STREAMING MEDIA INTERRUPTION AND RESUMPTION SYSTEM

• US 20090204719A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC), Accenture SPA (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Socher, Larry M., Celandroni, Nicolette, Simongini, Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,077,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A media delivery system enhances subscriber experience with streaming media. The media delivery system supports delivery of primary media content to the subscriber, but also provides secondary media content delivery, such as location based media delivery, that may interrupt the primary media content. The media delivery system coordinates delivery of the primary media stream and the location based media stream so that the primary media stream resumes delivery from the point of interruption when the secondary media stream finishes.

Claims

1. A method for streaming media to an endpoint, comprising:

initiating delivery of a primary media stream to an endpoint;

interrupting delivery of the primary media stream at an interruption point;

initiating delivery of a secondary media stream to the endpoint in place of the primary media stream; and

resuming delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has finished.

2. The method of claim 1, where initiating comprises:

initiating delivery of the secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream without establishing a new connection session with the endpoint.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an interrupt notification when the secondary media stream is available;

p1 and where interrupting comprises;

interrupting delivery of the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to generation of the interrupt notification.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an interrupt notification when the secondary media stream is available; and

awaiting an interruption request before interrupting delivery of the primary media stream.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending the interrupt notification to the endpoint; and

receiving the interruption request from the endpoint.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending the interrupt notification to the endpoint within the primary media stream.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an endpoint location for the endpoint;

obtaining a location specifier for the secondary media stream; and

determining that the endpoint location matches the location specifier before

interrupting delivery of the primary media stream.

8. A media delivery system comprising:

a notification module adapted to generate an interrupt notification based on

availability of a secondary media stream; and

a streaming media server adapted to;

initiate delivery of a primary media stream to an endpoint;

interrupt the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to the interrupt notification;

initiate delivery of the secondary media stream to the endpoint; and

resume delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has finished.

9. The media delivery system of claim 8, where:

the notification module is further adapted to deliver the interrupt notification to the streaming media server.

10. The media delivery system of claim 9, where:

the streaming media server is further adapted to communicate the interrupt notification to the endpoint within the primary media stream.

11. The media delivery system of claim 8, where:

the notification module is further adapted to;

obtain a media characteristic for the secondary media stream;

obtain an endpoint characteristic for the endpoint; and

generate the interrupt notification when the endpoint characteristic matches the media characteristic.

12. The media delivery system of claim 11, where the endpoint characteristic comprises an endpoint location for the endpoint.

13. The media delivery system of claim 11, where the endpoint characteristic comprises a subscription characteristic for the endpoint.

14. The media delivery system of claim 8, where the streaming media server is further operable to:

obtain an interruption request message from the endpoint;

analyze the interruption request to distinguish a new session request identifier from a concurrent session request identifier in the interruption request; and

interrupt the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to the interrupt notification and in response to the interruption request message.

15. The media delivery system of 8, where the streaming media server is further adapted to:

resume delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point by setting up a new streaming session to the endpoint.

16. The media delivery system of 8, where the streaming media server is further adapted to:

resume delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point without setting up a new streaming session to the endpoint.

17. A method for streaming media to an endpoint, comprising:

initiating delivery of a primary media stream to an endpoint;

analyzing a concurrency specifier in an interruption request received from the endpoint;

when the concurrency specifier comprises a new session request identifier;

interrupting the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to the interrupt notification;

initiating delivery of a secondary media stream to the endpoint; and

resuming delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has ended; and

when the concurrency specifier comprises a concurrent session request identifier;

initiating delivery of the secondary media stream to the endpoint without interrupting the primary media stream.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating an interrupt notification based on availability of a secondary media stream; and

communicating the interrupt notification to the endpoint.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

communicating the interrupt notification to the endpoint in the primary media stream.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

broadcasting the interrupt notification to the endpoint and at least one additional endpoint.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting bandwidth allocation to accommodate simultaneous delivery of the primary media stream and the secondary media stream to the endpoint when the concurrency specifier comprises the concurrent session request identifier.

22. A system for streaming media to an endpoint, the system comprising:

a client front end operable to receive an interruption request comprising a concurrency specifier from an endpoint;

streaming media logic operable to;

initiate delivery of a primary media stream to an endpoint;

when the concurrency specifier comprises a new session request identifier;

interrupt the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to the interrupt notification;

initiate delivery of a secondary media stream to the endpoint; and

resume delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has ended; and

when the concurrency specifier comprises a concurrent session request identifier;

initiate delivery of the secondary media stream to the endpoint without interrupting the primary media stream.

23. The system of claim 22, where the streaming media logic is further operable to dynamically adjust bandwidth allocation to accommodate simultaneous delivery of the primary media stream and the secondary media stream to the endpoint when the concurrency specifier comprises the concurrent session request identifier.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a network front end operable to accept media selection information from the endpoint.

25. The system of claim 22, where the streaming media logic is further operable to communicate an interrupt notification based on availability of a secondary media stream to the endpoint in the primary media stream.

26. A product comprising:

a memory; and

streaming media logic stored in the memory and operable to;

initiate delivery of a primary media stream to an endpoint;

interrupt delivery of the primary media stream at an interruption point;

initiate delivery of a secondary media stream to the endpoint in place of the primary media stream; and

resume delivery of the primary media stream to the endpoint from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has finished.

27. The product of claim 26, where the streaming media logic is further operable to:

initiate delivery of the secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream without establishing a new connection session with the endpoint.

28. The product of claim 26, where the streaming media logic is further operable to:

interrupt delivery of the primary media stream at an interruption point subsequent to generation of an interrupt notification.

29. The product of claim 26, where the streaming media logic is further operable to:

await an interruption request before interrupting delivery of the primary media stream.

30. An endpoint comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory;

client logic stored in the memory and operable to;

receive a primary media stream over the communication interface;

interrupt reception of the primary media stream at an interruption point;

switch to reception a secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream; and

resume reception of the primary media stream from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has finished; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory and operable to execute the client logic.

31. The endpoint of claim 30, where the client logic is further operable to:

receive the secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream without establishing a new connection session.

32. The endpoint of claim 30, where the client logic is further operable to:

receive an interrupt notification when the secondary media stream is available; and

;

interrupt reception of the primary media stream at the interruption point subsequent to reception of the interrupt notification.

33. The endpoint of claim 32, where the client logic is further operable to:

transmit an interruption request responsive to the interrupt notification over the communication interface.

34. The endpoint of claim 32, where the client logic is further operable to:

extract the interrupt notification from within the primary media stream.

35. The endpoint of claim 33, where the client logic is further operable to:

obtain a media characteristic for the secondary media stream from the interrupt notification;

obtain an endpoint characteristic for the endpoint; and

transmit the interrupt request when the endpoint characteristic matches the media characteristic.

36. A product comprising:

a memory; and

client logic stored in the memory and operable to;

receive a primary media stream;

interrupt reception of the primary media stream at an interruption point;

switch to reception a secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream; and

resume reception of the primary media stream from the interruption point when the secondary media stream has finished.

37. The product of claim 36, where the client logic is further operable to:

receive the secondary media stream in place of the primary media stream without establishing a new connection session.

38. The product of claim 36, where the client logic is further operable to:

receive an interrupt notification; and

initiate transmission of an interruption request responsive to the interrupt notification.

39. The product of claim 38, where the client logic is further operable to:

extract the interrupt notification from within the primary media stream.

40. The product of claim 38, where the client logic is further operable to:

obtain a media characteristic for the secondary media stream from the interrupt notification;

obtain an endpoint characteristic for the endpoint from a local subscriber profile; and

initiate transmission of the interrupt request when the endpoint characteristic matches the media characteristic.

41. A signal comprising:

an encoded first section of primary media content;

an interruption notification for the availability of secondary media content and following the encoded first section of the primary media content;

an encoded second section of the primary media content following the interruption notification and comprising an interruption point within the primary media content;

encoded secondary media content following the interruption point; and

an encoded third section of the primary media content following the encoded secondary media content and starting from the interruption point.

42. The signal of claim 41, where the interruption notification comprises:

relevant content location data.

43. The signal of claim 41, where the interruption notification comprises:

a timestamp.

44. The signal of claim 41, where the interruption notification comprises:

content type data.

41-1. canceled