Netflix Patent Technology

A search of the United States Patent Office online site found the following thirteen patents assigned to Netflix:

PAT. NO. Title

1 8,271,338 Approach for estimating user ratings of items

2 8,234,715 Activating streaming video in a blu-ray disc player

3 8,155,976 Automated mailer envelope addressing

4 7,958,529 Method of sharing an item rental account

5 7,848,968 Processing returned rental items

6 7,631,323 Method of sharing an item rental account

7 7,617,127 Approach for estimating user ratings of items

8 7,568,613 Mailer envelope with inventory control window

9 7,546,252 Approach for managing rental items across a plurality of distribution locations

10 7,403,910 Approach for estimating user ratings of items

11 7,401,727 Mailing and response envelope and method of making the same

12 7,024,381 Approach for renting items to customers

13 6,966,484 Mailing and response envelope

Patent #76546252

Approach for managing rental items across a plurality of distribution locations

This patent basically provides for the means by which Netflix redistributes videos among its warehouses to optimize the availability of titles from locations where they are not needed to locations where they are. The intent is to ensure that video titles are distributed in such a way as to maximize the probability that each warehouse location is most effectively able to support customer demand by having the right videos in the right location. In order to accomplish this, Netflix must know specifically which customers are served by each warehouse and which titles they are most likely to rent in the near future. It also requires knowing which titles can be sent to other locations based on the determination that it is likely that the customers served will not request those titles. In a simple three warehouse example it is determining which videos that are excess in location “A” are needed and can be sent to location “B” and “C”; are excess at “B” and are needed and can be sent to...