STREAMLINED DELIVERY OF VIDEO CONTENT

• US 20130179541A1
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Joseph Yongxiang
• Granted Patent: US 10,218,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A content delivery server may provide content to a requesting client device using a streamlined HTTP enhancement proxy delivery technique. For example, an HTTP proxy server may receive a request for video content or a fragment of video content from a client device. The request may be associated with a timeout scheduled to occur if no content has been received after a specified amount of time. The server may then transmit a request for the content to a remote server, such as an upstream cache server in the proxy server'"'"'s CDN. When the proxy server receives a portion of the requested content from the remote server, the proxy server begins transmitting the portion to the client device before the requested content has been completely received and buffered. The client device may then begin receiving data from the proxy server before timeout has occurred.

Claims

1. A communication method comprising:

receiving, from a client device, an HTTP request for a data unit;

transmitting, to a remote server, an HTTP request for the data unit;

receiving, from the remote server, a portion of the data unit; and

in advance of receiving the entire data unit, transmitting, to the client device, the portion of the data unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the transmitted portion of the data unit is based on a maximum transmission unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data unit is a fragment of video content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTTP request comprises a timeout, and wherein transmitting the portion of the data unit comprises transmitting the portion of the data unit in advance of the timeout.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the HTTP request for the data unit comprises transmitting, to a service router, an HTTP request for the data unit.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the remote server based on a search of a cache server index.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the remote server comprises identifying the remote server based on a uniform resource identifier extracted from the HTTP request.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the remote server comprises identifying the remote server based on a uniform resource identifier prefix extracted from the HTTP request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the HTTP request for the data unit comprises receiving, from the client device, an HTTP request for a first time portion of a video content;

receiving the portion of the data unit comprises receiving, from the remote server, a second time portion of the video content smaller than the first time portion; and

transmitting the portion of the data unit comprises transmitting, to the client device, the second time portion before completely receiving the first time portion.

10. A computing device comprising:

a buffer configured to store data, wherein the size of the buffer is smaller than an expected size of a data unit;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform the following;

receive, from a client device, an HTTP request for a data unit;

determine that the requested data unit is not stored locally;

transmit, to a remote server, an HTTP request for the data unit;

receive, from the remote server, a portion of the data unit;

store, in the buffer, the portion of the data unit;

in response to the size of the stored portion of the data unit reaching the size of the buffer and in advance of receiving the entire data unit, transmit, to the client device, the stored portion of the data unit.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the size of the buffer corresponds to a maximum transmission unit.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the data unit is a fragment of video content.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the HTTP request comprises a timeout, and wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to transmit the portion of the data unit in advance of the timeout.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to transmit, to a service router, an HTTP request for the data unit.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to identify the remote server based on a search of a cache server index.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to identify the remote server based on a uniform resource identifier extracted from the HTTP request.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to identify the remote server based on a uniform resource identifier prefix extracted from the HTTP request.

18. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:

receive, from the client device, an HTTP request for a first time portion of a video content;

receive, from the remote server, a second time portion of the video content smaller than the first time portion; and

transmit, to the client device, the second time portion before completely receiving the first time portion.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions which, when read by a computer, instruct the computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving, from a client device, an HTTP request for a data unit;

transmitting, to a remote server, an HTTP request for the data unit;

receiving, from the remote server, a portion of the data unit; and

in advance of receiving the entire data unit, transmitting, to the client device, the portion of the data unit.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

receiving the HTTP request for the data unit comprises receiving, from the client device, an HTTP request for a first time portion of a video content;

receiving the portion of the data unit comprises receiving, from the remote server, a second time portion of the video content smaller than the first time portion; and

transmitting the portion of the data unit comprises transmitting, to the client device, the second time portion before completely receiving the first time portion.