Data format for a streaming information appliance

• US 6,820,144 B2
• Filed: 04/06/1999
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lorton, Christopher W., Smirnov, Serge, Raja, Jayachandran, Parry, William G., Lee, Mingtzong
• Primary Examiner(s): Browne, Lynne H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US09/286,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 710/52, 710/107, 710/33, 710/34, 710/53, 710/56, 710/57, 709/225, 709/234, 709/231, 711/170, 711/173, 711/100, 711/110, 711/147, 711/152, 711/153, 345/545, 345/547
• US Class Current: 710/52
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• 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 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4385 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

A data block format for streaming information includes a first data block size field and a second data block size field, each of the fields indicating the size of the data block. A payload field is bounded by the first data block sized field and the second data size in the data block format.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium encoded with a data structure having a data block format for streaming information, the data block format comprising:

a data block having a header portion and an end portion, the header portion including a prefix field having a pointer to a succeeding data block, the end portion including a suffix field having a pointer to a preceding data block;

a first data block size field included in the header portion and indicating the size of the data block;

a second data block size field included in the end portion and indicating the size of the data block; and

a payload field bounded by the first data block size field and the second data block size field wherein the payload field includes streaming information to be rendered.

2. The data block format of claim 1 wherein the prefix field is of variable size.

3. The data block format of claim 2 wherein the header portion includes a prefix size field indicating a size of the prefix field.

4. The data block format of claim 2 wherein the prefix field includes other information.

5. The data block format of claim 4 wherein the other information includes padding data.

6. The data block format of claim 1 wherein the header portion includes a stream identification field.

7. The data block format of claim 6 wherein the header portion includes a field indicating a location of the payload in the data block.

8. The data block format of claim 1 wherein the prefix field includes other information.

9. The data block format of claim 8 wherein the other information includes padding data.

10. A computer readable medium encoded with a data structure for streaming information comprising a plurality of streams to provide a channel, the data structure comprising:

a sequence of data blocks for the plurality of streams wherein data blocks for different streams are adjacent each other in the sequence and wherein each data block is associated with one stream of the plurality of streams and includes;

a first pointer field indicating a location of a succeeding data block associated with said one stream;

a second pointer field indicating a location of a preceding data block associated with said one stream; and

a payload field.

11. The data structure of claim 10 wherein the payload field is bounded by the first pointer field and the second pointer field.

12. The data structure of claim 10 wherein the payload field is of variable size.

13. The data structure of claim 10 wherein the first pointer field is at a known location from a beginning of the data block, and the second pointer field is at a known location from an end of the data block.

14. The data structure of claim 13 and further comprising:

a first data block size field indicating the size of the data block;

a second data block size field indicating the size of the data block; and

wherein the payload field is bounded by the first data block size field and the second data block size field.

15. The data structure of claim 10 wherein the plurality of streams include at least two of an audio stream, a video stream and a data stream.

16. The data structure at claim 10 wherein the payload field includes streaming information to be rendered from the plurality of streams.