Stream sourcing content delivery system

• US 7,912,920 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tarquin Consulting Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Dickson, Andrew, Biderman, David, Pepper, Thomas, Loomis, Stephen, Gibson, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/688,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,714 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-204, 709217-219, 709230-232
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

The stream sourcing content delivery system goes to a database and builds a physical stream, based on a schedule. The stream source content delivery system works at a station ID (SID), finds the order of the delivery of content for the station based upon the schedule, and downloads a plurality of music files to its hard drive to enable play back. The stream source content delivery system then concatenates the files, to create stream, and awaits the request of one or more stream recipients. Some preferred system embodiments further comprise a fail-safe mode, whereby a loop of music is generated from the downloaded stream, and is delivered to one or more users when further access to content is interrupted, such that recipients experience an uninterrupted delivery of a plurality of files, e.g. songs.

Claims

1. A method of delivering streams of content, the method comprising:

periodically querying a database for multiple playlists, wherein each playlist of the multiple playlists is associated with multiple content items;

receiving the multiple playlists from the database based upon the periodic querying;

analyzing each of the received multiple playlists to determine content items that are already cached on a local disk and content items to be retrieved from a content source;

retrieving the content items to be retrieved for each of the received playlists from the content source;

caching the retrieved content items on the local disk;

creating streams of content by, for each playlist of the multiple playlists, concatenating content items associated with said each playlist;

upon receiving a request for one or more of the streams of content, transmitting the requested one or more streams of content to at least one distribution point for relaying to at least one client terminal; and

in response to a disruption in the retrieval from the content source of content items associated with a first playlist of the multiple playlists, wherein a first stream of content corresponds to the first playlist;

continuing to advance through content items of the first playlist;

copying a first content item of the first playlist from the local disk to a memory cache prior to reaching a last content item of the first playlist;

linking the last content item of the first playlist to the first content item of the first playlist to loop at least one of the content items of the first playlist in the first stream of content; and

transmitting the first stream of content containing the looped at least one of the content items of the first playlist to the at least one distribution point for relaying to the at least one client terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking for new content items of the first playlist as transmission of each of the content items of the first playlist finishes; and

if there are new content items of the first playlist, resuming normal transmission of the first stream of content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple content items include audio content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple content items include video content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing metadata associated with at least one of the multiple content items; and

integrating the metadata with at least one of the one or more of the streams of content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata includes content duration information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata includes content time remaining information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one client terminal includes at least one of a computer, a mobile device, a microprocessor-based device, a portable digital assistant, and a network enabled receiver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the requested one or more of the streams of content is transmitted at a rate that is matched to a rate of play at the at least one client terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each playlist, providing a buffer of a plurality of buffers with the stream of content corresponding to said each playlist,

wherein transmitting the requested one or more of the streams of content includes transmitting the requested one or more of the streams of content from one or more of the plurality of buffers.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing cached content items from the local disk.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the one or more of the streams of content with one or more schedules.

22. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

for at least the first playlist, providing one or more buffers with the first stream,

wherein delivering the first stream includes delivering the first stream from the one or more buffers.

13. A method of delivering streams of content, the method comprising:

periodically querying a database for multiple playlists, wherein a playlist of the multiple playlists is associated with multiple items of content;

receiving the multiple playlists from the database;

analyzing the received multiple playlists to determine items of content that are already locally cached and items of content to be retrieved from one or more content sources;

retrieving the items of content to be retrieved from the one or more of the content sources;

locally storing the retrieved items of content;

for at least a first playlist of multiple playlists, concatenating associated items of content into a first stream;

upon receiving a request for the first stream, delivering the first stream to at least one distribution point for delivery to at least one client terminal; and

if retrieval of new items of content associated with the first playlist is disrupted;

continuing to advance through the first playlist for at least the first stream;

caching a first item of content of the first playlist into memory prior to reaching a last item of content of the first playlist;

linking the last item of content of the first playlist to the first item of content of the first playlist in order to repeat at least one of the items of content in the first stream; and

delivering the first stream containing the repeated at least one of the items of content to the at least one distribution point for delivery to the at least one client terminal

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

checking for new items of content of the first playlist as delivery of each of the items of content of the first playlist finishes; and

if there are new items of content of the first playlist, resuming normal delivery of the first stream.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the multiple items of content include audio content.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the multiple items of content include video content.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing metadata associated with the multiple items of content; and

integrating the metadata with at least the first stream.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the metadata includes content duration information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the metadata includes content time remaining information.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one client terminal includes at least one of a computer, a mobile device, a microprocessor-based device, a portable digital assistant, and a network enabled receiver.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein at least the first stream is transmitted at a rate that is matched to a rate of play at the at least one client terminal.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising removing locally stored items of content.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising synchronizing the first stream with a first schedule.

25. A content delivery system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the system is configured to;

periodically query a database for multiple playlists, wherein a playlist of the multiple playlists is associated with multiple content items;

receive the multiple playlists from the database;

locally store content items;

analyze the received multiple playlists to determine which of the multiple content items are already stored locally or are content items to be retrieved from one or more content sources;

retrieve the content items to be retrieved from the one or more content sources;

concatenate associated content items into a first stream for at least a first playlist;

receive a request for the first stream;

deliver the first stream to at least one distribution point in response to the request for delivery from the distribution point to at least one client terminal; and

wherein if retrieval of content items associated with the first playlist is disrupted, the system is further configured to;

continue to advance through the first playlist for at least the first stream;

cache a first content item of the first playlist into memory prior to reaching a last content item of the first playlist;

repeat at least the first content item of the first playlist in the first stream after the last content item of the first playlist is reached; and

deliver the first stream containing the repeated at least one of the content items to the at least one distribution point for delivery to the at least one client terminal.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the system if further configured to:

check for content items of the first playlist as delivery of each of the content items of the first playlist finishes; and

resume normal delivery of the first stream if there are new content items of the first playlist.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the multiple content items include audio content.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the multiple content items include video content.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is further configured to:

integrate metadata associated with the content items within at least the first stream.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the metadata includes content duration information.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the metadata includes content time remaining information.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one client terminal includes at least one of a computer, a mobile device, a microprocessor-based device, a portable digital assistant, and a network enabled receiver.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein a transmission rate of at least the first stream is matched to a rate of play at the at least one client terminal.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is further configured to:

buffer data; and

deliver the first stream from the buffered data.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is further configured to:

remove locally stored content items.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is further configured to:

synchronize the first stream with a first schedule.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a computing device to perform operations for delivering streams of content, the operations comprising:

periodically querying a database for multiple playlists, wherein a playlist of the multiple playlists is associated with multiple items of content;

receiving the multiple playlists from the database;

analyzing the received multiple playlists to determine items of content that are already locally cached and items of content to be retrieved from one or more content sources;

retrieving the items of content to be retrieved from the one or more content sources;

locally storing the retrieved items of content;

for at least a first playlist of the multiple playlists, concatenating associated items of content into a first stream;

upon receiving a request for the first stream, delivering the first stream to at least one distribution point for delivery to at least one client terminal; and

if retrieval of new items of content associated with the first playlist is disrupted;

continuing to advance through the first playlist for at least the first stream;

caching a first item of content of the first playlist into memory prior to reaching a last item of content of the first playlist;

linking the last item of content of the first playlist to the first item of content of the first playlist in order to repeat at least one of the items of content in the first stream; and

delivering the first stream containing the repeated at least one of the items of content to the at least one distribution point for delivery to the at least one client terminal.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

checking for new items of content of the first playlist as delivery of each of the items of content of the first playlist finishes; and

if there are new items of content of the first playlist, resuming normal delivery of the first stream.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing metadata associated with the multiple items of content; and

integrating the metadata with at least the first stream.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein at least the first stream is transmitted at a rate that is matched to a rate of play at the at least one client terminal.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

for at least the first playlist, providing one or more buffers with the first stream,

wherein delivering the first stream includes delivering the first stream from the one or more buffers.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

removing locally stored items of content; and

synchronizing the first stream with a first schedule.