Communicating via a connection between a streaming server and a client without breaking the connection

• US 7,644,172 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stewart, James C., Wynn, Tong L., Bhatt, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fritz; Bradford F
• Application Number:
  US10/179,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,752 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/203, 709227-228
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Data can be streamed from a server to a client via an established connection. Commands (e.g., commands to navigate the streamed data) can be communicated to the server and streaming can continue (possibly from a different location) without breaking the connection. In one implementation, the connection is an HTTP 1.1 (HyperText Transfer Protocol version 1.1) connection.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable storage media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a client, causes the one or more processors to:

establish an open connection with a server, wherein the established connection provides for streaming media data from the server to the client in chunks in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP);

receive an indication of a navigation action to be performed;

send, via the established connection, a HTTP request with a first stop stream header;

receive, via the established connection, an end of data stream indication;

send, via the established connection, a HTTP request with an indication of a media data location where the server should resume streaming media data to the client;

receive, via the established connection, streaming media data beginning with the media data location;

navigate at least one of a plurality of media data play list navigation actions, the media data play list navigation actions being at least one from the group consisting of;

jump to next play list entry and jump to previous play list entry, wherein each play list navigation action is identified using a Pragma header with a form comprising;

Pragma;

pl−

offset=value;

send, after beginning rendering of a next item in the media data play list, a HTTP request with an indication to the same server that rendering of the next item in the media data play list has begun, wherein the indication facilitates server side load balancing;

send a HTTP request with a second stop stream header;

send a HTTP request with an indication of a new stream to switch to without breaking the established connection;

receive a response to the stream switching request;

send, via the established connection, if streaming of the media data to the client has been paused for at least a threshold amount of time, a keep alive message without breaking the established connection; and

send a playback log to the server that is streaming media data to the client without breaking the established connection between the server and the client;

wherein the playback log comprises how long particular pieces of content were played, which portions of streamed content were rendered, an identity of a user logged in, and statistical information.

2. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the navigation action comprises one or more of:

fast forward, seek, scan, and rewind.

3. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the stop stream header is part of a HyperText Transfer Protocol GET request.

4. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the stop stream header comprises:

Pragma;

xStopStrm=1.

5. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the end of data stream indication comprises a zero-length chunk.

6. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the established connection passes through one or more proxies between the client and the server.

7. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the established connection is in accordance with HTTP 1.1.

8. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein an amount of time passed without any communication along the connection is greater than a time-out value associated with the established connection causes the one or more processors to determine whether the established connection should be closed due to inactivity.

9. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the keep alive message includes a HyperText Transport Protocol Options * header.

10. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a HyperText Transfer Protocol message including a header, the header comprising:

Pragma;

xPlayNextEntry=1.

11. One or more computer readable storage media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a server, causes the one or more processors to:

establish an open connection with a client;

receive, via the established connection, which provides for streaming media data of an indefinite length from the server to the client in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a first stop stream header;

send, via the established connection, an end of data stream indication;

receive, via the established connection, an HTTP request with an indication of a new location where the server should resume streaming media data to the client;

resume streaming, via the established connection, media data beginning with the new location;

navigate at least one of a plurality of media data play list navigation actions, the media data play list navigation actions being at least one from the group consisting of;

jump to next play list entry and jump to previous play list entry, wherein each media data play list navigation action is identified using a Pragma header with a form comprising;

Pragma;

pl−

offset=value;

receive, after beginning rendering of a next item in the media data play list, an indication that rendering of the next item in the media data play list has begun, wherein the indication facilitates server side load balancing;

receive a HTTP request with a second stop stream header;

receive a HTTP request with an indication of a new stream to switch to without breaking the established connection;

send a response to the stream switching request;

if streaming of the media data to the client has been paused for at least a threshold amount of time, then receive, via the established connection, a keep alive message without breaking the established connection; and

receive a playback log at the server that is streaming media data to the client without breaking the established connection between the server and the client;

wherein the playback log comprises how long particular pieces of content were played, which portions of streamed content were rendered, an identity of a user logged in, and statistical information.

12. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the new location comprises a location in a same stream for which the end of data stream indication was sent.

13. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the new location comprises a location in a different stream than the stream for which the end of data stream indication was sent.

14. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the stop stream header is part of a HyperText Transfer Protocol GET request.

15. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein an amount of time passed without any communication along the established connection is greater than a time-out value associated with the connection causes the one or more processors to determine whether the connection should be closed due to inactivity.

16. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the end of data stream indication comprises a zero-length chunk.

17. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the established connection is in accordance with HTTP 1.1.

18. A method comprising:

establishing an open connection with a server;

having the established connection for communicating messages in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP);

requesting media data be streamed from the server to the client via the established connection;

receiving the streaming media data via the established connection;

receiving a user request to stop the streaming of the media data;

receiving a user request to perform a navigation action, wherein the navigation action re-starts the streaming of the media data;

receiving the re-started streaming of the media data, via the established connection, in accordance with the user request;

wherein the stopping and the re-starting streaming media data from the server to the client occurs without breaking the established connection;

sending an indication to the same server that rendering of the media data by the client has begun, wherein the method facilitates server side load balancing; and

receiving a HTTP request with a stop stream header;

receiving a HTTP request with an indication of a new stream to switch to without breaking the established connection;

sending a response to the stream switching request;

navigating at least one of a plurality of play list navigation actions, the play list navigation actions being at least one from the group consisting of;

jump to next play list entry and jump to previous play list entry, wherein each play list navigation action is identified using a Pragma header with a form comprising;

Pragma;

pl−

offset=value;

if the streaming of the media data to the client has been paused for at least a threshold amount of time, then send, via the established connection, a keep alive message without breaking the established connection; and

sending a playback log to the server streaming media data to the client without breaking the established connection between the server and the client;

wherein the playback log comprises how long particular pieces of content were played, which portions of streamed content were rendered, an identity of a user logged in, and statistical information.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

checking whether any HTTP 1.0 proxies exist in the path between the server and the client; and

using HTTP 1.0 if any HTTP 1.0 proxies exist in the path, otherwise using HTTP 1.1.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

sending, after beginning rendering of a next item in the play list, an indication to the server that rendering of the next item in the play list has begun, wherein the method facilitates server side load balancing.

21. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

sending, via the established connection, the playback log if playing of the streamed data has been stopped.

22. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein re-starting the streaming of the data comprises communicating a stop stream header as part of a HyperText Transfer Protocol GET request to the server.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the stop stream header comprises:

Pragma;

xStopStrm=1.

24. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the established connection is in accordance with HTTP 1.1.

25. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the keep alive message includes a HyperText Transport Protocol Options * header.

26. A method comprising:

establishing an open connection with a client;

having the established connection for communicating messages in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP);

receiving, from the client via the established connection for communicating messages in accordance with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a request for media data be streamed from a server to the client;

streaming the requested media data to the client via the established connection;

receiving, from the client via the established connection, a request to stop the streaming of the media data;

stopping the streaming of the media data;

receiving, via the established connection, an indication that a user has requested a navigation action within the media data being streamed, wherein the navigation action is for re-starting the streaming of the media data;

re-starting the streaming of the media data, via the established connection, in accordance with the user request;

wherein the stopping and the re-starting streaming media data from the server to the client occurs without breaking the established connection;

receiving an indication to the same server that rendering of the media data by the client has begun, wherein the method facilitates server side load balancing;

receiving a HTTP request with a stop stream header;

receiving a HTTP request with an indication of a new stream to switch to without breaking the established connection;

sending a response to the stream switching request;

navigating at least one of a plurality of play list navigation actions, the play list navigation actions being at least one from the group consisting of;

jump to next play list entry and jump to previous play list entry, wherein each play list navigation action is identified using a Pragma header with a form comprising;

Pragma;

pl−

offset=value;

if streaming of the media data to the client has been paused for at least a threshold amount of time, then receive, via the established connection, a keep alive message; and

receiving a playback log at the server streaming media data to the client without breaking the open connection between the server and the client;

wherein the playback log comprises how long particular pieces of content were played, which portions of streamed content were rendered, an identity of a user logged in, and statistical information.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the receiving an indication that a user has requested a navigation action comprises receiving a stop stream header as part of a HyperText Transfer Protocol GET request.

28. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

determining whether the established connection should be closed due to inactivity if an amount of time passed without any communication along the established connection is greater than a time-out value associated with the established connection.

29. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the connection is in accordance with HTTP 1.1.