors

• Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon. At the time of filing, Dr. Hernandez-Mondragon was the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of EGLA COMMUNICATIONS (also known as EGLA CORP), which developed the Mediamplify platform. He was also the founder of EGLAVATOR, a technology incubator.

Original assignee

The original assignee on US11140441 is "Individual," which refers to Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon.

EGLA COMMUNICATIONS (dba Mediamplify) ships products embodying the claims, specifically the "Cloud to Cable TV" platform and "Mediaplug" device. Their primary line of business is multimedia content delivery, including music and video streaming for web, mobile, IPTV, and cable/satellite systems. EGLA CORP, which includes EGLA COMMUNICATIONS, is currently operating and actively engaged in intellectual property licensing and expert witness services.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center shows no recorded assignments for US11140441 after its issuance.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11140441
    2014 : Priority date
    2019 : Application filed by Individual (Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon)
    2021 : Issued to Individual

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent was issued to the individual inventor, Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon, who is also the founder of a company that develops and markets products embodying the patent.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. The patent owner, Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon, and his company, EGLA Communications, are not identified on public NPE lists like those from Unified Patents or RPX as high-frequency plaintiffs. However, it's worth noting that Unified Patents has filed an IPR against this patent (IPR2025-00351). While Dr. Hernandez-Mondragon does provide expert witness services in IP cases, including for "Intellectual Ventures", this does not make his own entity a known asserter or NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. No assignment records exist beyond the original issuance to the inventor.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. No assignments are recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there is ongoing PTAB litigation (IPR2025-00351 filed 2024-12-23), there are no recorded assignments of the patent itself.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy for the individual inventor or his associated company.
7. Privateering — unclear. There's no public evidence of a transfer to an NPE to assert on behalf of an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — present. Unified Patents has filed an IPR challenge against this patent (IPR2025-00351). Unified Patents is a defensive aggregator that aims to deter abusive patent litigation.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent was issued to the individual inventor, Edwin A. Hernandez-Mondragon, who founded EGLA Communications (dba Mediamplify) to develop and commercialize products related to the claimed technology, such as the "Cloud to Cable TV" platform and "Mediaplug" device. While there is an ongoing IPR challenge by Unified Patents (IPR2025-00351), this indicates defensive action against the patent, not an NPE asserting the patent. No post-issuance assignments are recorded on the USPTO Assignment Center.

USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art for US patent 11140441, based on the citations listed within its Google Patents entry.

The independent claims of US11140441B2 describe methods for delivering multimedia content. Key distinguishing features of these claims include:

• Claim 1: Creating multimedia assets at a caching unit, which involves determining sufficient storage, generating a channel identifier, retrieving media files from a cloud service, for each media file, creating a custom HTML user interface that includes video, encoding media files and encapsulating them into an MPEG transport stream, storing them, and providing them to a broadcasting unit upon request.
• Claim 10: A computer-implemented method within a virtualized system, where a virtualized caching server receives a request, obtains content, renders a web page by a browser using the content, generates a temporal sequence of screen captures of the rendered web page illustrating dynamic change, assembles the media stream using these screen captures, and provides it for broadcast.

The following patent references are cited as prior art by US11140441B2:

Most Relevant Prior Art Analysis

1. US8799406B2

   • Full Citation: US8799406B2, "Systems and methods for providing an advertisement over a network," invented by Mates et al., assigned to Brightcove Inc.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication Date: 2014-08-05.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes systems and methods for delivering dynamic, dynamically generated, or composite advertisements over a network. Advertisements can be assembled from multiple components, such as a background video, a product image, and a text overlay.
   • Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
     • Claim 1 of US11140441B2: US8799406B2 potentially anticipates the general concept of creating multimedia assets by assembling different media components. However, it does not explicitly teach the specific step of "creating a custom hypertext transfer markup language (HTML) user interface that includes video" for each media file, nor the detailed process of encoding and encapsulating these into an "MPEG transport stream format" at a caching unit for a broadcasting unit, as specified in Claim 1.
     • Claim 10 of US11140441B2: While discussing dynamically generated advertisements, US8799406B2 does not explicitly disclose the process of "rendering a web page by a browser" and "generating a temporal sequence of screen captures of the rendered web page" that illustrate dynamic changes, which are key elements of Claim 10.

2. US8875200B2

   • Full Citation: US8875200B2, "Multimedia content delivery system and method," invented by Vella et al., assigned to Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication Date: 2014-10-28.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a multimedia content delivery system including a content server distributing content to a CDN, and an edge router with a local cache. The edge router receives and stores multimedia content in its local cache and then transmits it to customer premise equipment (CPE) for consumption.
   • Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
     • Claim 1 of US11140441B2: This reference is relevant for the "caching unit" aspect and the concept of receiving requests and providing multimedia assets from a cache. The "local cache" at an edge router performing storage and transmission aligns with some high-level functions of Claim 1. However, it does not explicitly teach the specific steps of generating a channel identifier, creating a custom HTML user interface with video, or the encoding/encapsulation into an MPEG transport stream format as part of the content creation process.
     • Claim 10 of US11140441B2: While detailing a content delivery network, US8875200B2 does not disclose the virtualization of the caching server or the specific method of creating video content by rendering a web page and generating temporal screen captures, which are central to Claim 10.

3. US9077759B2

   • Full Citation: US9077759B2, "Methods, apparatuses and systems for media data management and transmission," invented by Kim et al., assigned to [LG Electronics Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/LG%20Electronics%20Inc.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication Date: 2015-07-07.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a system for transmitting media data, comprising a media data server, a CDN for storing media data, and a media gateway. The media gateway stores media data in a temporary storage unit, converts its format, and transmits the converted data to a subscriber terminal.
   • Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
     • Claim 1 of US11140441B2: Similar to US8875200B2, this reference is relevant for the temporary storage (caching unit) and the "converting a format of the media data" step, which could broadly encompass encoding into an MPEG transport stream. However, it does not explicitly detail the generation of a channel identifier, the creation of a custom HTML user interface with video, or the specific sequence of asset creation steps recited in Claim 1.
     • Claim 10 of US11140441B2: US9077759B2 focuses on format conversion and transmission within a CDN. It does not teach the virtualization of the caching server, nor the specific method of rendering web pages and generating temporal screen captures to create video content as defined in Claim 10.

4. US20130091530A1

   • Full Citation: US20130091530A1, "Live channel creation from user generated video for Internet protocol television (IPTV)," invented by Lajoie et al., assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication Date: 2013-04-11; Filing Date: 2011-10-11.
   • Brief Description: This patent application discloses systems and methods for creating live channels from user-generated video for IPTV. It involves an IPTV content management system (CMS) receiving user-generated video, combining multiple videos into a program stream, and adding user-supplied metadata as an overlay for display during playback.
   • Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
     • Claim 1 of US11140441B2: This reference is highly relevant as it describes creating multimedia assets for broadcast channels and incorporating dynamic visual elements (metadata overlays). The combination of user-generated videos into a program stream for distribution aligns with "creating a plurality of multimedia assets" and "encapsulating them together using an MPEG transport stream format" within an IPTV context. The "user-supplied metadata...displayed as an overlay" has functional similarities to a "custom HTML user interface that includes video," in that both provide dynamic visual information over video content. However, Claim 1 specifically recites creating an HTML user interface and encoding this content with each media file, which is not explicitly taught by US20130091530A1's focus on streaming user-generated video.
     • Claim 10 of US11140441B2: While US20130091530A1 involves combining videos and overlays for IPTV, it does not explicitly teach the method of "rendering a web page by a browser" and "generating a temporal sequence of screen captures of the rendered web page" to create the video component of the multimedia items, which is a key distinguishing feature of Claim 10. It deals with processing and streaming pre-existing user-generated video, rather than dynamically generating video content from web page rendering.

Conclusion on Most Relevant Prior Art:

Among the cited references, US20130091530A1 (Live channel creation from user generated video for Internet protocol television (IPTV)) appears to be the most relevant prior art. It addresses the broad concept of assembling content and integrating dynamic visual information (overlays) for broadcast channels, which aligns closely with the overall objective of US11140441B2. However, it does not appear to explicitly teach the specific technical mechanisms claimed in US11140441B2, particularly the creation of video content by rendering HTML user interfaces or by generating temporal screen captures of dynamically changing web pages.

The following analysis of US patent 11140441 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 relies on the information provided in the "Prior art keywords" and the "Background" section of the patent itself, as specific prior art documents were not provided beyond these elements. The "Prior art keywords" are "media", "content", "multimedia", "media stream", and "caching", with a "Prior art date" of 2014-12-22. The "Background" section describes the state of the art in multimedia content delivery to cable TV and satellite operators prior to the invention.

A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in multimedia content delivery systems, at the prior art date of December 22, 2014, would be familiar with various technologies and practices described in the patent's background. These include:

• Traditional media delivery via satellite, Radio Frequency (RF), and Integrated Receiver and Decoders (IRDs) to cable operator head-ends, often requiring dedicated hardware encoders and transcoding systems for format compatibility.
• Encoding and broadcasting content in digital packets via multicast MPEG Transport Streams.
• The use of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), RTP Control Protocol (RTCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for synchronized multicast video feeds.
• IPTV systems broadcasting signals via multicast protocols in MPEG Transport Streams to compatible set-top boxes.
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for distributing multimedia files to IP-enabled devices.
• The general concept of cloud-based platforms (e.g., OpenStack, Amazon EC2) for storing and accessing multimedia files.
• The existence of tools for multimedia processing such as FFMPEG or VLC for multiplexing audio and video.
• The capability to generate custom user interfaces (UIs) using web technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS) and rendering engines (e.g., WebKit) for display.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 1

Claim 1 describes a computer-implemented method comprising:

• creating a plurality of multimedia assets at a caching unit, for each one of the plurality of multimedia assets:
  • determining that there is sufficient storage space for the multimedia asset at the caching unit;
  • generating a channel identifier for the multimedia asset;
  • retrieving from a cloud service a plurality of media files to be included in the multimedia asset including a media identifier for each one of the media files;
  • for each one of the media files, creating a custom hypertext transfer markup language (HTML) user interface that includes video;
  • encoding each of the media files and encapsulating them together using an MPEG transport stream format;
• storing each one of the multimedia assets at the caching unit;
• receiving a request at the caching unit for one of the multimedia assets from a broadcasting unit; and
• responsive to receiving the request, the caching unit providing the multimedia asset to the broadcasting unit in the MPEG transport stream format.

Combination of Prior Art:
A POSITA would find it obvious to combine the known concepts of cloud-based content storage and retrieval with local caching and MPEG Transport Stream generation, enhanced by dynamically created web-based user interfaces.

Motivation for Combination:
The motivation for a POSITA would be to achieve a more flexible, scalable, and dynamic content delivery system for cable and satellite operators, moving away from rigid satellite-only feeds and static content. The background acknowledges the need for adapting incompatible video/audio formats and the use of dedicated hardware encoders/transcoders.

1. Cloud Service Retrieval to Caching Unit: The patent's background explicitly states that "Satellite systems are used to deliver data... from a particular source (e.g. third-party content provider) to cable head end systems" and also discusses IPTV systems relying on CDNs for IP-enabled devices. It further describes the "Mediamplify Cloud" being able to securely connect and store multimedia files. A POSITA would be motivated to retrieve content from a cloud service (instead of or in addition to satellite) to a local caching unit at an MSO facility to provide on-demand access, reduce reliance on satellite bandwidth, and enable easier content management, as cloud storage and CDNs were known for multimedia distribution. The caching unit itself is described as a main storage component that can "store, encode, and transmit multimedia files in the format that the cable operator at its MSO requires."
2. Custom HTML User Interface with Video: The patent's description details that a caching unit can "create customizable screens that can be converted into video formats compatible with the Transport Stream content" and that a "customizable user interface (UI) can be added to the output video MPEG Transport stream." This UI can be "designed using Hypertext Markup Language (e.g. HTML) or a web service" and include "JavaScript, CSS, and HTML content files that can be rendered using a browser using WebKit (e.g. PhantomJS or Safari)." Crucially, it states that "rendered images from a web service can be used to create overlapping video or replace any video in the video feed file" and can be used "when no video at all is defined in the multimedia file, e.g. Audio-only file." A POSITA would be motivated to incorporate such dynamic, web-generated visual elements, particularly to enhance audio-only channels or provide supplementary information (e.g., artist, song title) in a visually engaging way, using readily available web technologies.
3. Encoding to MPEG Transport Stream: The background confirms that "Cable and Satellite systems will encode this signal to their particular video/audio encoding requirements such that it can be broadcasted in digital packets via a multicast MPEG Transport Stream." The patent also mentions tools like FFMPEG or VLC for multiplexing audio and video into MPEG Transport Streams. Therefore, encoding the retrieved media files and the generated custom HTML UI (including its video component) into an MPEG Transport Stream would be a standard and obvious step for a POSITA to ensure compatibility with existing cable/satellite broadcast infrastructure.
4. Routine Management Tasks: Determining sufficient storage space and generating channel/media identifiers are routine tasks in any content management and delivery system, and would be obvious to implement for a POSITA.

Combining these elements, a POSITA would find it obvious to develop a system where a caching unit at an MSO facility retrieves multimedia content from a cloud service, dynamically generates a video-inclusive HTML UI for that content, encodes/encapsulates this into an MPEG Transport Stream, stores it, and delivers it upon request to a broadcasting unit. This combination addresses the known needs for content flexibility, visual enrichment, and compatibility with existing broadcast infrastructure.

Obviousness Analysis of Claim 10

Claim 10 describes a computer-implemented method comprising:

• virtualizing a system including a virtualized caching server, wherein the virtualized caching server performs:
  • receiving from a content provider, a request for at least one media stream for playback on a broadcast media channel, wherein the at least one media stream includes a plurality of multimedia items of different types;
  • obtaining content corresponding to the plurality of multimedia items from at least one source offering the content in at least one first format;
  • rendering a web page by a browser using the content;
  • generating a temporal sequence of screen captures of the rendered web page, where each screen capture defines all the content of the web page at a given time, and at least two adjacent screen captures illustrate a dynamic change of at least a portion of the content over time;
  • assembling the at least one media stream using the temporal sequence of screen captures; and
  • providing the at least one media stream to the content provider for broadcast on the broadcast media channel.

Combination of Prior Art:
A POSITA would find it obvious to implement the content generation and delivery described in Claim 1 within a virtualized server environment, leveraging existing knowledge of web page rendering and screen capture techniques to create dynamic video content from web pages.

Motivation for Combination:
The patent itself highlights the benefits and implementation details of virtualization. It explicitly states that the "cloud 101 can refer to a set of virtualized instances or non-virtualized instances of one or more servers" and can be "implemented using VMWave or Xen and OpenStack, or simply reside in Amazon Web Services or Rackspace." More directly relevant to Claim 10, the patent later describes how "virtualization environments such as VMWare or Xen (FIG. 9) can include a system and architecture that can be used to host all the Mediaplug functionality in a virtualized environment using a single server with multiple GbE ports," and FIG. 10 illustrates a "Virtualized Mediaplug" with virtual machines for caching and multicasting. This demonstrates that virtualizing such a system was a known and contemplated approach at the time of invention.

1. Virtualized Caching Server: Given the widespread adoption of virtualization technologies (VMWare, Xen, OpenStack, AWS) for server infrastructure by the prior art date, a POSITA would be highly motivated to deploy a caching server, like the one described in the patent, within a virtualized environment. The motivation would be to achieve benefits such as improved resource utilization, scalability, fault tolerance, and ease of management, which are inherent advantages of virtualization. The patent explicitly acknowledges this in its detailed description of the "Virtualized Mediaplug".
2. Obtaining Content, Rendering Web Page, Generating Temporal Sequence of Screen Captures: As discussed for Claim 1, the patent's description clearly outlines the process of generating custom UIs using HTML/web services, rendering them with a browser (e.g., WebKit/PhantomJS), and using "rendered images from a web service to create overlapping video or replace any video." FIG. 5, step 526, describes "Capturing screens... using a tool similar to PhantomJS (Webkit-based headless engine for rendering images) or QtCapture, or simply capturing screen frame buffers from a machine running any software tool." It further states that this process "can create a sequence of screens that can be used to generate a video file." A POSITA would understand that capturing a temporal sequence of dynamically rendered web pages would inherently illustrate "a dynamic change of at least a portion of the content over time," thereby constituting video content derived from the web page. The motivation here, whether in a physical or virtual environment, is to dynamically create visually engaging content for media streams, especially when primary video is absent or custom visuals are desired.
3. Assembling and Providing Media Stream: Once the video is generated from screen captures, assembling it into a media stream and providing it to the content provider for broadcast are standard content delivery steps, as described in the background and for Claim 1.

Therefore, a POSITA would find it obvious to combine the known benefits and implementations of virtualization for server deployment with the established techniques for generating dynamic video from rendered web pages (as also detailed within the patent itself). The overall motivation is to create a robust, scalable, and flexible system for generating and delivering multimedia content, including dynamically created visual elements, to cable/satellite operators.