Methods and systems for adaptive delivery of multimedia contents

• US 7,747,701 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Hong-Jiang, Yang, Yudong
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman; Ramy M
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLeod; Marshall
• Application Number:
  US11/025,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/513, 709/217, 709/219, 709/231, 370/232
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and systems for generic adaptive multimedia content delivery are described. In one embodiment, a novel framework features an abstract content model and an abstract adaptive delivery decision engine. The abstract content model recognizes important aspects of contents while hiding their physical details from other parts of the framework. The decision engine then makes content adaptation plans based on the abstracted model of the contents and needs little knowledge of any physical details of the actual contents. Thus, under the same framework, adaptive delivery of generic contents is possible.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computing device by a processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the computing device to perform acts comprising:

receiving a content request from a content requester;

retrieving the requested content from a content source;

processing, by the processor, the retrieved content to provide an abstract content model providing at least one directional graph comprising nodes that represent components of the content and edges that represent relationships between the nodes, wherein the directional graph further comprises a directional graph G=(N, E) that satisfies the following condition, where N stands for “

node”

of G and E stands for “

edge”

sets of G;

a node set N can be divided into several subsets as N_{j, i=1 . . . m} where

$N=\stackrel{m}{\underset{i=1}{\bigcup <br><br>}}<br><br>N_i$

and N_i∩

N_j=Φ

, ∀

i,j=1 . . . m,i≠

j;

∀

a=(n_s,n_e)ε

E, there exists a pair of 1≦

i<

j≦

m such that n_sε

N_i and n_eε

N_j; and

∀

a=(n_sn_e)ε

E,s≠

e;

processing the abstract content model to select an optimal delivery plan the use of which will permit requested content to be delivered to the content requester; and

processing the abstract content model to provide deliverable content in accordance with the selected delivery plan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional graph features a top-down hierarchical structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the nodes are configured to have a node status that defines dynamic statuses of nodes during content delivery.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one node status comprises an inactive status where the node is not yet a deliverable object.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one node status comprises an activable status wherein an active condition of the node is satisfied but the node is not yet included in a delivery plan.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one node status comprises an activated status wherein the node has been chosen in a delivery plan.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one node status comprises a delivered status wherein the node has been delivered successfully to a content receiver.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one node status comprises a skipped status wherein the node is not delivered and will not be included in the delivery plan.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein there are multiple different types of edges.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple different types of edges comprise a dependency edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple different types of edges comprise a route edge type that defines an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple different types of edges comprise a mixed edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes and an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple different types of edges comprise one or more of the following:

a dependency edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes,

a route edge type that defines an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes, and

a mixed edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes and an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes.

14. A server computer programmed to implement the method of claim 1.

15. A computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor, direct a computing device to perform acts comprising:

receiving a content request from a content requester;

retrieving the requested content from a content source;

processing, by the processor, the retrieved content to provide an abstract content model providing at least one directional graph comprising nodes that represent components of the content and edges that represent relationships between the nodes, wherein the directional graph further comprises a directional graph G=(N, E) that satisfies the following condition, where N stands for “

node”

of G and E stands for “

edge”

sets of G;

a node set N can be divided into several subsets as N_{j, i=1 . . . m} where

$N=\stackrel{m}{\underset{i=1}{\bigcup <br><br>}}<br><br>N_i$

and N_i∩

N_j=Φ

, ∀

i,j=1 . . . m,i≠

j;

∀

a=(n_s,n_e)ε

E, there exists a pair of 1≦

i<

j≦

m such that n_sε

N_i and n_eε

N_j; and

∀

a=(n_sn_e)ε

E,s≠

e;

processing the abstract content model to select an optimal delivery plan the use of which will permit requested content to be delivered to the content requester; and

processing the abstract content model to provide deliverable content in accordance with the selected delivery plan.

16. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the nodes are configured to have a node status that defines dynamic statuses of nodes during content delivery.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein there are multiple different types of edges.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple different types of edges comprise one or more of the following:

a dependency edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes,

a route edge type that defines an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes, and

a mixed edge type that defines a logical dependency between nodes and an ordered or hierarchical dependency between nodes.

19. A system comprising:

a content requester configured to request a content;

a content source configured to supply the content; and

a server computer configured to;

process the content to provide an abstract content model providing at least one directional graph comprising nodes that represent components of the content and edges that represent relationships between the nodes, wherein the directional graph G=(N, E) that satisfies the following condition, where N stands for “

node”

of G and E stands for “

edge”

sets of G;

a node set N can be divided into several subsets as N_{j, i=1 . . . m} where

$N=\stackrel{m}{\underset{i=1}{\bigcup <br><br>}}<br><br>N_i$

and N_i∩

N_j=Φ

, ∀

i,j=1 . . . m,i≠

j;

∀

a=(n_s,n_e)ε

E, there exists a pair of 1≦

i<

j≦

m such that n_sε

N_i and n_eε

N_j; and

∀

a=(n_sn_e)ε

E,s≠

e;

process the abstract content model to select an optimal delivery plan the use of which will permit requested content to be delivered to the content requester; and

process the abstract content model to provide deliverable content in accordance with the selected delivery plan.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the directional graph features a top-down hierarchical structure.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein there are multiple different types of edges.