Method and apparatus for seaming of streaming content
First Claim
1. A method, comprising seaming together two or more input data streams of common content, each made up of a number of packets, being received from a content source across one or more computer networks using an unreliable media transmission protocol at a proxy disposed between the content source and one or more content consumers so as to provide one or more output data streams to the or more content consumers, each of the output data streams including packets from multiple ones of the input data streams and including fewer missing packets than any individual one of the input data streams being received at the proxy from the content source.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In the face of unacceptable data loss on connections between a content source and a content consumer, additional connections therebetween are opened. These additional connections are preferably opened between the content source and a proxy disposed between the content source and the content consumer. The proxy may then seam together data streams received from the content source across the additional connections before passing a resultant seamed stream to the content consumer. The seamed stream may be constructed by filling in information gaps in any of the data streams received from the content source with content derived from others of the data streams received from the content source. This derivation may be made on the basis of identifying characteristics (e.g., packet sequence numbers and/or time stamps) common throughout each of the data streams received from the content source.
-
Citations
30 Claims
- 1. A method, comprising seaming together two or more input data streams of common content, each made up of a number of packets, being received from a content source across one or more computer networks using an unreliable media transmission protocol at a proxy disposed between the content source and one or more content consumers so as to provide one or more output data streams to the or more content consumers, each of the output data streams including packets from multiple ones of the input data streams and including fewer missing packets than any individual one of the input data streams being received at the proxy from the content source.
- 7. A method, comprising opening one or more additional connections between a content consumer and a content source in response to an indication that data loss between the content source and the content consumer over one or more existing connections therebetween has reached an unacceptable level.
- 19. A proxy configured to be coupled to one or more content consumers and a content source and further configured to open additional connections to the content source in response to an indication that data loss between the content source and one or more of the content consumers over one or more existing connections therebetween has reached an unacceptable level.
Specification