System and method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node

• US 20070186003A1
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PacketVideo Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PacketVideo Network Solutions, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wu, Wei, Chan, Cheuk, Severa, Michael, Kosiba, David, Zeng, Thomas, Foster, Michael, Sherwood, P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A scheme for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node. An RTSP SET_PARAMETER message is provided to the network node by a client application executing on a digital multimedia device, wherein the message contains at least one of a playlist identifier, a media clip index and an indication of an activation time. Responsive to the message, content from a particular content source identified by the playlist indentifier, the media clip index, or both, is streamed to the digitial multimedia device at a time determined responsive to the activation time.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node, comprising:

generating a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) SET_PARAMETER message to said network node by a client application executing on a digital multimedia device, said message containing at least one of a playlist identifier, a media clip index and a clip offset as well as an indication of an activation time; and

transferring digital multimedia content to said digital multimedia device by said network node from a particular content source identified by at least one of said playlist identifier and said media clip index, said transferring commencing at a time determined responsive to said indication of said activation time.

2. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 1, wherein said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message is generated while said network node is streaming digital multimedia content to said digital multimedia device from a previously identified content source.

3. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 2, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node continues to stream from said media clip until said media clip'"'"'s boundary is reached.

4. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 2, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node terminates streaming from said media clip substantially immediately upon receiving another SET_PARAMETER message from said client application.

5. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 1, wherein said network node returns a Normal Play Time (NPT) value to said client application in response to said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message.

6. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 1, wherein said digital multimedia device accesses said network node over at least one of a wireline network, a wireless network, and a cable network.

7. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 1, wherein said digital multimedia device comprises at least one of:

digital music players, digital video players, computers, and handheld communication devices enabled to accept streaming media.

8. The method for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 1, wherein said activation time is operable to assume a value selected from NOW, END OF CLIP, and END OF PLAYLIST.

9. A system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node, comprising:

means associated with a client application executing on a digital multimedia device for generating a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) SET_PARAMETER message to said network node, said message containing at least one of a playlist identifier, a media clip index and a clip offset as well as an indication of an activation time; and

means for transferring digital multimedia content to said digital multimedia device by said network node from a particular content source identified by at least one of said playlist identifier and said media clip index, said transferring commencing at a time determined responsive to said indication of said activation time.

10. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 9, wherein said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message is generated while said network node is streaming digital multimedia content to said digital multimedia device from a previously identified content source.

11. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 10, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node continues to stream from said media clip until said media clip'"'"'s boundary is reached.

12. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 10, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node terminates streaming from said media clip substantially immediately upon receiving another SET_PARAMETER message from said client application.

13. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 9, wherein said network node comprises means for returning a Normal Play Time (NPT) value to said client application in response to said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message.

14. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 9, wherein said digital multimedia device accesses said network node over at least one of a wireline network, a wireless network, and a cable network.

15. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 9, wherein said digital multimedia device comprises at least one of:

digital music players, digital video players, computers, and handheld communication devices enabled to accept streaming media.

16. The system for retrieving digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 9, wherein said activation time is operable to assume a value selected from NOW, END OF CLIP, and END OF PLAYLIST.

17. A digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node, comprising:

logic for generating a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) SET_PARAMETER message to said network node by a client application executing on said digital multimedia device, said message containing at least one of a playlist identifier, a media clip index and a clip offset as well as an indication of an activation time; and

a player engine operable to play back streaming content from a particular content source identified by at least one of said playlist identifier and said media clip index, said streaming content commencing at a time determined responsive to said indication of said activation time.

18. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 17, wherein said logic for generating said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message includes logic for generating said message while said network node is streaming digital multimedia content to said digital multimedia device from a previously identified content source.

19. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 18, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node continues to stream from said media clip until said media clip'"'"'s boundary is reached.

20. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 18, wherein said previously identified content source comprises a media clip and said network node terminates streaming from said media clip substantially immediately upon receiving another SET_PARAMETER message from said client application.

21. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 17, wherein said network node includes logic for returning a Normal Play Time (NPT) value to said client application in response to said RTSP SET_PARAMETER message.

22. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 17, farther comprising means for accessing said network node over at least one of a wireline network, a wireless network, and a cable network.

23. The digital multimedia device operable to retrieve digital multimedia content from a network node as recited in claim 17, wherein said activation time is operable to assume a value selected from NOW, END OF CLIP, and END OF PLAYLIST.