Penthera, a company that specializes in software that manages the secure downloading of TV shows, movies and other large digital files to mobile devices, said it has expanded its portfolio of intellectual property after salting away three more patents.
Two of them – U.S. No. 8,929,717 and No. 8,923,683 – describe how to manage commercials in TV shows downloaded to tablets and smartphones.
The third (No. 8,937,543) describes a process notifying a consumer when a video has completely downloaded, in the background, on the user’s mobile device. That patent application was filed in 2008.
Last year, Penthera landed three other patents, including a pair linked to advertising insertion technologies.
All of those patents tie into Cache&Carry, Penthera’s download management software. The company notes that the technology has been licensed by tier-1 U.S. and international pay-TV distributors and cable networks. Penthera hasn’t identified them, but Comcast, which has introduced a video check-out system for its cloud-enabled X1 platform, has been identified to be among its partners.
“We’re proud that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has recognized our commitment to innovation,” said Michael Willner, CEO of Penthera. “We’ll continue to push the envelope at the intersection of TV, mobile, and advertising.”
Willner, the former CEO of Insight Communications (now part of Time Warner Cable), has been appointed CEO of GreatLand Communications, the independent, publicly traded cable operator that will be spun out of the pending transactions between Comcast and TWC and between Comcast and Charter Communications.
