Re-assembly of streaming files from separate connections

• US 7,277,958 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2002
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EdgeStream, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EdgeStream, Inc.
• Inventors: Parthasarathy, Sivagnanam, Chung, Randall M., Bishay, Maged, Zelevinsky, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/472,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/215, 709/217, 709/231, 709/236, 709/246, 709/219, 709/214, 709/234, 709/235, 369/4, 707/10, 725/86, 725/143
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The invention is a technique and apparatus for re-assembling transmitted portions of files or sub-files (410, 420, 430, 440), into a viewable file (400). The transmitting device passes the information regarding the file dividing process to the receiver so that the sub-files can be assembled (1130) or stitched (1120) together properly. The media player (1140) in the receiver uses the attached instructions to assemble the sub-files into one whole piece for viewing.

Claims

1. A method for receiving streaming content over a network, where said streaming content has been split into a plurality of segments and organized into a plurality of sub-files, the method comprising:

receiving sub-file data at a client system over the network, said sub-file data to identify a location of each of said plurality of sub-files;

requesting, using said sub-file data, a first sub-file and a second sub-file of said plurality of sub-files;

receiving at the client system over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file and said second sub-file from one or more servers;

combining at the client system said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file;

presenting at least a portion of the reassembled file on the client system during said combining; and

terminating an existing server connection in favor of a new server connection based on a rate of said receiving the first sub-file and second sub-file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving sub-file data over the network comprises receiving sub-file data over the network, where said sub-file data is to identify the location of each of said plurality of sub-files, and further to identify which of said plurality of segments are in each of said plurality of sub-files.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said sub-file data is to further identify an order in which said plurality of segments are organized into said plurality of sub-files.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said order is characterized by organizing a first segment into the first sub-file, a second segment into the second sub-file and a third segment into the first sub-file.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said plurality of sub-files are further organized into a plurality of sub-file groups, and said order is characterized by organizing a first sequence of segments across a first sub-file group, followed by organizing a second sequence of segments across said first sub-file group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving sub-file data is in response to a user request for said content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving sub-file data over the network comprises receiving sub-file data over the network, said sub-file data to include a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for each of said plurality of sub-files.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said requesting, using said sub-file data, the first sub-file and the second sub-file comprises requesting, using said sub-file data, the first sub-file from a first server and the second sub-file from a second server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, in response to said request, said first sub-file and said second sub-file comprises receiving over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a network server, and receiving over the network, in response to said request, said second sub-file from said network server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, in response to said request, said first sub-file and said second sub-file comprises receiving over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a first server and said second sub-file from a second server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein combining said first sub-file and second sub-file comprises combining said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file using the sub-file data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting said reassembled file on the client system comprises presenting the reassembled file using a media player executing on the client system.

13. A client system for receiving streaming contents over a network, where said streaming content has been split into a plurality of segments and organized into a plurality of sub-files, the client system comprising:

a processor;

a communications port, coupled to the processor, said communications port to be used to connect said apparatus to a network; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, said memory to include instruction sequences to cause said processor to,

receive sub-file data over the network, said sub-file data to identify a location each of said plurality of sub-files,

request, using said sub-file data, a first sub-file and a second sub-file of said plurality of sub-files,

receive over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file and said second sub-file from one or more servers,

combine at the client side device said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file,

present at least a portion of the reassembled file on the client system while combining the first sub-file and second sub-file; and

terminate an existing server connection in favor of a new server connection based on a rate of said receiving the first sub-file and second sub-file.

14. The client system of claim 13, wherein said sub-file data further identifies which of said plurality of segments are in each of said plurality of sub-files.

15. The client system of claim 14, wherein said sub-file data is to further identify an order in which said plurality of segments are organized into said plurality of sub-files.

16. The client system of claim 15, wherein said order is characterized by organizing first segment into first sub-files, a second segment into the second sub-file and a third segment into the first sub-file.

17. The client system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of sub-files are further organized into a plurality of sub-file groups, and said order is characterized by organizing a first sequence of segments across a first sub-file group, followed by organizing a second sequence of segments across said first sub-file group.

18. The client system of claim 13, wherein said sub-file data is to be received in response to a user request for said content.

19. The client system of claim 13, wherein said sub-file data is to include a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for each of said plurality of sub-files.

20. The client system of claim 13, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to request, using said sub-file data, the first sub-file from a first server and the second sub-file from a second server.

21. The client system of claim 13, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to receive over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a network server, and to receive over the network, in response to said request, said second sub-file from said network server.

22. The client system of claim 13, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to receive, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a first server and said second sub-file from a second server.

23. The client system of claim 13, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to combine said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file using the sub-file data.

24. The client system of claim 23, wherein said memory further includes instruction sequences to cause said processor to present said reassembled file using a media player.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to provide content over a network where the content has been split into a plurality of segments and organized into a plurality of sub-files, the computer readable program code in said computer readable program product comprising;

first computer readable program code to receive at a client system sub-file data over the network, said sub-file data to identify a location of each of said plurality of sub-files;

second computer readable program code to issue a request, using said sub-file data for a first sub-file and a second sub-file of said plurality of sub-files;

third computer readable program code to receive at the client system over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file and said second sub-file from one or more servers;

fourth computer readable program code to combine at the client system said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file;

fifth computer readable program code to present at least a portion of the reassembled file at the same time as combining the first sub-file and second sub-file; and

sixth computer readable program code to terminate an existing server connection in favor of a new server connection based on a rate of said receiving the first sub-file and second sub-file.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the first computer readable program code comprises first computer readable program code to receive sub-file data over the network, where said sub-file data is to identify the location of each of said plurality of sub-files, and further to identify which of said plurality of segments are in each of said plurality of sub-files.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first computer readable program code comprises first computer readable program code to receive sub-file data over the network, where said sub-file data is to identify the location of each of said plurality of sub-files, identify which of said plurality of segments are in each of said plurality of sub-files, and to identify an order in which said plurality of segments are organized into said plurality of sub-files.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said order is characterized by organizing a first segment into the first sub-file, a second segment into the second sub-file and a third segment into the first sub-file.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said plurality of sub-files are further organized into a plurality of sub-file groups, and said order is characterized by organizing a first sequence of segments across a first sub-file group, followed by organizing a second sequence of segments across said first sub-file group.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the first computer readable program code comprises first computer readable program code to receive sub-file data over the network in response to a user request for said content, said sub-file data to identify a location of each of said plurality of sub-files.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the first computer readable program code comprises first computer readable program code to receive sub-file data over the network, said sub-file data to include a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for each of said plurality of sub-files.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the second computer readable program code comprises second computer readable program code to issue the request, using said sub-file data, for the first sub-file from a first server and the second sub-file from a second server.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third computer readable program code comprises third computer readable program code to receive over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a network server, and to receive over the network, in response to said request, said second sub-file from said network server.

34. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third computer readable program code comprises third computer readable program code to receive over the network, in response to said request, said first sub-file from a first server and said second sub-file from a second server.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the fourth computer readable program code comprises fourth computer readable program code to combine said first sub-file and second sub-file into a reassembled file using the sub-file data.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, further comprising fifth computer readable program code to present said reassembled file using a media player executing on the client system.