System and method for predictive streaming

• US 20060106770A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Streamtheory Incorporated
• Inventors: Vries, Jeffrey de
• Granted Patent: US 7,240,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

A technique for predictive streaming involves receiving a request for a block associated with a streaming application and serving data associated with the block. A block request database is checked to predict what block is likely to be requested next based upon prior block request data. The predicted block may be identified when serving the data associated with the requested block. A system developed according to the technique includes a streaming server, a block request database, and a prediction engine that uses the block request database to predict block requests. The streaming server provides data associated with the predicted block request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a first block of a streaming application;

checking a block request database;

predicting a second block request based on the block request database;

sending, in response to the request, data associated with the first block and data associated with the second block.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting a plurality of block requests based on the block request database, wherein said sending further includes sending data associated with the plurality of block requests.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the second block is sufficient to identify the second block so as to facilitate making a request for the second block.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the second block includes data sufficient to render a request for the second block unnecessary.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising piggybacking the data associated with the second block on a reply to the request for the first block.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

logging the request for the first block; and

updating the block request database to incorporate data associated with the logged request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the logged request is a first logged request, further comprising setting a temporal aggressiveness parameter, wherein the block request database is updated to incorporate data associated with the first logged request to the extent that associations with a second logged request is made if a difference between a receive time associated with the first logged request and the second logged request is less than the temporal aggressiveness parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting an aggressiveness parameter, wherein the data associated with the second block is sent when a probability of the second block request is higher than the aggressiveness parameter.

9. A system comprising:

a means for receiving a request for a first block of a streaming application;

a means for checking a block request database;

a means for predicting a second block request based on the block request database;

a means for sending, in response to the request, data associated with the first block and data associated with the second block.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data associated with the second block is sufficient to identify the second block so as to facilitate making a request for the second block.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the data associated with the second block includes data sufficient to render a request for the second block unnecessary.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a means for piggybacking the data associated with the second block on a reply to the request for the first block.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a means for logging the request for the first block.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a means for updating the block request database to incorporate data associated with the logged request.

15. A system comprising:

a processor;

a block request database that includes predictive parameters;

a prediction engine, coupled to the processor and the block request database, that is configured to check the block request database and predict a second block request for a second block based upon a first block request for a first block and predictive parameters associated with the first block;

a streaming server, coupled to the prediction engine, that is configured to;

obtain the prediction about the second block request from the prediction engine,

include data associated with the second block in a response to the first block request, in addition to data associated with the first block, and

send the response in reply to the first block request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the second block is sufficient to identify the second block so as to facilitate making the second block request.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the second block includes data sufficient to render the second block request unnecessary.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the streaming server is further configured to piggyback the data associated with the second block on a reply to the first block request.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a request log, wherein the streaming server is further configured to log the first block request in the request log.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the prediction engine is further configured to update the block request database according to the request log.