Rerouting media to selected media applications

• US 7,343,419 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/971,086
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/246, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/232, 725/345, 725/86, 725/135, 725/136, 725/137, 725/138, 725/139, 725/140, 725/141, 725/142
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A data stream may be processed using a computer system by receiving the data stream using a browser application, detecting a content type of data in the data stream, temporarily overriding a default rendering process otherwise associated with the content type detected for the data in the data stream by associating a particular rendering process with the data stream based on the type of data in the data stream, and routing the data stream to the particular rendering process. The default rendering process may be identified in a registry of the computer system. It may be temporarily overridden by discriminating among internal and external instances of the browser application used to receive the data stream, and temporarily overriding the default rendering process only if the browser application is an internal instance.

Claims

1. A method of processing a data stream with a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a data stream using a browser application;

detecting a content type of data in the data stream;

determining whether the browser application is invoked within an application environment of an internet service provider to enable a subscriber of the internet service provider to access an online resource;

temporarily overriding a default rendering process otherwise associated with the content type detected for the data in the data stream by associating a particular rendering process with the data stream based on the content type of data in the data stream and based on results of the determination of whether the browser application is invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider, wherein;

the default rendering process is identified in a registry of a computer, and

temporarily overriding the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer includes changing the registry of the computer such that the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer and associated with the content type of data in the data stream is replaced with the particular rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider; and

routing the data stream to the particular rendering process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data steam is received in response to a request from the browser application.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising routing the data stream to the default rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked outside the application environment of the internet service provider.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing the data stream with the particular rendering process; and

upon completing of the processing, disassociating the particular rendering process with the content type of data in the data stream.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein invoking the browser comprises enabling access to browser functionality as an ActiveX component in an application provided by the internet service provider.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein temporarily overriding the default rendering process includes supplementing the registry of the computer such that the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer and associated with the content type of data in the data stream is replaced with the particular rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein temporarily overriding the default rendering process includes changing the registry of the computer in response to the data stream received by the browser application that is running on the computer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular rendering process includes a content rendering process for processing the content of the data stream.

9. A computer program for processing a data stream with a computer system, stored on a computer readable medium, comprising instructions for:

receiving a data stream using a browser application;

detecting a content type of data in the data stream;

determining whether the browser application is invoked within an application environment of an internet service provider to enable a subscriber of the internet service provider to access an online resource;

temporarily overriding a default rendering process otherwise associated with the content type detected for the data in the data stream by associating a particular rendering process with the data stream based on the content type of data in the data stream and based on results of the determination of whether the browser application has been invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider, wherein;

the default rendering process is identified in a registry of a computer system, and

temporarily overriding the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer system includes changing the registry of the computer system such that the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer system and associated with the content type of the data in the data stream is replaced with the particular rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider; and

routing the data stream to the particular rendering process.

10. The computer program of claim 9 wherein the data steam is received in response to a request from the browser application.

11. The computer program of claim 9 further comprising routing the data stream to the default rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked outside the application environment of the internet service provider.

12. The computer program of claim 9 further comprising:

processing the data stream with the particular rendering process; and

upon completing of the processing, disassociating the particular rendering process from the content type of data in the data stream.

13. The computer program of claim 9 wherein invoking the browser comprises enabling access to browser functionality as an ActiveX component in an application provided by the internet service provider.

14. The computer program of claim 9 wherein temporarily overriding the default rendering process includes supplementing the registry of the computer system such that the default rendering process identified in the registry of the computer system and associated with the content type of data in the data stream is replaced with the particular rendering process if the browser application is determined to have been invoked within the application environment of the internet service provider.

15. The computer program of claim 9 wherein temporarily overriding the default rendering process includes changing the registry of the computer system in response to the data stream received by the browser application that is running on the computer system.

16. The computer program of claim 9 wherein the particular rendering process includes a content rendering process for processing the content of the data stream.

17. The computer program of claim 9 further comprising instructions for:

processing the data stream with the particular rendering process; and

upon completing of the processing, disassociating the particular rendering process with the content type of data in the data stream.