RTP-formatted media clips

• US 20070014545A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Falco, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/877 by assembling picture element blocks in an intermediate memory

Abstract

A transmitter (14) of audio, video, or other real-time information reads the information from a persistent store (22) in which the real-time information has been stored in the Real-time-Transport Protocol (“RTP”) format (FIG. 4). A receiver (18) receives the information from the channel (16) through which the transmitter (14) has transmitted it, and the receiver may store the information in a persistent store (24) in RTP format instead of or in addition to playing it by applying it to an appropriate player (20). Parts of this communications circuit may be tested by a tester unit (26) that also employs RTP-format information from a persistent store (22).

Claims

1. A method of performing persistent storage comprising:

A) receiving a received record in received RTP packets, of which each includes a received RTP payload and a respective received RTP timestamp; and

B) in response to the received record, storing in a persistent medium a stored record as stored packets of which each corresponds to a respective one of the received RTP packets, each stored packet including the RTP payload contained in the respective received RTP packet and further including a respective stored RTP timestamp derived from the corresponding received RTP packet'"'"'s received RTP timestamp.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the stored RTP timestamp in each stored packet equals the received RTP timestamp contained in the respective received RTP packet.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the format of the stored packet is that of the corresponding received RTP packet.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

A) the received and stored records contain audio data; and

B) the method further includes retrieving the stored record and playing it in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

A) the received and stored records contain video data; and

B) the method further includes retrieving the stored record and playing it in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the method additionally includes:

A) receiving a second received record in second RTP packets containing audio data, each second RTP packet including a received RTP payload and a respective received RTP timestamp;

B) in response to the second received record, storing in the persistent medium a second stored record as second stored packets of which each corresponds to a respective one of the second received RTP packets, each second stored packet including the RTP payload contained in the respective received RTP packet and further including a respective stored RTP timestamp derived from the corresponding second received RTP packet'"'"'s received RTP timestamp;

C) retrieving the second stored record; and

D) playing the second stored record simultaneously with the first-mentioned stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained in the second stored record.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further including retrieving the stored record and transmitting in accordance with the timestamp in each recorded packet a corresponding transmitted RTP packet including a transmitted RTP timestamp and including a payload the same as that of the recorded packet to which that transmitted packet corresponds.

8. A method of performing persistent storage comprising:

A) taking samples of time-dependent data; and

B) storing a record of the data in a persistent medium as stored RTP packets whose payloads represent the samples'"'"' values and whose timestamps represent the times at which the first samples in their respective payloads were taken.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein:

A) the sampled data are audio data; and

B) the method further includes retrieving the stored RTP packets and playing the audio data in accordance with the stored packets'"'"' RTP timestamps.

10. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein:

A) the sampled data are video data; and

B) the method further includes retrieving the stored RTP packets and playing the video data in accordance with the stored packets'"'"' RTP timestamps.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 further including:

A) concurrently with taking the samples of the video data, taking samples of audio data;

B) storing a second stored record of the audio data in a persistent medium as second stored RTP packets, whose payloads represent the audio samples'"'"' values and whose timestamps represent the times at which the first samples in their respective payloads were taken; and

C) playing the second stored record simultaneously with the first-mentioned stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained in the second stored record.

12. A method as defined in claim 8 further including retrieving the stored record and transmitting in accordance with the timestamp in each recorded packet a corresponding transmitted RTP packet including a transmitted RTP timestamp and including a payload the same as that of the recorded packet to which that transmitted packet corresponds.

13. For storing time-dependent data, an apparatus comprising:

A) a persistent medium operable to store received data and retrieve data thus stored;

B) a receiver that receives a received record in received RTP packets, of which each includes a received RTP payload and a respective received RTP timestamp; and

C) a persistent-store driver that responds to the receiver by storing in the persistent medium a stored record as stored packets of which each corresponds to a respective one of the received RTP packets, each stored packet including the RTP payload contained in the respective received RTP packet and further including a respective stored RTP timestamp derived from the corresponding received RTP packet'"'"'s received RTP timestamp.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein the stored RTP timestamp in each stored packet equals the received RTP timestamp contained in the respective received RTP packet.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the format of the stored packets are those of the corresponding received RTP packets.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein:

A) the received and stored records contain audio data;

B) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

C) the apparatus further includes an audio player and an audio driver that drives the audio player to play the stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein:

A) the received and stored records contain video data;

B) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

C) the apparatus further includes a video player and a video driver that drives the video player to play the stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein:

A) the receiver additionally receives a second received record in second RTP packets containing audio data, each second RTP packet including a received RTP payload and a respective received RTP timestamp;

B) in response to the receiver'"'"'s receiving the second received record, the persistent-store driver stores in the persistent medium a second stored record as second stored packets of which each corresponds to a respective one of the second received RTP packets, each second stored packet including the RTP payload contained in the corresponding received RTP packet and further including a respective stored RTP timestamp derived from the corresponding second received RTP packet'"'"'s received RTP timestamp;

C) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the second stored record; and

D) the apparatus further includes an audio player and an audio driver that drives the audio player, simultaneously with the video driver'"'"'s driving of the video player, to play the thus-retrieved second stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein:

A) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

B) the apparatus further includes a transmitter that transmits in accordance with the timestamp in each thus-retrieved recorded packet a corresponding transmitted RTP packet that both includes a transmitted RTP timestamp and includes a payload the same as that of the recorded packet to which that transmitted packet corresponds.

20. For storing time-dependent data, an apparatus comprising:

A) a persistent medium operable to store data and retrieve data thus stored;

B) a sampler that produces a sampled record by taking samples of a time-dependent function; and

C) a persistent-store driver that responds to the sampler by storing in the persistent medium a stored record as stored RTP packets whose payloads represent the samples'"'"' values and whose time-stamps represent the times at which the first samples in their respective payloads were taken.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein:

A) the sampled data are audio data;

B) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

C) the apparatus further includes an audio player and an audio driver that drives the audio player to play the stored record in accordance with the thus-retrieved stored timestamps contained therein.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein:

A) the sampled data are video data;

B) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

C) the apparatus further includes a video player and a video driver that drives the video player to play the thus-retrieved stored record in accordance with the stored timestamps contained therein.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein:

A) the sampler additionally produces a second sampled record by taking audio samples of a sound signal;

B) the persistent-store driver additionally responds to the sampler by storing in the persistent medium a second stored record as stored RTP packets whose payloads represent the audio samples'"'"' values and whose timestamps represent the times at which the first audio samples in their respective payloads were taken; and

C) the apparatus further includes an audio player and an audio driver that retrieves the second stored record and drives the audio player;

simultaneously with the video driver'"'"'s driving of the video player, in accordance with the stored timestamps contained in the second stored record.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein:

A) the persistent-store driver also retrieves the stored record; and

B) the apparatus further includes a transmitter that transmits in accordance with the timestamp in each thus-retrieved recorded packet a corresponding transmitted RTP packet that both includes a transmitted RTP timestamp and includes a payload the same as that of the recorded packet to which that transmitted packet corresponds.