System and method for communication of streaming data

• US 7,653,737 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotware Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spotware Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Colbath, Mark Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US10/783,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for the communication of streaming data is disclosed. In an exemplary method of the present invention, a first set of data is received by an information handling system. A second set of data is received via a network wherein the second set of data is continuously streaming. During times when a sufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data is available for communication, the second set of data is communicated to a user. Otherwise, the first set of data is communicated to the user. In one embodiment, the second set of data may include a video stream viewable by a user. In another embodiment of the present invention, the first data set and the second data set may be transmitted from a first source. In yet another embodiment, during the time that a first set of data is being communicated due to a presently insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data, the second set of data may be monitored such that when a sufficient amount of streaming data is available, the second set of data is communicated.

Claims

1. A method for communicating streaming data, comprising the steps of:

providing a first set of data;

storing the first set of data locally;

providing a second set of data via a network wherein the second set of data is an interactive streaming data set;

enabling communication of the second set of data so long as a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data is available for communication;

in the event there is not a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data available, enabling communication of the locally stored first set of data; and

after communication of the locally stored first set of data, determining that a sufficient amount of the second set of data is available for communicating, indicating to a user that communication of the second set of data may continue.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the second set of data includes a video stream viewable by a user.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data are transmitted from a first source.

4. The method as described in claim 3, wherein the first set of data is made available for communication when there is an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data for communication.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first set of data is provided from a first source and the second set of data is provided from a second source.

6. The method as described in claim 5, wherein the first source consists of at least one of the following:

a hard drive, a floppy disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a file transfer protocol site, a web site, a satellite provider or an online service site.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein while the first set of data is being communicated due to an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data, monitoring the second set of data to determine if a sufficient amount of streaming data is available for communication.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the user may manually enable communication of the second set of data when a sufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data is available.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein a reason for an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data being available consists of at least one of the following:

high Internet traffic, slow transmission rates, insufficient processing resources, interference with a connection between a user system and a provider system, termination of a connection between a user system and a provider system, or lowered throughput.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the network consists of at least one of the following:

a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an online service, an Internet server, a satellite system, a wireless system, or a World Wide Web server.

11. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the interactive streaming data set is a video game.

12. A computer readable medium containing program instructions which when executed by an information handling system causes the information handling system to perform the steps of:

providing a first set of data, the first set of data stored locally;

providing a second set of data via a network wherein the second set of data is an interactive streaming data set;

enabling communication of the second set of data so long as a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data is available for;

in the event there is not a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data available, enabling communication of the locally stored first set of data; and

after communication of the locally stored first set of data, determining that a sufficient amount of the second set of data is available for communicating, indicating to a user that communication of the second set of data may continue.

13. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein the second set of data includes a video stream viewable by a user.

14. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data are transmitted from a first source.

15. The program of instructions as described in claim 14, wherein the first set of data is made available for communication when there is an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data for communication.

16. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein the first set of data is provided from a first source and the second set of data is provided from a second source.

17. The program of instructions as described in claim 16, wherein the first source consists of at least one of the following:

a hard drive, a floppy disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a file transfer protocol site, a web site, a satellite provider, or an online service site.

18. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein while the first set of data is communicated due to an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data, monitoring the second set of data to determine if a sufficient amount of streaming data is available for communication.

19. The program of instructions as described in claim 18, wherein the user may manually enable communication of the second set of data when a sufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data is available.

20. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein a reason for an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data being available consists of at least one of the following:

high Internet traffic, slow transmission rates, insufficient processing resources, interference with a connection between a user system and a provider system, termination of a connection between a user system and a provider system, or lowered throughput.

21. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein the network consists of at least one of the following:

a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an online service, an Internet server, a satellite system, a wireless system, or a World Wide Web server.

22. The program of instructions as described in claim 12, wherein the interactive streaming data set is a video game.

23. An information handling system comprising:

a processor for executing a program of instructions on the information handling system;

a memory coupled to the processor for storing the program of instructions executable by said processor;

an input and output system coupled to the processor for coupling the information handling system to a network;

the program of instructions capable of configuring the information handling system to perform the following steps;

providing a first set of data;

storing the first set of data locally;

providing a second set of data via a network wherein the second set of data is an interactive streaming data set;

enabling communication of the second set of data so long as a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data is available for;

in the event there is not a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data available, enabling communication of the locally stored first set of data; and

after communication of the locally stored first set of data, determining that a sufficient amount of the second set of data is available for communicating, indicating to a user that communication of the second set of data may continue.

24. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein the second set of data includes a video stream viewable by a user.

25. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data are transmitted from a first source.

26. The information handling system as described in claim 25, wherein the first set of data is made available for communication when there is an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data for communication.

27. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein the first set of data is provided from a first source and the second set of data is provided from a second source.

28. The information handling system as described in claim 27, wherein the first source consists of at least one of the following:

a hard drive, a floppy disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a file transfer protocol site, a web site, a node, a satellite provider, or an online service site.

29. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein while the first set of data is communicated due to an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data, monitoring the second set of data to determine if a sufficient amount of streaming data is available for communication.

30. The information handling system as described in claim 29, wherein the user may manually enable communication of the second set of data when a sufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data is available.

31. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein a reason for an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data being available consists of at least one of the following:

high Internet traffic, slow transmission rates, insufficient processing resources, interference with a connection between a user system and a provider system, termination of a connection between a user system and a provider system, or lowered throughput.

32. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein the network consists of at least one of the following:

a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an online service, an Internet server, a satellite system, a wireless system, or a World Wide Web server.

33. The information handling system as described in claim 23, wherein the interactive streaming data set is a video game.

34. An information handling system comprising:

means for executing a program of instructions on the information handling system;

means, coupled to said executing means, for storing a program of instructions executable by said executing means;

means, coupled to said executing means, for coupling the information handling system to a network;

the program of instructions capable of configuring the information handling system to perform the following steps;

providing a first set of data;

providing a second set of data via a network wherein the second set of data is an interactive streaming data set;

enabling communication of the second set of data so long as a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data is available for;

in the event there is not a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data available, enabling communication of the locally stored first set of data; and

after communication of the locally stored first set of data, determining that a sufficient amount of the second set of data is available for communicating, indicating to a user that communication of the second set of data may continue.

35. The information handling system as described in claim 34, wherein the first set of data is made available for communication when there is an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data for communication.

36. The information handling system as described in claim 34, wherein while the first set of data is communicated due to an insufficient amount of streaming data of the second set of data, monitoring the second set of data to determine if a sufficient amount of streaming data is available for communication.

37. The information handling system as described in claim 34, wherein the interactive streaming data set is a video game.

38. A method for playing a video game, comprising the steps of:

initiating a video game by a user;

providing a first set of data from a first source;

storing the first set of data locally;

providing a second set of data from a second source via a network wherein the second set of data is an interactive streaming data set;

interaction by the user with the interactive streaming data set;

enabling communication of the second set of data so long as a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data is available for communication;

in the event there is not a sufficient amount of interactive streaming data of the second set of data available, enabling communication of the locally stored first set of data; and

after communication of the locally stored first set of data, determining that a sufficient amount of the second set of data is available for communicating, indicating to a user that communication of the second set of data may continue.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the first source of the first data set is different than the second source of the second data set.