Remote computer access

• US 20010024469A1
• Filed: 01/25/2001
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Paz, Ofir, Keren, Avishai
• Application Number:
  US09/770,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20010024469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/134 characterised by the element, parameter or criterion affecting or controlling the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234354 by altering signal-to-noise ratio parameters, e.g. requantization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/241 Operating system [OS] processes, e.g. server setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 : Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 : Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 : Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 : Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 : Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 : Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 : comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 : by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A computer may be remotely accessed. At a first location, display commands are generated. The display commands are covered into a compressed video data stream. Each display element (5) is checked if it is encoded (52). If object is encoded, it is transcribed into MPEG (54). The image is adjusted for display (56) and compression (58). Additional steps of motion determination (60), change detection (62), compression depth and frame determination (66, 68) are executed. Then the data is transmitted to a second location. The display commands are decompressed and displayed as an image at the second location.

Claims

1. method of remote computer access, comprising:

executing a program at a first location, to generate display commands;

converting said display commands directly into a compressed video data stream;

transmitting said compressed data stream to a second location, remote from said first location;

decompressing said compressed data stream at the second location; and

displaying the decompressed data stream as an image at the second location.

2. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein executing a program at a first location comprises executing a program on a general purpose computer at said first location.

3. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein displaying the decompressed data comprises displaying the decompressed data on a TV set.

4. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein transmitting said compressed data comprises transmitting said compressed data over a television distribution network.

5. A method according to

claim 4

, wherein said network comprises a cable network.

6. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein said decompressing comprises decompressing using a cable TV set-top box.

7. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein said program comprises a word processor.

8. A method according to

claim 2

, wherein said program comprises a game program.

9. A method according to

claim 8

, wherein said program communicates with at least a second program executed on said general purpose computer.

10. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein said program accesses data stored in association with said general purpose computer.

11. A method according to

claim 10

, wherein said decompressed data stream comprises audio recordings.

12. A method according to

claim 11

, comprising tracking access to said audio recordings for royalty payment assessment.

13. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein said program comprises a browser which accesses a third location, remote from said first and said second locations.

14. A method according to

claim 13

, wherein said second remote location is accessed via an Internet.

15. A method according to

claim 3

, wherein said compressed video stream represents an entire TV display.

16. A method according to any of claims 1-15, comprising transmitting user inputs from said remote location to said first location, responsive to said display.

17. A remote computing server system, comprising:

a server, executing a plurality of programs, each of which generates a set of display commands; and

a video compressor which receives the plurality of sets of display commands and generates a compressed video stream from each one of said sets.

18. A server according to

claim 17

, comprising a mixing box which multiplexes said video streams unto a cable transmission network.

19. A server according to

claim 17

, comprising a mixing box which multiplexes said video streams unto a satellite transmission network.

20. A method of video transmission, comprising:

executing, at a server computer, a plurality of programs, each of said programs generating a display responsive to an Internet connection; and

transmitting each of said displays to a different remote location, wherein said displays are transmitted as compressed video streams.

21. A method according to

claim 20

, wherein each of said programs is connected to a different Internet address.

22. A method according to

claim 20

, wherein each of said programs generates a set of display commands, wherein said compressed video steams are directly generated from said sets of display commands.

23. A method according to

claim 22

, comprising generating said compressed video streams responsive to known visual limitations at said remote locations.

24. A method according to

claim 22

, comprising generating said compressed video streams responsive to bandwidth limitations on said transmission.

25. A method according to any of claims 22-24, comprising degrading said display commands responsive to bandwidth limitations on said transmission.

26. A multi-headed display generator, comprising:

at least one CPU running at least one program, each of said programs generating at least one set of display commands, wherein said programs generate in totality at least two sets of content independent display commands; and

at least one compressor which converts said two sets of display commands into two simultaneous compressed video streams,

wherein said compression of the said sets utilizes at least one shared resource of said generator.

27. A generator according to

claim 26

, wherein said resource comprises CPU resources.

28. A generator according to

claim 26

, wherein said resource comprises memory resources.

29. A generator according to

claim 26

, wherein said generator trades off the compression of one set of display commands with the compression of a second set of display commands.

30. A generator according to

claim 29

, wherein said tradeoff comprises trading off quality between the two command sets.

31. A generator according to

claim 29

, wherein said tradeoff comprises trading off frame rate between the two command sets.

32. A generator according to any of claims 26-31, wherein said generator statistically multiplexes said compressed video streams onto a single transmission bandwidth.

33. A method of generating a plurality of unrelated image streams, comprising:

defining a virtual display on a computer;

executing a plurality of programs on said computer, each program outputting to a different section of said display;

capturing, form each program, display commands for said display; and

converting each of said sets of display commands into an image stream having a content unrelated to image streams converted from other of said sets of display commands.

34. A method according to

claim 33

, wherein said image streams comprise compressed image streams.

35. A method of generating a plurality of unrelated audio streams, comprising:

providing a computer;

defining at least one virtual audio output on said computer;

executing a plurality of programs on said computer, each program outputting to said at least one audio output;

capturing, for each program, audio commands for said at least one audio output; and

converting each of said sets of audio commands into an audio stream having a content unrelated to audio streams converted from other of said sets of audio commands.

36. A method of producing different display representations at a plurality of remote locations, comprising:

transmitting a digitally encoded representation of a base display to a plurality of remote locations;

transmitting a plurality of representations of modifications of said base display;

receiving at a plurality of display locations said base display and at least one representation of a modification; and

reconstructing at said display locations, said display representations, from said base representation and said at least one modification representations.

37. A method according to

claim 36

, wherein said representations comprise HTML files.

38. A method according to

claim 36

, wherein said representations comprise sets of display commands.

39. A method according to

claim 36

, wherein said representations comprise programs in a display generation language.

40. A method according to

claim 39

, wherein the display generation language comprises JAVA.