Providing a presentation on a network having a plurality of synchronized media types

• US 7,412,533 B1
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Adornato, Rocco L., Ogdon, Robert H., Johnson, Frank E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Wen-Tai
• Application Number:
  US10/737,174
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems

Abstract

A presentation system is disclosed for synchronizing a performance of a plurality of presentation content portions at a network node, wherein, e.g., when two such content portions are to be presented concurrently at the network node, at least one is delayed until the other such portion can be presented concurrently therewith. That is, these two portions may be received by the network node at times sufficiently far apart so that the earlier received content portion must have its presentation appropriately delayed in order to be presented concurrently with the second content portion. In one embodiment, the content portions are transmitted via at least a portion of the Internet to a plurality of network nodes, wherein the presentation system can distribute the presentation content data to the network nodes via a plurality of network routes and presentation formats. In particular, a first portion of the content data may be provided as slides in, e.g., HTML, while a second portion of the content data may be provided as an audio/video stream. Additionally, the present invention can provide various portions of the content data from a plurality of network server nodes, and during a performance of the presentation, the presentation receiving network nodes can determine a particular variation of the presentation to retrieve from the network server nodes. In particular, the retrieval of presentation data depends upon the transmission characteristics of the network such as data transmission rate. Thus, if a low transmission data rate is detected at a first network node, presentation elements of a reduced size can be retrieved. Alternatively, if a higher transmission rate is detected at a second network node, presentation elements of greater size (and corresponding enhanced quality of presentation) can be retrieved. Thus, within a single performance, network nodes with varying available network bandwidths can synchronously and simultaneously provide the presentation.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing display of first stream content that is transmitted to a plurality of client nodes with at least second stream content after the second stream content is selected in place of the first stream content at the client nodes, wherein the first and at least second stream content each represent respective multimedia content that originates from a respective first and at least second source, the method comprising at least the following:

receiving the first stream content from the first source, the first stream content having a first stream delay associated therewith;

receiving the second stream content from the at least second source, the second stream content having a second stream delay associated therewith, wherein the second stream delay is greater than the first stream delay;

selecting the first stream content for display to the client nodes;

issuing a command to display the second stream content at the client nodes in place of the first stream content;

synchronizing display of the second stream content in place of the first stream content to the client nodes based at least in part on a difference between the first and second stream delays;

transmitting at least a portion of the first stream content to the client nodes based on the synchronizing;

after transmitting at least the portion of the first stream content, transmitting at least a portion of the second data stream to the client nodes based on the synchronizing;

wherein the difference between the first and second stream delays is determined by;

transmitting first data representing an audio sample of given stream content from the host to the client node via a phone bridge;

transmitting second data representing the audio sample from the host to the client node via a stream transmission;

comparing transmission times associated with the phone bridge and the stream transmission; and

establishing a difference therebetween as the delay difference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing display of the second stream content includes, at least in part, delaying transmission of the first stream content to the client nodes based upon the difference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least part of the first and second stream content at the client nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first stream content includes receiving the first stream content from at least a first host.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first stream content includes receiving the first stream content from at least a first leader associated with at least a given presentation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the second stream content for display at the client nodes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing at least one presentation command to transmit second stream content to the client nodes in place of first stream content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the first stream content at the client nodes based on the synchronizing, and thereafter displaying at least a portion of the second stream content to the client nodes in response to the synchronizing.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising delaying display of the first stream content relative to display of at least second stream content at the client nodes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein delaying display of the first stream content includes buffering the first stream content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing display of the second stream content includes buffering the second stream content.

12. A method for synchronizing presentation of stream content with non-stream content as transmitted to at least one client node, the method comprising at least the following:

maintaining at least one cache adapted to contain data representing at least one portion of the stream content;

receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands pertaining to the nonstream content and data representing respective origination times associated with each presentation command;

receiving data representing a plurality of portions of the stream content and data representing a respective time or origination associated with each one of the portions;

synchronizing presentation of the stream content with the non-stream content in response to the presentation commands, wherein the synchronizing is based at least in part on;

the data representing the origination times of the portions of the stream content; and

on the data representing the origination times of the presentation commands pertaining to the non-stream content;

wherein synchronizing presentation of the stream content includes approximating a delay effective to synchronize presentation of the stream content with the non-stream content;

wherein the approximating of the delay comprises;

transmitting first data representing an audio sample of given stream content from the host to the client node via a phone bridge;

transmitting second data representing the audio sample from the host to the client node via a stream transmission;

comparing transmission times associated with the phone bridge and the stream transmission; and

establishing a difference therebetween as the delay.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining at least one cache includes maintaining at least one cache that is resident at the client node.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining at least one cache includes maintaining at least one cache that is adapted to store a most recent portion of the stream content as displayed by the client node.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining at least one cache includes maintaining at least one cache that is adapted to support locating, in the cache, data representing an audio sample of further stream content that is received at the client node separately from the stream content.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving presentation commands at least one client node.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving presentation commands pertaining to slide-show material that is related to subject matter represented in the stream content.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving presentation commands pertaining to website content related to subject matter represented in the stream content.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving presentation commands pertaining to synchronizing display of the non-stream content with a corresponding portion of the stream content.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of portions of the stream content includes receiving a plurality of audio portions of the stream content.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of portions of the stream content includes receiving a plurality of respective portions of the stream content at the client node.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein synchronizing presentation of the stream content with the non-stream content includes pattern matching data representing a respective portion of the stream content with data contained in the cache.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein synchronizing presentation of the stream content includes correlating a start point of a portion of the stream content with corresponding data contained in the cache, and correlating a time parameter associated with the start point with a time parameter associated with one of the presentation commands.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein synchronizing presentation of the stream content includes computing a time offset between stream content currently being rendered on the client node and the start point.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving a plurality of presentation commands transmitted in round-robin fashion to a plurality of client nodes.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data representing a plurality of presentation commands includes receiving a plurality of presentation commands transmitted in response to an unsynchronization condition existing at the client node.