Method and system for managing digital content, including streaming media

• US 7,640,320 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Madison, Justin Paul, Gade, Bhargavaram Bulleyya, Rodiger, Anthony Joseph, Roberts, Steven Alexander, Kazmi, Syed Noman, Turner, William David, Polavarapu, Vinay, Syed, Ghousuddin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/466,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,902 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/216, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226, 705/14, 707/9, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Method and system for uploading, managing and delivering digital content, including streaming media. The system according to one embodiment allows receives digital content from the client (102), assigns a stream identifier (ID) to the content and stores the content. The client is given a playlist uniform resource locator (URL) for publishing on its web site (610), the URL including the stream ID. Activation of the URL by an end user (104) causes the stream to be served to the end user, without the client receiving or providing an indication of the specifics of where the content was stored. An embodiment of the present provides a system and method that permit clients to actively manage their content, including defining logical folders and subfolders containing item(s) of the content and defining logical stream groups, containing items of the content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an ingest server, digital content from a client;

storing, by a repository server, the digital content, the digital content having an associated server hostname and a filename;

assigning a unique identifier to the digital content, and associating the unique identifier, server hostname and filename;

providing the client with a link containing the unique identifier but not the server hostname and filename associated with the digital content'"'"'s unique identifier;

receiving, by a playlist server, a request for the content, the request based on activation of the link, the request including the unique identifier but not the server hostname and filename associated with the digital content'"'"'s unique identifier;

determining, by the playlist server, the server hostname and filename based on the unique identifier received with the request;

creating, by the playlist server, a redirector file, the redirector file including the server hostname and filename associated with the digital content'"'"'s unique identifier, the redirector file is returned in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a stream identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is the name of the digital content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content is a streaming media file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content is a playlist comprising multiple streaming media files.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the link specifies a program for determining the hostname and filename based on the unique identifier.

7. A method of providing an end user access to digital content, the method comprising:

causing digital content to be stored, by a repository server, and a unique identifier to be assigned to the digital content, the digital content having a server hostname and a filename when stored, the unique identifier of the digital content being associated with the digital content'"'"'s server hostname and filename;

receiving, by an ingest server, the unique identifier to the digital content but not the server hostname and filename associated with the digital content'"'"'s unique identifier;

publishing a link for activation by the end user, the link including the unique identifier of the digital content but not the server hostname and filename associated with the digital content'"'"'s unique identifier,

wherein activation of the link causes resolution of the unique identifier into the server hostname and the filename of the digital content, and causes the digital content to be provided to the end user, by a playlist server, based on the server hostname and filename of the digital content determined using the unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique identifier is a stream identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique identifier is the name of the digital content.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital content is a streaming media file.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital content is a playlist comprising multiple streaming media files.