Method of Multiple File Streaming Service Through Playlist in Mobile Environment and System Thereof

• US 20080301317A1
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vidiator Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vidiator Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Jaeyong, Yoon, Jong-Sung
• Application Number:
  US11/884,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301317A1
• 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 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355

Abstract

A method and system of streaming content media files uses a Portable Terminal. In the event of streaming multiple content files in a mobile environment, the method combines multiple content files into one streaming file through the Playlist Generator provided for the Streaming Server and then streams the entire file at once to a Portable Terminal in order to resolve problems with the existing technology, wherein after streaming for 1 content file is all completed, one must request the Streaming Server for another session again in order to stream subsequent content files.

Claims

1. A streaming method that can be implemented on a streaming server and that allows streaming of multiple content files at once, without attempting to reconnect to said streaming server to establish a separate session for each content file to be sent to a portable terminal, when multiple files are transmitted to the portable terminal from the streaming server, the method being for streaming of multiple files through a playlist file in a mobile environment, the method comprising:

selecting 2 or more content files;

generating one playlist file for said content files via a playlist generator to prepare a streaming service; and

streaming said content files on the playlist file to the portable terminal as one file.

2. The method of claim 1 for streaming multiple files through the playlist file in the mobile environment, further comprising applying a real time update to the playlist file during streaming to the portable terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting said content files set up in a content provider or web server that provides content files.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting said content files takes place in an interactive mode where a user of the portable terminal selects at least one file among the content files after connecting to a website.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said applying the real time update includes in an event that a user of the portable terminal, in a middle of receiving streamed files, modifies, adds or deletes a content list of the playlist file which is being streamed after the user connects to a website, the modified, added, and deleted content list is streamed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said preparing said streaming service comprises:

performing a validation check on content files that are selected by the playlist generator;

preparing the playlist file;

storing playlist files in a specific media folder of the streaming server; and

generating a streaming link for said specific media folder on an Internet page of a website.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said performing said validation check includes validating a codec of each file and encoding a parameter of each codec.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said performing said validation check includes performing a validation check on each file individually or collectively.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said playlist file includes a sequence number, location information, and option information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said streaming said content files on the Playlist as one file includes:

selecting a streaming link for the playlist file by connecting to an Internet page of a website using a browser of the portable terminal; and

wherein said playlist file is streamed as one file to the portable terminal without attempts of reconnection as said streaming link is selected, in said mobile environment.

11. The method of claim 10 for streaming multiple files through the playlist file in the mobile environment, further including the streaming server providing authentication for said streaming link in terms of a specific number of times in which said streaming link can be used by a user of said portable terminal to remain valid and/or a specific duration of time in which said streaming link is valid.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said content files include advertisement content files, wherein the advertisement content files are combined with other content files to generate said playlist file through said playlist generator, and wherein advertisement content files and other content files are streamed sequentially as one playlist file to the portable terminal, in said mobile environment.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the playlist generator that generates said one playlist, in said mobile environment, can set up a random access function that allows a user of the portable terminal random access to at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising in the mobile environment, setting up a prohibited area that bars random access by the user of the portable terminal to at least one of said content files.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the playlist generator that generates said one playlist file is adapted to set up a track move function that allows a track move by a user of the portable terminal for at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the playlist generator sets up a prohibited area that prohibits said track move by the user of the portable terminal in at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein information about audio files is displayed on a display screen of the portable terminal, in an event that said playlist file is audio, by generating video files recorded with information about corresponding audio files in advance, the method further including streaming corresponding video files while streaming the audio files.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user of the portable terminal with duration control feature; and

providing said user of the portable terminal with a live channel change feature.

19. A streaming system that streams multiple content files at once without attempting to reconnect for each individual content file, the system comprising:

an encoder to convert said content files to streaming files;

a streaming server to transmit the streaming files converted by said encoder to a portable terminal;

a playlist generator, in an event that said content files of N or more, wherein N is an integer greater than 1, are selected, to generate one playlist file for content files C₁, C₂, . . . , C_N, wherein C refers to a content file and its subscript is a random serial number that is an integer greater than or equal to 1, targeted for streaming, and to put information contained in each content file in the playlist file, to transmit the playlist file to a media folder of said streaming server and to link the media folder to an Internet website; and

a portable terminal to receive streaming of content files that are displayed in said playlist file through a transmission network from said streaming server, wherein content files of N or more are transmitted as one playlist file in response to complete selection of a streaming link of said Internet website after one time, thereby allowing streaming multiple files through the playlist file in a mobile environment.

20. The system of claim 19 to stream multiple files through the playlist file in said mobile environment, further comprising an additional advertisement server to provide advertisement content files, wherein said playlist generator is adapted to combine advertisement content files that are provided from said advertisement server and stored in the streaming server with content files provided from a content server in order to generate the playlist file.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said streaming server includes a random access module and track move module to enable random access and track move by a user of the portable terminal for at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file respectively, the streaming server being adapted to pre-establish a random access prohibition area and/or a track move prohibition area through playlist file depending on types of said content files.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the system is adapted to prohibit bill payment processing for certain at least one of said content files.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the playlist generator further includes a duration control feature and a live channel change feature usable by a user of the portable terminal.

24. A streaming server for streaming multiple content files in a mobile environment, the streaming server comprising:

means for selecting 2 or more content files;

playlist generator means for generating one playlist file for said content files; and

means for streaming multiple ones of said content files on the playlist file to a portable terminal as one file, without reconnecting to said streaming server to establish a separate session for each content file to be sent to said portable terminal in said mobile environment.

25. The streaming server of claim 24, further comprising:

duration control means for controlling playing duration of each content file in said playlist; and

live channel change means for permitting change in streaming of live channels.

26. The streaming server of claim 24 wherein said means for selecting is interactive to enable the portable terminal to select at least one file among the content files after connection.

27. The streaming server of claim 24, further comprising means for applying a real time update to said playlist file if the portable terminal, in a middle of receiving streamed files, modifies, adds or deletes a content list of the playlist file which is being streamed after connection, to enable the thus updated playlist file having said modified, added, and deleted content list to be streamed.

28. The streaming server of claim 24 wherein:

said playlist generator means can set up a random access function that provides the portable terminal with random access to at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file;

said playlist generator means can set up a track move function that allows a track move by the portable terminal for at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file; and

said playlist generator means can set up a prohibited area that prohibits said track move by the portable terminal in at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file.

29. The streaming server of claim 24, further comprising:

means for setting up a prohibited area that bars random access by the portable terminal to at least one of said content files.

30. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing a computer program that is executable by a processor to stream multiple content files in a mobile environment, by;

selecting 2 or more content files;

generating one playlist file for said content files using a playlist generator; and

streaming multiple ones of said content files on the playlist file to a portable terminal as one file, without reconnecting to said streaming server to establish a separate session for each content file to be sent to said portable terminal in said mobile environment.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 30 wherein the computer program is further executable by the processor to:

control playing duration of each content file in said playlist; and

enable live channel change in streaming of live channels.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 30 wherein the computer program is further executable by the processor to:

provide interactivity to the portable terminal to select at least one file among the content files after connection;

apply a real time update to said playlist file if the portable terminal, in a middle of receiving streamed files, modifies, adds or deletes a content list of the playlist file which is being streamed after connection, to enable the thus updated playlist file having said modified, added, and deleted content list to be streamed; and

set up a prohibited area that bars random access by the portable terminal to at least one of said content files.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 30 wherein said computer program is executable by said processor to control said playlist generator to:

set up a random access function that provides the portable terminal with random access to at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file;

set up a track move function that allows a track move by the portable terminal for at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file; and

set up a prohibited area that prohibits said track move by the portable terminal in at least one of said content files contained in the playlist file.