System and method for managing client-server communications over a computer network using transmission schedule

• US 7,809,788 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Austen Services LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Strum, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell; Robert B
• Application Number:
  US11/826,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A computer-implemented transmission scheme is provided to control client-server interchanges within a distributed communications network, such as a real time opinion research system. Interchanges include transmitting media streams between one or more clients to a server over a network. Periodic interchanges can be simultaneously or staggeredly transmitted to a sampling pool of active clients. A transmission mode unit implements the transmission scheme. A parameter selector establishes the transmission interval and transmission period used to trigger each interchange. A client assignor creates one or more sampling classes from the sampling pool by applying a sampling quotient generated by the parameter selector. A schedule editor produces a transmission schedule for the active clients. If more than one sampling class has been created, each sampling class would receive a separate transmission schedule for providing staggered transmissions at designated transmission intervals. The transmission schedule can include other data preparation and formatting instructions for compression, aggregation and packetization.

Claims

1. A method, executing on a server, comprising:

receiving by the server, over a computer network from a client, a registration request including registration data associated with the client;

verifying the received registration data to establish a registered client;

maintaining by the server a current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server;

generating by the server a transmission schedule for a registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the transmission schedule defines a transmission period for periodically transmitting communications between the server and the registered client during the active session of streaming communication with the server, and wherein the transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals; and

transmitting, by the server to the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server, instructions to interchange communications with the server during a designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating by the server a sampling class of registered clients from the current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the sampling class includes the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server, and

transmitting to the registered clients of the sampling class, respective instructions to interchange communications with the server during the designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transmitting instructions to the registered clients of the sampling class includes transmitting respective instructions to interchange communications with the server during a first designated transmission interval and a second designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating by the server a second transmission schedule for a second registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the second transmission schedule defines a second transmission period for periodically transmitting communications between the server and the second registered client, and wherein the second transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals;

creating by the server a second sampling class of registered clients from the current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the second sampling class includes at least the second registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server; and

transmitting, to the registered clients of the second sampling class, respective instructions to periodically interchange communications with the server during a designated transmission interval of the second transmission period according to the second transmission schedule generated for the second registered client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting instructions to periodically interchange communications includes transmitting instructions to interchange communications with the server during a first designated transmission interval and a second designated transmission interval of the transmission period during the active session of streaming communication with the server, according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating by the server a second transmission schedule for a second registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the second transmission schedule defines a second transmission period for periodically interchanging communications between the server and the second registered client during the active session of streaming communication with the server, and wherein the second transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals; and

transmitting, by the server to the second registered client, instructions to interchange communications with the server during a designated transmission interval of the second transmission period according to the second transmission schedule for the second registered client.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining by the server the transmission period of the transmission schedule for the registered client.

8. A system for interchanging communications between a server and a plurality of clients over a computer network, comprising:

a registering unit including processing hardware configured to

receive from a client of the plurality of clients a registration request including registration data associated with the client,

verify the received registration data to establish a registered client, and

maintain in memory a current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server; and

a transmission mode unit including processing hardware configured to

generate a transmission schedule for a registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the transmission schedule defines a transmission period for periodically interchanging communications between the server and the registered client during the active session of streaming communication with the server, and wherein the transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals, and

instruct the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server to interchange communications with the server during a designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission mode unit further comprises:

a parameter selector configured to determine the transmission period for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a client assignor configured to create a sampling class of registered clients from the current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the sampling class includes at least the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server, and

wherein the transmission mode unit is further configured to instruct the registered clients of the sampling class to interchange communications with the server during the designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule generated for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission mode unit includes a schedule editor configured to prepare an applet to be sent to the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server, and wherein the applet is configured to implement the transmission schedule in the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer network includes the Internet.

13. An article of manufacture including a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions execution of which by a computing device causes the computing device to perform operations for interchanging communications between the computing device and a plurality of clients over a computer network, the operations comprising:

receiving over the computer network, from a client of the plurality of clients, a registration request including registration data associated with the client;

verifying the received registration data to establish a registered client;

maintaining a current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the computing device;

generating a transmission schedule for a registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the computing device, wherein the transmission schedule defines a transmission period for periodically interchanging communications between the computing device and the registered client during the active session of streaming communication with the computing device, and wherein the transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals; and

instructing the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device to interchange communications with the computing device during a designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise determining the transmission period for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a sampling class of registered clients from the current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the computing device, wherein the sampling class includes at least the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device, and

instructing the registered clients of the sampling class to interchange communications with the computing device during the designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule generated for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise preparing an applet to be sent to the registered client having the active session with the computing device, wherein the applet is configured to implement the transmission schedule in the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the computing device.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the computer network includes the Internet.

18. A system, comprising:

means for receiving by a server, from a client over a computer network, a registration request including registration data associated with the client;

means for verifying the received registration data and establishing a registered client;

means for maintaining a current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server;

means for generating a transmission schedule for a registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the transmission schedule defines a transmission period for periodically interchanging communications between the server and the registered client during the active session of streaming communication with the server, and wherein the transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals; and

means for transmitting, by the server over the computer network to the registered client, instructions to interchange communications with the server during a designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having an active session of streaming communication with the server.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for determining the transmission period for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for creating a sampling class of registered clients from the current log of registered clients having an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the sampling class includes at least the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server, and

wherein said means for transmitting instructions transmits, to the registered clients of the sampling class, respective instructions to interchange communications with the server during the designated transmission interval of the transmission period according to the transmission schedule for the registered client having the active session of streaming communication with the server.

21. A method, comprising:

transmitting by a client, over a computer network to a server, a registration request including registration data associated with the client;

receiving by the client, over the computer network from the server, instructions to periodically interchange communications with the server according to a transmission schedule for the client, wherein the transmission schedule defines a transmission period for periodically interchanging communications between the client and the server during an active session of streaming communication with the server, wherein the transmission period includes a plurality of transmission intervals, and wherein the instructions identify a designated transmission interval of the transmission period for interchanging communications between the client and the server; and

interchanging communications of the client with the server, by the client over the computer network, at the designated transmission interval of the transmission period for the client, during the active session of streaming communication with the server, according to the transmission schedule for the client.