System and method for limiting dead air time in internet streaming media delivery

• US 7,584,291 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Musicqubed Innovations LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mosi Media LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bolas, Mark T., McDowall, Ian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bruckart; Benjamin R
• Application Number:
  US11/041,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709227-229, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/12 wherein another information is substituted for the portion of broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

An system for receiving streaming audio or other audio sources netcast in streaming audio content, where the system avoids dead air time in the audio play by providing an alternative audio content to fill time spent negotiating connections and buffering information.

Claims

1. A system management server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored therein program instructions executable to;

receive a request from a client computer to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provider;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

in response to the client computer buffering the predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing the one or more audio files and begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files provides, when played, an audible identification of one or more of the first and second audio content providers.

2. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to direct the client computer to, in response to the system management server providing a directive to play one or more of the plurality of audio files, stop receiving streaming audio content from the first audio content provider.

3. The system management server of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of audio files are musical clips of musical content associated with one or more of the first and second audio content providers.

4. The system management server of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of audio files are audio clips that, when played, audibly indicate the status of said buffering of the streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider.

5. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the first and second audio content providers are Internet radio stations, wherein the at least one of the one or more audio files is an audio clip that provides, when played, an audible identification of one or more of the Internet radio stations.

6. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, in response to receiving a request from the client computer, provide the client computer an address for establishing a connection with one of the audio content providers.

7. The system management server of claim 1, wherein said plurality of audio files are stored in one of the memory medium of the system management server or a memory medium of the client computer.

8. The system management server of claim 1, comprising a memory accessible to the client computer via the network, wherein said plurality of audio files are stored within said memory.

9. The system management server of claim 1, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of audio files is stored in a memory medium of the client computer, and the remaining portion is stored in the memory medium of the system management server.

10. The system management server of claim 1, wherein said plurality of audio files are stored on a memory medium of the client computer.

11. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the communication network is the Internet.

12. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the audible identification includes at least the name of the audio content provider.

13. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the audible identification includes a verbal announcement of at least the name of the audio content provider and the musical genre associated with the audio content provider.

14. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the audible identification includes a verbal announcement of at least the name of the audio content provider and the musical genre and city associated with the audio content provider.

15. The system management server of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of audio files are audio clips that provide audible status information associated with the communication network.

16. The system management server of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of audio files are locally generated audio clips that provide audible status information associated with the client computer.

17. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the one or more audio files are audio clips that provide audible status information associated with the second audio content provider.

18. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the one or more audio files are audio clips that provide audible identification information associated with the second audio content provider.

19. The system management server of claim 1, wherein the one or more audio files are musical clips of musical content associated with the second audio content provider.

20. A method for communicating with a client computer and a plurality of audio content providers via a communication network, wherein the plurality of audio content providers includes a first audio content provider and a second audio content provider, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client computer to establish a connection over the communication network to receive streaming audio content from the first audio content provider;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, directing the client computer to stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

in response to the client computer buffering the predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, directing the client computer to stop playing the one or more audio files and begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files provides, when played, an audible identification of one or more of the plurality of audio content providers.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising in response to the system management server providing a directive to play one or more of the plurality of audio files, directing the client computer to stop receiving streaming audio content from the first audio content provider.

22. A client computer, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored therein program instructions executable to;

send a request to a system management server to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provider;

in response to said sending a subsequent request to the system management server to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, receive a command from the system management server;

in response to receiving the command from the system management server;

stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider;

play one or more of a plurality of audio files;

establish a connection with the second audio content provider;

buffer a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

stop playing the one or more audio files; and

begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files provides, when played, audible identification of one or more of the first and second audio content providers.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, in response to receiving the command from the system management server, stop receiving streaming audio content from the first audio content provider.

24. A system management server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored thereon program instructions executable to;

receive a request from a client computer to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provider;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

in response to the client computer buffering the predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing the one or more audio files and begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers;

wherein the selection of the one or more of the plurality of audio files is based on user preference information associated with a user of the client computer.

25. The system management server of claim 24, wherein the user preference information includes at least language preference information.

26. A system management server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored thereon program instructions executable to;

receive a request from a client computer to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provider;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

in response to the client computer buffering the predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing the one or more audio files and begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files provides audible information to a user of the client computer, wherein, when the information associated with one or more of the audio clips changes, the one or more audio clips are updated transparently to the user.

27. The system management server of claim 26, wherein each audio file is associated with one of the plurality of audio content providers, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to, if the information associated with one or more of the audio files changes, update the audio files associated with user preferred audio content providers before the audio files associated with other audio content providers.

28. The system management server of claim 26, wherein the program instruction are further executable to transparently update the audio files to the user when there is spare bandwidth during transmission of the streaming audio content.

29. A system management server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored therein program instructions executable to;

receive a request from a client computer to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provider;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

in response to the client computer buffering the predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing the one or more audio files and begin playing streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider;

wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files audibly indicate the status of said buffering of the streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider.

30. A system management server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium has stored therein program instructions executable to;

receive a request from a client computer to establish a connection over a communication network to receive streaming audio content from a first audio content provide;

in response to receiving a subsequent request from the client computer to establish a connection with a second audio content provider, direct the client computer to stop playing streaming audio content from the first audio content provider and to play one or more of a plurality of audio files until the client computer establishes a connection with the second audio content provider and completes buffering a predetermined amount of streaming audio content provided by the second audio content provider, wherein the one or more audio files are distinct from streaming audio content from the first and second audio content providers, and wherein at least one of the one or more audio files include audible identification information and/or audible status information associated with the second audio content provider.