Methods and systems for storing user-specific media sequences

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for storing content. The content may be divided into user-specific portions and common portions. One or more selection rules may be used to divide the content into the user-specific portion and the common portions. The one or more selection rules may be selected such that the common portion is not decodable without the user-specific portions. The user-specific portions or data indicating a location of the user-specific portion may be stored in user-specific storage. The user-specific storage may be used to determine content for playback to a user.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 determining a header portion and a media portion of a segment of a content item and causing storage of the header portion;   causing storage, of a first portion of the media portion in a first user-specific storage area associated with a first user account, and of the first portion of the media portion in a second user-specific storage area associated with a second user account; and   causing storage of a second portion of the media portion in common storage associated with the first user account and the second user account.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising storing, in the first user-specific storage area, data for determining the content item, wherein the data for determining the content item indicates a location of the first portion in the first user-specific storage area and a location of the second portion in the common storage. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining a first section of a plurality of sections of the content item, wherein the first section comprises the header portion and the media portion, wherein the header portion comprises header data for processing video frame data in the media portion. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein causing storage, of the first portion of the content item in the first user-specific storage area associated with the first user account, and of the first portion of the content item in the second user-specific storage area associated with the second user account comprises storing two separate copies of the first portion in separate storage locations. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein causing storage of the header portion comprises causing storage of at least a part of the header portion in the first user-specific storage area. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first portion is a first byte range of a single frame and the second portion is a second byte range of the frame. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media portion is encoded using arithmetic coding, and wherein determining the header portion and the media portion comprises separating header data from arithmetic coded data. 
     
     
         8 . A device comprising:
 one or more processors; and   memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to:
 determine a header portion and a media portion of a segment of a content item and causing storage of the header portion; 
 cause storage, of a first portion of the media portion in a first user-specific storage area associated with a first user account, and of the first portion of the media portion in a second user-specific storage area associated with a second user account; and 
 cause storage of a second portion of the media portion in common storage associated with the first user account and the second user account. 
   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the device to store, in the first user-specific storage area, data for determining the content item, wherein the data for determining the content item indicates a location of the first portion in the first user-specific storage area and a location of the second portion in the common storage. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the device to determine a first section of a plurality of sections of the content item, wherein the first section comprises the header portion and the media portion, wherein the header portion comprises header data for processing video frame data in the media portion. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to cause storage, of the first portion of the content item in the first user-specific storage area associated with the first user account, and of the first portion of the content item in the second user-specific storage area associated with the second user account comprises instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to store two separate copies of the first portion in separate storage locations. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to cause storage of the header portion comprises instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to cause storage of at least a part of the header portion in the first user-specific storage area. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the first portion is a first byte range of a single frame and the second portion is a second byte range of the frame. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the media portion is encoded using arithmetic coding, and wherein determining the header portion and the media portion comprises separating header data from arithmetic coded data. 
     
     
         15 . A system comprising:
 one or more storage devices comprising at least one of: a first user-specific storage area associated with a first user account, a second user-specific storage area associated with a second user account, or a common storage associated with the first user account and the second user account; and   a computing device configured to:
 determine a header portion and a media portion of a segment of a content item and causing storage of the header portion; 
 cause storage, of a first portion of the media portion in the first user-specific storage area associated with the first user account, and of the first portion of the media portion in the second user-specific storage area associated with the second user account; and 
 cause storage of a second portion of the media portion in the common storage associated with the first user account and the second user account. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing device is further configured to store, in the first user-specific storage area, data for determining the content item, wherein the data for determining the content item indicates a location of the first portion in the first user-specific storage area and a location of the second portion in the common storage. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing device is further configured to determine a first section of a plurality of sections of the content item, wherein the first section comprises the header portion and the media portion, wherein the header portion comprises header data for processing video frame data in the media portion. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing device is configured to cause storage, of the first portion of the content item in the first user-specific storage area associated with the first user account, and of the first portion of the content item in the second user-specific storage area associated with the second user account based on storing two separate copies of the first portion in separate storage locations. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computing device is configured to cause storage of the header portion based on causing storage of at least a part of the header portion in the first user-specific storage area. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first portion is a first byte range of a single frame and the second portion is a second byte range of the frame. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the media portion is encoded using arithmetic coding, and wherein determining the header portion and the media portion comprises separating header data from arithmetic coded data. 
     
     
         22 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause:
 determining a header portion and a media portion of a segment of a content item and causing storage of the header portion;   causing storage, of a first portion of the media portion in a first user-specific storage area associated with a first user account, and of the first portion of the media portion in a second user-specific storage area associated with a second user account; and   causing storage of a second portion of the media portion in common storage associated with the first user account and the second user account.   
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause storing, in the first user-specific storage area, data for determining the content item, wherein the data for determining the content item indicates a location of the first portion in the first user-specific storage area and a location of the second portion in the common storage. 
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause determining a first section of a plurality of sections of the content item, wherein the first section comprises the header portion and the media portion, wherein the header portion comprises header data for processing video frame data in the media portion. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein causing storage, of the first portion of the content item in the first user-specific storage area associated with the first user account, and of the first portion of the content item in the second user-specific storage area associated with the second user account comprises storing two separate copies of the first portion in separate storage locations. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein causing storage of the header portion comprises causing storage of at least a part of the header portion in the first user-specific storage area. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein the first portion is a first byte range of a single frame and the second portion is a second byte range of the frame. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 22 , wherein the media portion is encoded using arithmetic coding, and wherein determining the header portion and the media portion comprises separating header data from arithmetic coded data.