Methods for transmitting multimedia files and advertisements
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- transmitting, from a server, media data in a first digital file that comprises one or more obligatory advertising portions and one or more content portions to a multimedia player, the server configured to receive a skip, fast-forward or similar type message from the multimedia player as an instruction to skip or fast-forward through all or a portion of the one or more obligatory advertising portions of the first digital file to expedite transmission of a content portion; and
upon the server receiving a skip, fast-forward or similar type message, transmitting from the server a response message to the multimedia player indicating that it has successively received the message while continuing to transmit from the server to the multimedia player the one or more obligatory advertising portions without expediting transmission of the content portion;
wherein the first digital file is assigned a streaming session, and the method further comprises the step of the server creating a second digital file based on the first digital file and the skip, fast-forward or similar type message and subsequent to receiving the message the server begins transmitting the media data as a part of the second digital file using the same streaming session as the first digital file.
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Abstract
The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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transmitting, from a server, media data in a first digital file that comprises one or more obligatory advertising portions and one or more content portions to a multimedia player, the server configured to receive a skip, fast-forward or similar type message from the multimedia player as an instruction to skip or fast-forward through all or a portion of the one or more obligatory advertising portions of the first digital file to expedite transmission of a content portion; and upon the server receiving a skip, fast-forward or similar type message, transmitting from the server a response message to the multimedia player indicating that it has successively received the message while continuing to transmit from the server to the multimedia player the one or more obligatory advertising portions without expediting transmission of the content portion; wherein the first digital file is assigned a streaming session, and the method further comprises the step of the server creating a second digital file based on the first digital file and the skip, fast-forward or similar type message and subsequent to receiving the message the server begins transmitting the media data as a part of the second digital file using the same streaming session as the first digital file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A server based computer-implemented method of transmitting, to a multimedia player, digital data comprising one or more obligatory advertising portions comprising a first type of content and one or more requested portions comprising a second type of content which is different than the first type of content, the method comprising:
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receiving a first request from the multimedia player to transmit the digital data; generating or accessing a first digital file comprising the digital data; initiating transmission of one or more obligatory advertising portions of the digital data to the multimedia player; receiving a second request from the multimedia player to expedite transmission of at least one part of a requested portion of the digital data after initiating transmission of an obligatory advertising portion of the digital data and prior to completion of the transmission of the obligatory advertising portion of the digital data, such that a first part of the obligatory advertising portion is transmitted prior to receiving the second request, and a second part of the obligatory advertising portion is untransmitted prior to receiving the second request; and transmitting a response message to the multimedia player indicating that the second request is successively received while continuing to transmit to the multimedia player the second part of the obligatory advertising portion; wherein the first digital file comprises the digital data and supplemental digital data, and the method further comprises generating a second digital file based on the first digital file and transmitting the second digital file to the multimedia player after receiving the second request, the second digital file comprising at least a portion of the digital data and at least a portion of the supplemental digital data that is sequentially positioned before a requested portion of the digital data. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of transmitting, to a multimedia player, from a server using a streaming protocol digital data in a first digital file comprising one or more obligatory advertising portions comprising a first type of content and one or more requested portions comprising a second type of content which is different than the first type of content, the streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access to the digital data, the digital data having a first sequential order to be transmitted by the streaming protocol, the server containing executable instructions for carrying out the method of:
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(1) receiving, via the streaming protocol, a request to transmit the requested portion in a first streaming session; (2) transmitting all advertising portions that precede in sequential order to a requested portion which have not been transmitted in the first streaming session and then transmitting the requested portion; and (3) transmitting the requested portion when all of the advertising portions that precede the requested portion have already been transmitted in the first streaming session; wherein the first digital file comprises the digital data and supplemental digital data, and the method further comprises generating a second digital file based on the first digital file and transmitting the second digital file to the multimedia player after receiving a second request from the multimedia player to expedite transmission of an obligatory advertising portion of the digital data, the second digital file comprising at least a portion of the digital data and at least a portion of the supplemental digital data that is sequentially positioned before a requested portion of the digital data.
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Specification