Method and apparatus for allowing a media client to obtain media data from a media server

• US 20080201416A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel I. Lipton
• Original Assignee: Daniel I. Lipton
• Inventors: Lipton, Daniel I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,037,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a computer system that includes a media server, a media client, and a media-server interface. The media server application produces media data, where the media data has a plurality of segments. For example, in some embodiments, the media data is a movie with video and audio components. In this example, the segments of the movie can be specified in two groups, where one group includes the frames of video in the movie and the other group includes the seconds of audio in the movie. The media client application is typically an application that needs to process the media data of the media server application without the need to have any familiarity with the implementation of the media server application. The media-server interface directs the server application to successively generate individual segments of the media data and to store each generated segment in a location that is accessible by the media client. The server application generates each segment in a format that is comprehensible to the media client application. The media client application retrieves each segment from its stored location and processes the segment.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a) a media server application for producing media data, wherein the media data has a plurality of segments;

b) a media client application for retrieving and processing the segments of the media data;

c) a media-server interface that for allowing the server application to generate one segment of the media data in a format that is comprehensible to the media client application and to store the generated segment in a location accessible by the media client.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one segment is a frame of video.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein at least one segment is a particular duration of an audio.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one segment is a particular duration of an audio.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a memory mapped file, which is the location in which the generated segment is stored.

6-10. -10. (canceled)

11. For a media client application, a method of receiving media data from a media server application that produces the media data, wherein the media data has a plurality of segments, the method comprising:

a) directing the server application to generate one segment of the media data and to store the generated segment in a location accessible by the media client,

b) retrieving and processing the generated segment,

c) directing the server application to generate another segment of the media data and to store the generated segment in the location,

d) retrieving and processing the generated segment,

wherein the segments are generated in a format that is comprehensible to the media client application and stored in the location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one segment is a frame of video.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one segment is a particular duration of an audio.

14-19. -19. (canceled)

20. An interface of a computing device, said interface for transferring media data from a media server to a media client, said media server and said media client stored on said computing device, said interface comprising:

a first command for establishing a session between the media server and media client;

a second command for directing the media server to successively store segments of the media data in a storage of said computing, said storage accessible by the media client;

a third command for ending the session between the media server and the media client.

21. The interface of claim 20, wherein the second command is further for directing the media server to successively generate the segments of media data.

22. The interface of claim 21, wherein the segments is generated in a format understandable by the media client.

23. The interface of claim 20, wherein a particular segment is at least one of duration of audio and duration of video.

24. The interface of claim 20, wherein the storage is a memory of said computing device.

25. A method for an interface of a computing device, said interface for transferring media data from a media server to a media client, said media server and said media client stored on said computing device, said method comprising:

establishing a session between the media server and media client;

directing the media server to successively store segments of the media data in a storage of said computing device, said storage accessible by the media client;

ending the session between the media server and the media client.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising directing the media server to successively generate the segments of media data.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein a particular segment is at least one of duration of audio and duration of video.

28. A method for a media server executing on a computing device, said method comprising:

a) receiving a set of requests for a media data that includes a plurality of segments;

b) successively generating segments of the media data in a format understandable by a media client application; and

c) successively storing the segments of the media data in a storage of said computing device, wherein said storage area is accessible by a media client application

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the client application is an application executing on said computing device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the storage is a memory of said computing device.

31. The method of claim 28 further comprising receiving a request to end the session from the client application.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein a particular segment is at least one of duration of audio and duration of video.