Client to server streaming of multimedia content using HTTP

• US 7,392,316 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Klemets, Anders E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boutah; Alina
• Application Number:
  US10/610,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709227-229, 709/231, 709/236, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for streaming multimedia data from a client to a server using HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). A session is initiated with a header that identifies a content length header that is a maximum allowed by the server, regardless of the actual length of the data to be streamed. If a firewall or proxy server limits access to the server, the content length of the data is specified to be about an amount of data that can be streamed to the server in one minute. If more data remains to be streamed when an amount of data approximating the content length has been streamed, a continuing streaming session is requested and subsequent data is streamed to the server in the continuing streaming session. The process repeats until all data has been streamed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming session with a server to stream an uncertain amount of content data to the server;

detecting the presence of a firewall or proxy server for the HTTP streaming session with the server;

setting a specific content length value based on whether or not a firewall or proxy server has been detected for the HTTP streaming session with the server, wherein, in the event that no firewall or proxy server is detected, the content length value is specified to be a maximum amount of data that may be streamed to the server;

receiving a server acknowledgement containing a push identifier;

transmitting a header to begin streaming the content data to the server, the header including the push identifier and denoting a specific content length value; and

streaming the data to the server.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the specific content length value is 2,147,483,647.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

setting the specific content length to 2,147,483,647 if no firewall or proxy server is detected; and

setting the specific content length to an amount of content data that can be streamed to the server in approximately one minute of streaming if a firewall or proxy server is detected.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising identifying a bit rate at which the content data is streamed to the server, and wherein the specific content length value further comprises an amount of content data that can be streamed to the server in approximately one minute of streaming.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the push identifier is a first push identifier and the header is a first header, further comprising:

receiving a second push identifier from the server after an amount of content data identified by the content length value has been streamed;

transmitting a second header to begin streaming subsequent content data associated with the content data that has already been streamed, the second header including the second push identifier and denoting a specific content length value; and

continuing streaming of the content data to the server.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the specific content length value included in the second header is equal to the specific content length value included in the first header.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising terminating the streaming session when available content data has been streamed, even if the streamed content data is less data than was identified by the content length value.

8. One or more computer-storage media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

requesting a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming session with a server;

detecting the presence of a firewall or proxy server for the HTTP streaming session with the server;

setting a specific content length value based on whether or not a firewall or proxy server has been detected for the HTTP streaming session with the server, wherein, in the event that no firewall or proxy server is detected, the content length value is specified to be a maximum value that can be accommodated by a firewall or a proxy server that may be encountered in a amount of data that may be streamed to the server;

receiving authorization to initiate the streaming session;

initiating the streaming session by sending a header that identifies the streaming session as being the streaming session that was authorized by the server and identifies a content length value that specifies a particular amount of data to be streamed to the server;

streaming multiple data packets to the server; and

wherein the actual amount of data to be streamed to the server is unknown.

9. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the content length value is a value of 2,147,483,647.

10. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the content length value is a value that represents an amount of data that can be streamed to the server in one minute.

11. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following additional steps:

determining when a maximum amount of data has been streamed that can be streamed without exceeding the content length;

requesting a continuing HTTP streaming session with the server;

receiving authorization to initiate the continuing streaming session;

initiating the continuing streaming session by sending a header that identifies the continuing streaming session as being the continuing streaming session that was authorized by the server and identifies a content length value that specified a particular amount of data to be streamed to the server in the continuing streaming session; and

wherein the actual amount of data to be streamed to the server in the continuing streaming session is unknown.

12. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 11, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform additional step of adding fill packets to the data to make the amount of data actually streamed equal to the content length value.