Wrapper playlists on streaming media services

• US 20050165943A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: O'Rourke, Bret P., Dean, Dawson F., Kucer, Anton
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Systems and methods for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network are described. In one aspect, a playlist is maintained on a server computer. The playlist includes at least one reference to a streaming media content item and at least one placeholder. A request for a requested streaming media content item is received at the server computer from a client computer over a network. The server computer modifies the playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to a streaming media content item. This is accomplished such that the modified playlist includes at least one reference to the requested streaming media content item and at least one reference to at least one further streaming media content item. The streaming media content items referenced by the modified playlist are provided to the client computer over the network.

Claims

1. A method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network, the method comprising:

maintaining a playlist on a server computer, the playlist comprising at least one reference to a streaming media content item and at least one placeholder;

receiving a request for a requested streaming media content item at the server computer from a client computer over a network;

modifying, by the server computer, the playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to a streaming media content item, such that the modified playlist comprises at least one reference to the requested streaming media content item and at least one reference to at least one further streaming media content item; and

providing the streaming media content items referenced by the modified playlist to the client computer over the network.

2. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 1, wherein modifying further comprises modifying, by the server computer, the playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to the requested streaming media content item.

3. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 2 wherein the further streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

4. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 2 wherein both the requested streaming media content item and the further streaming media content item are provided by a remote computer across a network.

5. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 1, wherein modifying further comprises modifying, by the server computer, the playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to at least one further streaming media content item.

6. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 5, wherein the requested streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

7. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 5, wherein the further streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

8. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 5, wherein both the requested streaming media content item and the further streaming media content item are provided by a remote computer across a network.

9. A method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network, the method comprising:

maintaining a playlist on a server computer, the playlist comprising at least one reference to a streaming media content item and at least one placeholder;

receiving a request for a requested streaming media content item at the server computer from a client computer over a network;

copying, by the server computer, the playlist to create a duplicate playlist;

modifying, by the server computer, the duplicate playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to a streaming media content item, such that the modified playlist comprises at least one reference to the requested streaming media content item and at least one reference to at least one further streaming media content item; and

providing the streaming media content items referenced by the modified playlist to the client computer over the network.

10. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 9, wherein modifying further comprises modifying, by the server computer, the duplicate playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to the requested streaming media content item.

11. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 10:

wherein the requested streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

12. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 10, wherein the further streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

13. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 10, wherein both the requested streaming media content item and the further streaming media content item are provided by a remote computer across a network.

14. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 9, wherein modifying further comprises modifying, by the server computer, the duplicate playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to at least one further streaming media content item.

15. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 14 wherein the requested streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

16. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 14 wherein the further streaming media content item is provided by a remote computer across a network.

17. The method for combining streaming media content items for streaming to a client computer across a network of claim 14, wherein both the requested streaming media content item and the further streaming media content item are provided by a remote computer across a network.

18. At least one computer readable medium having embodied thereon computer executable code for causing a server computer to perform a method for combining streaming media content items for streaming across a network, the method comprising:

maintaining at least one playlist, a playlist comprising at least one reference to a streaming media content item and at least one placeholder;

receiving, over a network, a plurality of requests for streaming media content items from at least one client computer; and

for at least a subset of the received requests for streaming media content items;

(a) identifying a playlist maintained on the server computer;

(b) modifying the identified playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to a streaming media content item, such that the modified playlist comprises at least one reference to a streaming media content item requested by the client computer and at least one reference to at least one further streaming media content item; and

(c) providing the streaming media content items referenced by the modified playlist from the server computer to the client computer over the network.

19. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein modifying further comprises modifying the playlist to create a modified playlist by replacing at least one placeholder with a reference to a streaming media content item requested by the client computer.

20. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises, for at least a subset of the received requests for streaming media content items:

(d) receiving the requested streaming media content item from a remote computer across a network prior to providing the streaming media content items to the client computer.