Streaming information appliance with circular buffer for receiving and selectively reading blocks of streaming information

• US 6,748,481 B1
• Filed: 04/06/1999
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Mingtzong, Parry, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): BATAILLE, PIERRE MICHE
• Application Number:
  US09/286,808
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 710/6, 710/1, 710/5, 710/58, 710/56, 711/100, 711/151, 711/169, 711/112, 711/114, 711/110, 711/117, 711/111, 725/93, 725/86, 725/87, 725/89, 709/236, 709/231-232, 370/498, 707/500.1
• US Class Current: 711/100
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10666 Ring buffers, e.g. buffers wherein an iteratively progressing read or write pointer moves back to the beginning of the buffer when reaching the last storage cell
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a streaming information appliance for receiving and selectively reading blocks of streaming information. The information appliance includes a buffer, a writer module which receives blocks of streaming information and writes the blocks to the buffer at a write position, and a reader module which selectively reads the blocks from the buffer at a read position. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the relative positions of the read and write position.

Claims

1. A processor implemented method of handling streaming information for storage in a buffer, the method comprising:

receiving streaming information;

writing the streaming information to the buffer at a write position;

reading the streaming information selectively from the buffer at a read position; and

adjusting the read position with respect to the write position as a function of a user input and a distance between the write position and the read position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the buffer comprises a circular buffer.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising rendering the streaming information indicative of data blocks read from the circular buffer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the distance between the write position and the read position corresponds to a delay between writing the streaming information and rendering the streaming information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the read position so that the delay is at least five minutes.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the read position so that the delay is at least thirty minutes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the read position so that the delay is at least one hour.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein all streaming information rendered is stored in the circular buffer.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the streaming information comprises multiple streams, and wherein the step of writing includes writing multiple streams and the step of reading includes reading information indicative of multiple streams.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the streaming information comprises an audio stream.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the streaming information comprises a data stream.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the streaming information comprises a video stream.

13. A processor implemented method of handling multiple broadcast channels for storage in a buffer, the method comprising:

receiving streaming information;

writing the streaming information to the buffer at a write position;

reading the streaming information selectively from the buffer at a read position;

receiving a signal from a user operated switch to select one of the multiple broadcast channels; and

adjusting the read position to be adjacent to the write position when the switch is operated.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the buffer comprises a circular buffer.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising rendering the streaming information indicative of data blocks read from the circular buffer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein a distance between the write position and the read position corresponds to a delay between writing the streaming information and rendering the streaming information.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the delay is at least five minutes.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the delay is at least thirty minutes.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the delay is at least one hour.

20. An information appliance for receiving streaming information, the information appliance comprising:

a buffer;

a writer module which receives blocks of streaming information and writes the blocks to the buffer at a write position;

a reader module adjustably positioned with respect to the writer module and adapted to selectively read the blocks from the buffer at a read position; and

an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the read position with respect to the write position as a function of a user input and a distance between write position and the read position.

21. The information appliance of claim 20 wherein the buffer comprises a circular buffer.

22. The information appliance of claim 21 and further comprising a rendering device coupled to the reader module to receive information indicative of blocks read from the circular buffer, the rendering device rendering the information to a user.

23. The information appliance of claim 22 wherein the distance between the write position and the read position corresponds to a delay from when the writer module writes at least one of the blocks to when the rendering device renders the information corresponding to said at least one of the blocks.

24. The information appliance of claim 23 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the delay is at least five minutes.

25. The information appliance of claim 24 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the delay is at least thirty minutes.

26. The information appliance of claim 25 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the delay is at least one hour.

27. The information appliance of claim 22 wherein all streaming information rendered by the rendering device is stored in the circular buffer.

28. The information appliance of claim 21 wherein the circular buffer comprises RAM memory.

29. The information appliance of claim 21 wherein the circular buffer comprises a hard disk.

30. The information appliance of claim 21 wherein the streaming information comprises multiple streams.

31. The information appliance of claim 30 wherein the streaming information comprises an audio stream.

32. The information appliance of claim 30 wherein the streaming information comprises a data stream.

33. The information appliance of claim 30 wherein the streaming information comprises a video stream.

34. A computer readable medium including instructions readable by a computer appliance having a buffer which, when implemented, cause the computer appliance to handle streaming information by performing steps comprising:

receiving streaming information;

writing the streaming information to the buffer at a write position;

reading the streaming information selectively from the buffer at a read position; and

adjusting the read position with respect to the write position as a function of a user input and a distance between the write position and the read position.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34 wherein the buffer comprises a circular buffer.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 35 and further comprising rendering the streaming information indicative of data blocks read from the circular buffer.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36 wherein the distance between the write position and the read position corresponds to a delay between writing the streaming information and rendering the streaming information.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 36 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the readposition so that the delay is at least five minutes.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 38 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the readposition so that the delay is at least thirty minutes.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 39 wherein the step of adjusting includes positioning the read position so that the delay is at least one hour.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 36 wherein all streaming information rendered is stored in the circular buffer.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 35 wherein the streaming information comprises multiple streams, and wherein the step of writing includes writing multiple streams and the step of reading includes reading information indicative of multiple streams.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the streaming information comprises an audio stream.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the streaming information comprises a data stream.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the streaming information comprises a video stream.

46. An information appliance for receiving streaming information comprising multiple broadcast channels, the information appliance comprising:

a buffer;

a write module which receives blocks of, streaming information and writes the blocks to the buffer at a write position;

a reader module adjustably positioned with respect to the writer module and adapted to selectively read the blocks from the buffer at a read position;

a rendering device coupled to the reader module to receive information indicative of blocks read from the buffer, the rendering device rendering the information to a user;

a switch operable by the user to select one of the multiple broadcast channels to be rendered; and

an adjustment mechanism which automatically positions the read position adjacent to the write position upon operation of the switch.

47. The information appliance of claim 46 wherein the buffer comprises a circular buffer.

48. The information appliance of claim 47 wherein a distance between the write position and the read position corresponds to a delay from when the writer module writes at least one of the blocks of information to when the rendering device renders information corresponding to said at least one of the blocks.

49. The information appliance of claim 48 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the delay is at least five minutes.

50. The information appliance of claim 48 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the delay is at least thirty minutes.

51. The information appliance of claim 48 wherein the reader module is positionable to read from the circular buffer so that the device is delayed at least one hour.