Proxy apparatus and method for streaming media information and for increasing the quality of stored media information

• US 7,565,415 B1
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stuntebeck, Peter H., Markowitz, Robert Edward, Rosen, Kenneth H., O'Neil, Joseph Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US12/021,552
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/217, 709/219, 709/231, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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 21/2265 Server identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• 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 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application

Abstract

A proxy apparatus and method for streaming media information via at least one network and for building-up a good quality version of the media information. When a user device communicates with the proxy apparatus using a particular bandwidth and requests that media information be provided from a media server, the proxy apparatus first determines if a version of the media information encoded for the user device'"'"'s connection bandwidth has been stored in the proxy apparatus. If a version of the media information encoded for the user device'"'"'s bandwidth is not available from the proxy apparatus, the proxy apparatus sends a request to a media server for the media information. Once the media server receives the request, the media server begins to stream a copy of the media information encoded for the user device'"'"'s bandwidth to the user device via the network and proxy device. If a version of the media information for the bandwidth is not available from the media server, the version for the largest bandwidth that does not exceed the bandwidth of the user device connection, is streamed to the user device. If the version of the media information has missing packets, the proxy device sends retransmission requests to the media server to obtain the missing packets, thereby building-up a good quality version of the media information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to a determination that information specified to be comprised by media information is missing from a first copy of media information received by a gateway proxy device from a media server and responsive to missing information received via a request for a second copy of the media information, providing a third copy of the media information to a user device, the third copy of the media information formed via storage of the missing information in a storage device not directly connected to the media server, the first copy of the media information streamed from the media server to the gateway proxy device, the first copy of the media information automatically requested responsive to a user request for the media information, the first copy of the media information associated with a first bandwidth, the gateway proxy device adapted to transmit the first copy of the media information responsive to the user request, the gateway proxy device adapted to automatically request the second copy of the media information from the media server, the automatic request responsive to a meta tag that identifies other versions of the media information that are present on the media server, the second copy of the media information being a second version of the media information associated with a second bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining that network congestion is below a predetermined threshold, the network congestion determined via a measured delay of a media server ping, the request for the second copy of the media information made to the media server responsive to the determination that the network congestion is below the predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying that the first copy of the media information is missing information specified to be comprised by the media information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a missing data packet flag of the first copy of the media information is set.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying missing data packets in the media information and sending the request for only the identified missing data packets.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting transmission of the entire media information via the request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rewriting an entire copy of the media information to form the third copy of the media information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a count of missing data packets in the second copy of the media information with a count of missing data packets in the first copy of the media information; and

storing as the third copy of the media information whichever of the first copy and the second copy has fewer missing data packets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the media information includes at least one of video and audio information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the missing information is identified while the media information is streamed from the media server to the user device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway proxy device is adapted to automatically determine an age of the first copy of the media information and determine when to request a periodic update of the first copy of the media information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first copy of the media information is periodically automatically updated.