Systems and methods for producing files for streaming from a content file

• US 20020176418A1
• Filed: 04/19/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gulfstream Media Corp. (BurstPoint Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gulfstream Media Corp. (BurstPoint Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hunt, Russell, Cates, Joshua Ian, Pinckney, Thomas III, Wyatt, Douglas Karl
• Application Number:
  US10/126,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20020176418A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2326 Scheduling disk or memory reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• 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 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Systems and methods for streaming of multimedia files over a network are described. A streaming delivery accelerator (SDA) caches content from a content provider and streams the cached content to a user. Cached content is streamed when a quality metric exceeds a predetermined value that can depend on the transmission bandwidth to the user. The caching process can be iterative, with only content not previously retained in the cache requested from the content provider. Systems and methods for effective cache management are also described.

Claims

1. Method for shredding a content file to create a contiguous cache file for rapid streaming delivery, comprising:

receiving a content file from a content provider;

identifying content file packets to be associated with the cache file;

assembling the identified content file packets into the contiguous cache file having a predetermined streaming characteristic; and

storing the contiguous cache file on a persistent storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling the identified packets includes generating pointers to the packets of the received content file and assembling the contiguous cache file by fetching from the received content file those packets identified by the pointers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling the identified packets includes assembling the identified packets in the contiguous cache file as an ordered sequence of the packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence corresponds to a transmission sequence of the packets to a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence corresponds to a time-ordered sequence of the packets

6. The method of claim 1, further including assembling the identified content file packets into a plurality of contiguous cache files having different streaming characteristics and storing said plurality of contiguous cache files in the persistent storage medium.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling includes dynamically generating the contiguous cache file from the content file concurrent with a streaming request received from a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein assembling includes transmitting the cache file to a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the streaming characteristic includes a data transmission rate to a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content file is received from the content provider via a first network protocol, and the streaming characteristic includes transmission of the contiguous file to a user via a second network protocol that is different from the first network protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content file is received from the content provider via a first network protocol, and the streaming characteristic includes transmission of the contiguous file to a user via a second network protocol that is identical to the first network protocol.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the contiguous file includes removing information about the first network protocol and storing the contiguous file in canonical form.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein creating the contiguous file includes removing information about the first network protocol and storing the contiguous file in canonical form.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first network protocol includes at least one of a MMST, SSH/SCP, HTTP and FTP protocol, and the second network protocol includes at least one of a MMSU, MMST, MMSH, RTSP/RTP/RDT and PNA protocol.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a checksum with a corresponding identified packet of the contiguous file, wherein said checksum is received with or computed from a packet of the content file.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the streaming characteristic includes data selected from the group consisting of video, audio and text.

18. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the shredder provides a pointer to an identified content packet and assembles the contiguous cache file by fetching from the received content file the content packets identified by the pointers.

19. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the contiguous cache file is ordered so as to correspond to a transmission order of the packets to the user.

20. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the streaming characteristic includes a data transmission rate to a user.

21. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the at least one input channel operates using a first network protocol, and the at least one output channel operates using a second network protocol that is different from the first network protocol.

22. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the at least one input channel operates using a first network protocol, and the at least one output channel operates using a second network protocol that is identical to the first network protocol.

23. The SDA of claim 17, wherein the contiguous cache file stored in the persistent storage device is stored as a canonical file.

24. The SDA of claim 17, wherein a checksum associated with a payload data packet is stored in the persistent storage device, said checksum received from the content provider or computed from packets of the content file, said checksums being associated with packets of the cache file transmitted to the user.

25. The SDA of claim 24, wherein the checksum of a payload data packet is independent of a transmission protocol used to transmit the packet over the at least one input channel and the at least one output channel.

17. Streaming delivery accelerator (SDA) for shredding a content file to create a contiguous cache file for rapid streaming delivery, comprising:

at least one input channel that receives a content file from a content provider;

at least one output channel with a predetermined bandwidth for streaming the contiguous cache file to a user;

a shredder that identifies content file packets to be associated with the contiguous cache file and assembles the identified packets into the contiguous cache file having a predetermined streaming characteristic; and

a persistent storage device that stores the contiguous cache file.