Application server and streaming server streaming multimedia file in a client specific format

• US 7,213,075 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Feig, Ephraim
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HARESH N
• Application Number:
  US09/736,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709200-203, 709228-230, 709232-235, 718/100, 718/104, 718/105, 719/310, 719311-317
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/241 Operating system [OS] processes, e.g. server setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A method and data communication system for transferring multimedia data which stores on an application server a multimedia file including a plurality groups of multimedia data. Each group has a predetermined data size. Next, the system receives a client request and reads a client address at the application server. The client address corresponds to at least one client apparatus. Next, the system strips consecutive groups from the multimedia file and buffers the stripped groups in a staging buffer. Then, the system transfers to a streaming server, consecutive groups from the staging buffer and the client address. The system then converts at the streaming server, each of the consecutive groups received from the staging buffer into a format readable by the at least one client apparatus. Finally, the streaming server sends each of the converted groups to the at least one client apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for transferring multimedia data using a data communication system, comprising the steps of:

storing on an application server a multimedia file including a plurality groups of multimedia data, each of the groups having a predetermined data size;

receiving a client request and reading a client address at the application server, the client address corresponding to at least one client apparatus;

stripping consecutive groups from the multimedia file and buffering the consecutive groups in a staging buffer;

transferring to a streaming server, the consecutive groups from the staging buffer and the client address;

converting at the streaming server, each of the consecutive groups received from the staging buffer into a format readable by the at least one client apparatus;

sending each of the consecutive groups to the at least one client apparatus; and

selectively storing the multimedia file on at least one of the application server and the streaming server based on a number of client requests received for the multimedia file;

the selectively storing the multimedia file comprises;

determining, in the streaming server according to a garbage-collection algorithm, a rate of sending of the multimedia file from the streaming server to the at least one client apparatus;

comparing the rate of sending to a threshold number; and

purging the multimedia file from the streaming server when the rate of sending is less than the threshold number.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia file is a video file, each group of multimedia data comprises a video frame, each frame corresponds to a frame display duration, and a rate at which consecutive frames are transferred to the streaming server from the staging buffer corresponds to intervals of each display duration.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the video file is encoded in MPEG format.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one client apparatus is selected from a group consisting of:

a personal computer, a fax machine, a hard drive, a telephone interface, a wireless telephone, a radio receiver, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia file is selected from a group consisting of:

video files, music files, computer generated graphics files, still image files, and sound files.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending notice of a new client to the streaming server;

determining, in the streaming server according to a garbage-collection algorithm, whether there is sufficient space in the streaming server to hold the consecutive groups from the staging buffer before the application server transfers the consecutive groups from the staging buffer to the streaming server; and

purging at least one multimedia file from the streaming server when the determining step determines that there is not sufficient space in the streaming server to hold the stripped consecutive groups from the staging buffer.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining at the streaming server, a transfer rate from the application server to the streaming server and a sending rate from the streaming server to the at least one client apparatus; and

comparing the transfer rate to the sending rate before the streaming server performs the converting step.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

waiting a predetermined time period before performing the converting step in the streaming server, when the sending rate is greater than the transfer rate.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively storing the multimedia file comprises the step of:

determining in a request handler in the application server, the number of client requests from the at least one client apparatus for the multimedia file.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of selectively storing the multimedia file further comprises the steps of:

comparing the number of client requests for the multimedia file to a threshold number; and

transferring the multimedia file from the application server to the streaming server when the number of client requests is greater than the threshold number.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rate of sending is a number of times the multimedia file has been sent over a predetermined time period, and the predetermined time period is selected from the a group consisting of one minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selectively storing the multimedia file comprises the steps of:

determining, in the streaming server according to a garbage-collection algorithm, a rate of sending of the multimedia from the streaming server to the at least one client apparatus;

comparing the rate of sending to a threshold number; and

keeping the multimedia file stored on the streaming server when the rate of sending is greater than the threshold number.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the rate of sending is a number of times the multimedia file has been sent over a predetermined time period, and the predetermined time period is selected from a group consisting of one minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining, in a time-division multiplexer program in the streaming server, a priority order for sending the stripped consecutive groups in the sending step, when there are a plurality of the least one client apparatus.