Streaming from a media device

• US 8,359,591 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Streamtheory Incorporated
• Inventors: de Vries, Jeffrey, Zavertnik, Greg, Hubbell, Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US11/273,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,626 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/207 for accessing game resources from local storage, e.g. streaming content from DVD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A technique for streaming from a media device involves enabling a local device to function as a streaming server. An example of a method according to the technique includes inserting a removable storage device that includes programs associated with a streaming application, running one or more of the programs, ensuring that a streaming software player is installed, and executing a streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application. An example of a system according to the technique includes a means for providing a streaming application that expects content to be found on a media drive, a means for intercepting requests for content expected to be found on the media drive, and a means for honoring the requests with content from a different media location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a notification that a removable storage device was inserted into a host device, the removable storage device including programs associated with a streaming application capable of streaming one or more blocks to a streaming software player on the host device;

running one or more of the programs on the host device in response to the notification;

ensuring that a streaming software player is installed on the host device;

providing from the streaming software player a request for one or more blocks related to streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application, the request for the one or more blocks provided to the removable storage device;

intercepting from the removable storage device the one or more blocks of the streaming application, the one or more blocks intercepted by the streaming software player;

receiving a request to access an application feature or a resource of the streaming application;

honoring, using the streaming software player, the request to access the application feature or the resource with the one or more blocks of the streaming application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising running the streaming software player.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing data from the removable storage device necessary to stream the software application using the streaming software player.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing data from a local cache necessary to stream the software application using the streaming software player.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking for updates to a streaming application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising running an update program that is processed in files associated with the streaming application to find updates for the streaming application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying updates to the streaming application automatically.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising launching a file editor associated with a streaming application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving modifications to files associated with the streaming application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising saving the modified files to a subdirectory that resides beneath a streaming software player, wherein the streaming software player uses the modified files instead of original files when streaming the streaming application.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a streaming application that expects content to be found on a media drive.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising placing interceptors over the media drive.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising intercepting requests for content expected to be found on the media drive.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising intercepting requests for content expected to be found on the media drive and honoring the requests with content from a different media location.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising checking for updates to a streaming application.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising running an update program that is processed in files associated with the streaming application to find updates for the streaming application.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying updates to the streaming application automatically.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving an instruction to read a streaming application from a removable storage device;

storing at least a portion of the streaming application on a hard drive of a host device operatively coupled to the removable storage device;

launching a streaming software player on the host device;

streaming the streaming application from the hard drive using the streaming software player;

intercepting at the streaming software player a request to access an application feature or a resource of the streaming application;

honoring, using the streaming software player, the request to access the application feature or the resource with the one or more blocks of the streaming application.

19. A system, comprising:

means for receiving an instruction to read a streaming application from a removable storage device;

means for storing at least a portion of the streaming application on a hard drive of a host device operatively coupled to the removable storage device;

means for launching a streaming software player on the host device;

means for streaming the streaming application from the hard drive using the streaming software player;

means for at the streaming software player a request to access an application feature or a resource of the streaming application;

means for honoring, using the streaming software player, the request to access the application feature or the resource with the one or more blocks of the streaming application.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for applying automatic updates to the streaming application.