Method and system for distributed streaming service of portable devices

• US 8,041,828 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kwang-Jeung, Moon, Kyung-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): COONEY, ADAM A
• Application Number:
  US12/328,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

A method and a system for a distributed streaming service of portable devices forming a short-distance communication network. A buffer size and a priority of each of the portable devices are determined according to their remaining memory capacity, respectively. Each portable device calculates a buffering time using the buffer size and the priority, and receives sub-contents, corresponding to the buffering time, of a streaming content from a streaming server. A master device of the portable devices plays the sub-contents by acquiring them from the other portable devices.

Claims

1. A method for a distributed streaming service of portable devices including a master device and a slave device, the method comprising:

determining, based on a remaining memory capacity of each of the portable devices, a buffer size and a priority of each of the portable devices;

calculating, based on the buffer size and the priority of each of the portable devices, a buffering time of each portable device;

receiving sub-contents of streaming content at the portable devices, each of the portable devices separately receiving different sub-contents simultaneously;

buffering the received sub-contents for the buffering time calculated for each portable device; and

playing the sub-contents at the master device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the streaming content is transmitted from a streaming server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the master device determines the buffer size and the priority of each of the portable devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sub-contents comprises receiving next sub-contents at the portable devices, after a last slave device among the portable devices receives the sub-contents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the priority comprises assigning a higher priority to a portable device with a higher remaining memory capacity.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication network between the portable devices;

collecting information about the remaining memory capacity of each of the portable devices; and

designating a portable device with a highest remaining memory capacity as the master device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the buffering time is performed in consideration of the buffer sizes of the portable devices with relatively higher priorities and a time required to transmit the sub-contents to the master device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sub-contents comprises regulating a time range in a protocol defining the buffering time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, in the master device, sub-contents from the slave devices in order of priority.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein playing the sub-contents further comprises the master device receiving next sub-contents from a next portable device with a next highest priority, before the sub-contents of a specific portable device with a specific priority is completely played.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the distributed streaming service at a first one of the portable devices;

accessing a streaming server at the first portable device; and

selecting specific streaming content in the streaming server.

12. A system for a distributed streaming service, the system comprising:

a plurality of portable devices for establishing a short-distance communication network, each of the portable devices calculating a buffering time for itself based on a buffer size and a priority, wherein the buffer size and the priority arc determined by, and depend on, a remaining memory capacity of each of the portable devices, each of the portable devices buffering different sub-contents of streaming content for the buffering time calculated for itself; and

a streaming server for separately transmitting the sub-contents of the streaming content to each of the portable devices simultaneously.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the portable devices comprise:

a master device having a greatest remaining memory capacity among the portable devices; and

at least one slave device for establishing a communication channel with the master device and receiving information about the buffer size and the priority from the master device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the master device comprises:

a first short-distance communication module for establishing a communication network;

a first Radio Frequency (RF) unit for receiving the sub-contents from the streaming server;

a first memory unit for temporarily storing the sub-contents;

a first display unit for displaying the sub-contents; and

a first control unit for controlling the first short-distance communication module, the first RF unit, the first memory unit, and the first display unit, and determining the buffer size and the priority of each of the portable devices, based on a remaining memory capacity of each of the portable devices.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the slave device comprises:

a second short-distance communication module receiving the buffer size and the priority from the master device;

a second control unit calculating the buffering time from the buffer size and the priority;

a second RF unit receiving the sub-contents; and

a second memory unit temporarily storing the sub-contents for the buffering time.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first memory unit comprises a play application program available for playing the sub-contents.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first control unit controls, before the sub-contents of a specific portable device with a specific priority is completely played, to receive next sub-contents from a next portable device with a next highest priority.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first display unit displays the sub-contents in order of the priority of the portable device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the portable device receives next sub-contents, after a last slave device among the portable devices receives the sub-contents.