System and method for automatically recovering from failed network connections in streaming media scenarios

• US 20030236905A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Choi, Yejin, Grigorovitch, Alexandre, Batterberry, Troy
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for automatically recover from broken network connections in streaming media scenarios. Server software executing on the server communicates with client software executing on the client during the streaming media session. If the streaming media session is interrupted, the server software and the client software exchange messages to associate the client with a client state stored by the server and to re-synchronize playback of the content.

Claims

1. A method of streaming media content from a server to at least one client, said method comprising:

establishing a streaming media connection between the server and the at least one client;

streaming the media content from the server to the client;

receiving, by the client, the streamed media content from the server;

sending a reconnect request from the client to the server if said streaming is interrupted;

receiving, by the server, the reconnect request from the client;

re-establishing the streaming media connection with the client; and

continuing with said streaming the media content and said receiving the streamed media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending comprises sending a reconnect request having a stream identifier and a session identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said streaming comprises maintaining a state of the client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said maintaining comprises maintaining the state of the client for a preset time period after said streaming is interrupted.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said re-establishing comprises associating the maintained state with the client sending the reconnect request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said streaming comprises streaming the media content to the client from a file system accessible by the server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said streaming comprises streaming, by the server, the media content to the client from another server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting state information from the client to the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said streaming comprises streaming the media content from the server to the client via a real-time streaming protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said streaming comprises streaming the media content from the server to the client via a hypertext transfer protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

12. A method of streaming media content to at least one client, said method comprising:

establishing a streaming media connection with at least one client;

streaming the media content to the client;

receiving a reconnect request from the client if said streaming is interrupted;

re-establishing the streaming media connection with the client; and

continuing with said streaming the media content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said streaming comprises maintaining a state of the client.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said maintaining comprises maintaining the state of the client for a preset time period after said streaming is interrupted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said maintaining comprises deleting the state of the client if the preset time period has elapsed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said maintaining further comprises logging an error.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 12.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said receiving comprises receiving a reconnect request having a stream identifier and a session identifier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said streaming comprises maintaining a state of the client in a state repository, and wherein said re-establishing comprises searching for the received session identifier in the state repository.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein if the received session identifier is not found within the state repository, said re-establishing further comprises establishing another streaming media connection with the client, and said continuing comprises streaming the media content associated with the received stream identifier to the client.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein if the received session identifier is found within the state repository, said re-establishing further comprises searching for the received stream identifier within the state repository.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein if the stream identifier is found within the state repository, said continuing comprises streaming the media content associated with the received stream identifier to the client.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein if the received stream identifier is not found within the state repository, said re-establishing further comprises transmitting one or more other stream identifiers to the client for selection by the client.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said re-establishing further comprises receiving a playback request from the client in response to said transmitting, said playback request comprising at least one of the other stream identifiers.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said continuing comprises streaming the media content associated with the received at least one of the other stream identifiers.

26. A method of receiving media content streamed from a server, said method comprising:

establishing a streaming media connection with the server;

receiving the media content streamed from the server;

transmitting a reconnect request to the server if said receiving is interrupted;

re-establishing the streaming media connection with the server; and

continuing with said receiving the streamed media content.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said transmitting further comprises:

delaying said transmitting for a preset time period; and

incrementing a reconnect counter.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising repeating said transmitting until said re-establishing occurs or until the reconnect counter exceeds a threshold.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said re-establishing further comprises resetting the reconnect counter.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said re-establishing further comprises transmitting state data to the server.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 26.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending state data to the server to be maintained in a state repository.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting a reconnect request to the server having a session identifier and a stream identifier.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a message from the server indicating that the transmitted session identifier was not found within the state repository, wherein said re-establishing comprises establishing another streaming media connection with the server, and said continuing comprises receiving the media content associated with the transmitted stream identifier from the server.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a message from the server indicating that the transmitted session identifier and the transmitted stream identifier have been found within the state repository, wherein said continuing comprises receiving the media content associated with the transmitted stream identifier from the server.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a message from the server indicating that the transmitted session identifier was found in the state repository and the transmitted stream identifier was not found within the state repository, wherein said re-establishing further comprises receiving one or more other stream identifiers from the server.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising selecting at least one of the other stream identifiers, and wherein said re-establishing further comprises transmitting a playback request to the server, said playback request comprising the selected, other stream identifiers.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said continuing comprises receiving from the server the media content associated with the selected, other stream identifiers.

39. In a system wherein a server streams media content to at least one client, one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

a server component; and

at least one client component, wherein the server component and the client component comprise computer-executable instructions for exchanging one or more messages to re-map the state of the client and to re-synchronize playback of the content if the streaming is interrupted.

40. The computer-readable media of claim 39, wherein the server component comprises computer-executable instructions for:

establishing a streaming media connection with at least one client;

streaming the media content to the client;

receiving a reconnect request from the client if said streaming is interrupted;

re-establishing the streaming media connection with the client; and

continuing with said streaming the media content.

41. The computer-readable media of claim 39, wherein the at least one client component comprises computer-executable instructions for:

establishing a streaming media connection with the server;

receiving the media content streamed from the server;

transmitting a reconnect request to the server if said receiving is interrupted;

re-establishing the streaming media connection with the server; and

continuing with said receiving the streamed media content.

42. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a reconnect request transmitted by a client to a server to re-establish an interrupted streaming media session, said data structure comprising:

a session identifier identifying the interrupted streaming media session;

a stream identifier identifying a media stream streamed by the server to the client in the interrupted streaming media session.