METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR PURCHASING STREAMED MEDIA

• US 20090281907A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Skog, Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/306,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A method and arrangement for purchasing streamed media as executed in a communication terminal operated by a user when receiving a media stream containing various media objects as data packets from a streaming server. In response to receiving user input for the purchase of a currently played wanted media object, a purchase request is sent to the streaming server. In response to the purchase request, a download enabler is received containing information leading to the wanted media object. The wanted media object is then downloaded based on the received download enabler.

Claims

1. A method of purchasing streamed media as executed in a communication terminal operated by a user when receiving a media stream containing at least one media object as data packets from a streaming server, comprising the following steps:

receiving user input for the purchase of a currently played wanted media object,

sending a purchase request for the wanted media object to the streaming server in response to said user input,

receiving a download enabler in response to said purchase request containing information that the terminal can use for downloading the wanted media object, and

downloading the wanted media object based on the received download enabler.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a time stamp or packet sequence is determined in a data packet which has been received in the media stream but not yet played and discarded, and the time stamp or packet sequence is included in the purchase request.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein RTP is used for streaming said media and said time stamp or packet sequence is read from an RTP header in the data packet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received download enabler is a download descriptor that can be used for obtaining said wanted media object from a download server according to the OMA download standard.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received download enabler is a URL pointing to a first download server from which a download descriptor can be obtained, in order to fetch the wanted media object from a second download server according to the OMA download standard.

6. An arrangement in a communication terminal operated by a user, for purchasing streamed media when receiving a media stream containing at least one media object as data packets from a streaming server, comprising:

means for receiving user input for the purchase of a currently played wanted media object,

means for sending a purchase request for the wanted media object to the streaming server in response to said user input,

means for receiving a download enabler in response to said purchase request containing information that the terminal can use for downloading the wanted media object, and

means for downloading the wanted media object based on ‘

the received download enabler.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, further comprising means for determining a time stamp or packet sequence in a data packet which has been received in the media stream but not yet played and discarded, and means for including the time stamp or packet sequence in the purchase request.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein RTP is used for streaming said media and said time stamp or packet sequence is read from an RTP header in the data packet.

9. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the received download enabler is a download descriptor that can be used for obtaining said wanted media object from a download server according to the OMA download standard.

10. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the received download enabler is a URL pointing to a first download server from which a download descriptor can be obtained, in order to fetch the wanted media object from a second download server according to the OMA download standard.

11. A method of supporting the purchase of streamed media as executed in a streaming server when transmitting a media stream containing at least one media object as data packets to a communication terminal operated by a user, comprising the following steps:

receiving a purchase request from the user terminal for a currently played wanted media object,

identifying the wanted media object and determining a corresponding download enabler containing information that the terminal can use for downloading the wanted media object, and

sending the download enabler to the user terminal in response to said purchase request.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wanted media object is identified based on a time stamp or packet sequence for a data packet in the transmitted media stream.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the received purchase request includes said time stamp or packet sequence.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein said time stamp or packet sequence is determined by the streaming server from a currently sent packet in the data stream.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein RTP is used for streaming said media and said time stamp or packet sequence is read from an RTP header in the data packet.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wanted media object is identified as the one being played at the time of receiving the purchase request.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a predetermined delay hysteresis is used when identifying the wanted media object, by saving data packets a hysteresis time after being sent from a playout buffer.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein said download enabler is a download descriptor that can be used for obtaining said media object from a download server according to the OMA download standard.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein said download enabler is a URL pointing to a first download server from which a download descriptor can be obtained, in order to fetch the wanted media object from a second download server according to the OMA download standard.

20. An arrangement in a streaming server for supporting the purchase of streamed media when transmitting a media stream containing at least one media object as data packets to a communication terminal operated by a user, comprising the following steps:

means for receiving a purchase request from the user terminal for a currently played wanted media object,

means for identifying the wanted media object and determining a corresponding download enabler containing information that the terminal can use for downloading the wanted media object, and

means for sending the download enabler to the user terminal in response to said purchase request.

21. The arrangement according to claim 20, adapted to identify the wanted media object based on a time stamp or packet sequence for a data packet in the transmitted media stream.

22. The arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the received purchase request includes said time stamp or packet sequence.

23. The arrangement according to claim 21, adapted to determine said time stamp or packet sequence from a currently sent packet in the data stream.

24. The arrangement according to claim 21, wherein RTP is used for streaming said media and said time stamp or packet sequence has been read from an RTP header in the data packet.

25. The arrangement according to claim 20, adapted to identify the wanted media object as the one being played at the time of receiving the purchase request.

26. The arrangement according to claim 25, wherein a predetermined delay hysteresis is used when identifying the wanted media object, by saving data packets a hysteresis time after being sent from a playout buffer.

27. The arrangement according to claim 20, wherein said download enabler is a download descriptor that can be used for obtaining said wanted media object from a download server according to the OMA download standard.

28. The arrangement according to claim 20, wherein said download enabler is a URL pointing to a first download server from which a download descriptor can be obtained, in order to fetch the wanted media object from a second download server according to the OMA download standard.