TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL AUDIO DATA

• US 20120317245A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audio Pod IP, LLC (Audio Pod Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audio Pod Inc.
• Inventors: McCue, John, McCue, Robert, Shostakovsky, Gregory, McCue, Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A system, method and computer-readable code for segmenting an audio stream into a plurality of small digital audio files using gaps in the natural language of the audio stream is provided. The small digital audio files are transmitted, loaded, and played in a specific order, such that from the user'"'"'s perspective, the audio stream is reproduced in an apparently seamless manner. This is done without reassembling the audio stream, either in whole or in part. The small digital audio files are created using natural language gaps, and are generally small enough to ensure that a first small digital audio file can be downloaded and played without significant delay, while successive small digital audio files are downloaded to be played in the future. Accordingly, the user receives audio-on-demand in a timely manner.

Claims

1-45. -45. (canceled)

46. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code, which when executed by a computer, causes said computer to:

send a request to a network-based server, the request including a unique identifier for identifying an audio stream;

load a list of library servers received from the network-based server, the list of library servers determined in dependence upon the unique identifier;

maintain service level statistics for each library server in the list of library servers;

select a first library server from the list of library servers in dependence upon the service level statistics, the first library server having a plurality of digital audio files, each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files including a different segment of the audio stream; and

download a first digital audio file from the plurality of digital audio files for playback with a media player.

47. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the unique identifier is an ISBN number.

48. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 47, wherein a size of each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files is selected in dependence upon network throughput rates.

49. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 48, wherein the unique identifier is obtained from one of a bookmark structure, a card catalog structure, and an advertising structure.

50. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the unique identifier is obtained from one of a bookmark structure, a card catalog structure, and an advertising structure.

51. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the service level statistics include historical transfer rates for each library server in the list of library servers.

52. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 51, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

compare the historical transfer rates of all library servers on the list of library servers;

select the fastest library server on the list of library servers;

initialize a floating average value representing transfer rate;

monitor transaction times for the fastest library server and update the floating average transfer rate;

increase the floating average transfer rate by a first predetermined value in dependence upon an unavailability of the fastest library server; and

update the historical transfer rate for the fastest server in dependence upon the floating average transfer rate exceeding a predetermined value.

53. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 52, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

at arbitrary time intervals, calculate an average value of the historical transfer rates for all library servers on the list of servers and subtract a second predetermined value from the historical transfer rate for each library server that has a historical value exceeding the calculated average.

54. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 52, wherein the first library server is the fastest library server.

55. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

select a second library server from the list of library servers in dependence upon the service level statistics, the second library server having a copy of the plurality of digital audio files; and

download a second other digital audio file from the second library server for playback with the media player.

56. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the request includes login information.

57. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 46, wherein the computer code is configured to cause said computer to:

download a descriptor file from the first library server, the descriptor file for ordering the plurality of digital audio files, the descriptor file including at least one of a start time, an end time, and a play time of each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files within the audio stream,

wherein the computer determines the first digital audio file for playback using a time offset external to the descriptor file and the at least one of the start time, end time, and play time of each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files.

58. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code, which when executed by a computer, causes said computer to:

determine a first position within an audio stream playing on a media player;

determine a time offset using a point in time of the first position from a beginning of the audio stream;

create a bookmark for the first position, the bookmark including a file, the file including a unique identifier for identifying the audio stream and including the time offset,

wherein the bookmark is for positioning the audio stream to the first position using the time offset.

59. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 58, wherein the first position is determined when the media player is stopped while playing the audio stream.

60. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 58, wherein the first position is determined in response to a make bookmark command.

61. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 58, wherein the time offset is determined by subtracting a predetermined value from the point in time of the first position from the beginning of the audio stream.

62. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 58, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

transfer the bookmark to another computer.

63. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 62, wherein the other computer is for loading a digital audio file including the first position for playback by an other media player, the media player and the other media player using one of the same audio formats and different audio formats.

64. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 58,

wherein the audio stream is stored as a plurality of digital audio files in a library, each digital audio file including a different segment of the audio stream, and wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

determine a first digital audio file from the plurality of digital audio files to be loaded for playback with the media player from the first position, the first digital audio file selected using the time offset and a descriptor file, the descriptor file for ordering the plurality of digital audio files and including at least one of a start time, an end time, and a play time of each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files within the audio stream;

determine if the first digital audio file is resident with the computer;

download the first digital audio file from the library in dependence upon whether the first digital audio file is already resident with the computer; and

load the first digital audio file for playback with the media player from the first position.

65. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable code, which when executed by a computer, causes said computer to:

download a first digital audio file stored in a library, the library connected to the computer via a network, the first digital audio file selected from a plurality of digital audio files stored in the library, each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files including a different segment of an audio stream, a size of each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files selected in dependence upon network throughput rates and to allow each digital audio file in the plurality of digital audio files to be downloaded and begin playing in less than about 5 seconds, the first digital audio file selected in dependence upon a predetermined position within the audio stream.

66. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 65, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

download successive digital audio files in the plurality of digital audio files from the library; and

successively play the first digital audio file and the successive digital audio files using a media player to reproduce an experience of a contiguous audio stream without reconstruction of the audio stream.

67. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 66, wherein the computer code is further configured to cause said computer to:

determine numeric values representing current time offsets into the audio stream while the first digital audio file and the successive digital audio files are successively played; and

purge the downloaded digital audio files in dependence upon an amount of memory available, a current time offset, and time-offsets provided in bookmarks resident on the computer.