Apparatus for determining round trip latency delay in system for preprocessing and delivering multimedia presentations

• US 5,696,948 A
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TTI Inventions A LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Judd, Thomas Helm, Hill, Ralph Douglas, Cruz, Gil Carapelho, New, Darren Hans, Rosenberg, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, ALPESH
• Application Number:
  US08/673,592
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/550, 395/650, 395/200.03, 395/200.15, 395/827, 395/840, 395/858, 395/497.01, 395/161-153, 395/700-726
• US Class Current: 702/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for preprocessing and delivering multimedia presentations to customers such that delays due to interactive response time is virtually eliminated include a preprocessor, mass storage, a delivery processor, a distribution network, and a plurality of presentation processors. The preprocessor receives as inputs an original multimedia presentation and parameters characterizing other system components, which parameters include the round trip latency between the delivery processor and a presentation processor, and generates a preprocessed multimedia presentation including a delivery schedule in the form of a labelled, directed graph. In generating the delivery schedule, the preprocessor ensures that each object of the presentation and its associated presentation command arrive at the presentation processor no later than its presentation time; objects and commands which are delivered to the presentation processor can be accommodated at the memory of the presentation processor; and those objects to be presented immediately in response to a customer'"'"'s selection of an interactive feature are received at the presentation processor prior to their earliest presentation times. This delivery schedule contains delivery commands which are executed by the delivery processor for transmitting objects of the presentation and their associated presentation commands to the presentation processor, which executes the presentation commands and presents the objects to its corresponding customer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for delivering, via a distribution network, a preprocessed multimedia presentation generated at a preprocessor to a presentation processor serving a customer, the presentation offering at least one interactive feature to the customer and including presentation commands and associated multimedia objects and a delivery schedule which includes delivery commands for delivering the presentation commands and associated multimedia objects, said apparatus comprising:

means for collecting and storing messages received from the presentation processor;

means for storing said presentation;

a delivery controller for controlling the retrieval of said presentation from the presentation storing means and for executing said delivery commands contained in said delivery schedule of the presentation, said delivery controller having a service time (ST), which is a maximum time for said delivery controller, once receiving a message from the presentation processor indicating the customers selection of the interactive feature, to respond to the presentation processor; and

a presentation technology parameter generator connected to said delivery controller for generating a round trip latency (RTL) between the apparatus and the presentation processor, said RTL to be input to said preprocessor, said generator requesting from the distribution network a propagation delay (PD) of the distribution network, which is a time for said message to travel from the presentation processor to said apparatus, and utilizing said (PD) and said (ST) of said delivery controller to generate said RTL as follows;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">RTL (seconds)=2(PD)+ST.

2.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 for delivering, via a distribution network, a preprocessed multimedia presentation generated at a preprocessor to a presentation processor serving a customer, further comprising:

a first interface connected to the preprocessor for receiving said preprocessed multimedia presentation retrieved by said delivery controller and for sending said RTL generated at said generator to the preprocessor; and

a second interface connected to the presentation processor for receiving messages from the presentation processor and transmitting presentation commands and associated multimedia objects of said preprocessed multimedia presentation to the presentation processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 for delivering, via a distribution network, a preprocessed multimedia presentation generated at a preprocessor to a presentation processor serving a customer, wherein said delivery controller checks said collecting and storing means for said messages received from the presentation processor indicating the customer'"'"'s selection of the interactive feature and follows said delivery schedule according to said messages.