Method and system for transmitting a data file over a data network

• US 8,510,459 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacbyte Software Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Pacbyte Software Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Parker, Bruce, Holder, Robert Ward
• Primary Examiner(s): BIAGINI, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US12/439,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8402 involving a version number, e.g. version number of EPG data arrangements for version control in computers G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

In one form the invention provides a method of modifying a data file for transmission over a data network. The method comprises the steps of receiving the original data file and creating a header file, the header file including the length in bytes of the original data file. At least one repetition byte sequence is identified within the original data file, the repetition byte sequence comprising a byte value that is repeated consecutively within the repetition byte sequence. A modified data file is created by replacing the repetition byte sequence with a repetition marker, the repeated byte value, and a repeat frequency value representing the number of times the repeated byte value occurs within the repetition byte sequence. The repetition marker is added to the header file. The invention further provides a method of transmitting a data file to a remote device over a data network.

Claims

1. A method of streaming a data file to a remote device over a data network, the data file comprising a plurality of ordered data segments having associated respective numerical ordinal values and a header file, the header file including a segment frequency value representing the number of segments in the data file, the method comprising:

transmitting the header file to the remote device over the data network;

transmitting the first data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of a first execution thread, operating on the remote device, concurrently with the second or subsequent data segments;

transmitting the second data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of a second execution thread, operating on the remote device, concurrently with the first or subsequent data segments;

transmitting the subsequent data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of the next available first or second execution threads, which operate concurrently;

increasing the value of a counter value on the remote device to the numerical ordinal value associated with the data segment most recently transmitted over the data network following the complete transmission of each data segment; and

sorting each transmitted data segment into order at the remote device based on the counter value following the complete transmission of each data segment, and wherein the number of segments in the data file is greater than the number of execution threads, on the remote device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data file represents a video data file.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of playing one or more data segments of the video data file to a user of the remote device while transmitting further data segments of the video data file over the data network.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the header file comprises a buffer number, the buffer number representing a threshold number of data segments to be received by the remote device before playback of the one or more received data segments of the video data file can commence, and the method further comprising the step of commencing playback of the one or more data segments of the video data file once the buffer number of data segments received is reached.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the method further comprises determining whether a sufficient buffer of data segments has been received based on the buffer number and commencing playback of the video data file on the remote device if the sufficient buffer has been received by reading the received data segments into an array in memory for playback by a viewer on the remote device.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decompression of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the step of commencing playback of the video data file comprises decompressing the received data segments based on the decompression information in the header file.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decryption of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the step of commencing playback of the video data file comprises decrypting the received data segments based on the decryption information in the header file.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a data compression technique to the data file or one or more data segments of the data file and wherein the header file further comprises information required for decompression of the data file or data segments at the remote device.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the data compression technique includes a data transformation that increases the number of unique byte values in at least part of one or more of the data segments.

10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of applying an encryption technique to the data file or one or more data segments of the data file and wherein the header file further comprises information required for decryption of the data file or data segment at the remote device.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data file is a single data file in which the individual data segments are defined by offsets within the data file, and wherein the method further comprises extracting each data segment prior to transmission from the data file by reading from the offsets within the data file.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the individual data segments of the data file are maintained as separate data files.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the remote device comprises one or more additional execution threads, and wherein the method comprises transmitting the remaining subsequent data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of the next available first, second, or one or more additional execution threads, which all operate concurrently.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the numerical ordinal values associated with the ordered data segments are integer values, and wherein the first execution thread is configured to request transmission of data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are odd, and the second execution thread is configured to request transmission of data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are even.

15. A data file streaming system operable to stream a data file to a remote device over a data network, the data file comprising a plurality of ordered data segments having associated respective numerical ordinal values and a header file, the header file including a segment frequency value representing the number of segments in the data file, the system comprising a processor and associated memory which stores readable instructions for execution by the processor to:

transmit the header file to the remote device over the data network;

transmit the first data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of a first execution thread, operating on the remote device, concurrently with the second or subsequent data segments;

transmit the second data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of a second execution thread, operating on the remote device, concurrently with the first or subsequent data segments;

transmit the subsequent data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of the next available first or second execution thread, which operate concurrently;

increase the value of a counter value on the remote device to the numerical ordinal value associated with the data segment most recently transmitted over the data network following complete transmission of each data segment; and

sort each transmitted data segment into order at the remote device based on the counter value following complete transmission of each data segment, and wherein the number of segments in the data file is greater than the number of execution threads on the remote device.

16. A data file streaming system according to claim 15 wherein the data file represents a video data file.

17. A data file streaming system according to claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to play one or more data segments of the video data file to a user of the remote device while transmitting further data segments of the video data file over the data network.

18. A data file streaming system according to claim 17 wherein the header file comprises a buffer number, the buffer number representing a threshold number of data segments to be received by the remote device before playback of the one or more received data segments of the video data file can commence, and the processor being further configured to commence playback of the one or more data segments of the video data file once the buffer number of data segments received is reached.

19. A data file streaming system according to claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether a sufficient buffer of data segments has been received based on the buffer number and to commence playback of the video data file on the remote device if the sufficient buffer has been received by reading the received data segments into an array in memory for playback by a viewer on the remote device.

20. A data file streaming system according to claim 19 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decompression of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the processor is further configured to decompress the received data segments based on the decompression information in the header file when commencing playback of the video data file.

21. A data file streaming system according to claim 19 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decryption of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the processor is further configured to decrypt the received data segments based on the decryption information in the header file when commencing playback of the video data file.

22. A data file streaming system according to claim 15 wherein the remote device comprises one or more additional execution threads, and wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the remaining subsequent data segments over the data network to the remote device at the request of the next available first, second, or one or more additional execution threads, which all operate concurrently.

23. A data file streaming system according to claim 15 wherein the numerical ordinal values associated with the ordered data segments are integer values, and wherein the first execution thread is configured to request transmission of data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are odd, and the second execution thread is configured to request transmission of data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are even.

24. A method of receiving a streamed data file at a remote device, the data file being sent from a computing device over a data network and the data file comprising a plurality of ordered data segments having associated respective numerical ordinal values and a header file, the header file comprising a segment frequency value representing the number of segments in the data file, the method comprising:

receiving the header file from the computing device over the data network;

operating a first execution thread on the remote device to request and receive the first data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network from the computing device, concurrently with the second or subsequent data segments;

operating a second execution thread on the remote device to request and receive the second data segment of the plurality of ordered data segments over the data network from the computing device, concurrently with the first or subsequent data segments;

receiving the remaining subsequent data segments from the computing device over the data network at the request of the next available first or second execution thread, which operate concurrently;

increasing the value of a counter value on the remote device to the numerical ordinal value associated with the data segment most recently received over the data network from the computing device following the complete reception of each data segment; and

sorting each received data segment into order on the remote device based on the counter value following complete reception of each data segment.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the data file represents a video data file.

26. A method according to claim 25 further comprising the step of playing one or more data segments of the video data file to a user of the remote device while receiving further data segments of the video data file over the data network.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the header file comprises a buffer number, the buffer number representing a threshold number of data segments to be received by the remote device before playback of the one or more received data segments of the video data file can commence, and the method further comprising the step of commencing playback of the one or more data segments of the video data file once the buffer number of data segments received is reached.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the method further comprises determining whether a sufficient buffer of data segments has been received based on the buffer number and commencing playback of the video data file on the remote device if the sufficient buffer has been received by reading the received data segments into an array in memory for playback by a viewer on the remote device.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decompression of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the step of commencing playback of the video data file comprises decompressing the received data segments based on the decompression information in the header file.

30. A method according to claim 28 wherein the header file further comprises information required for decryption of the data file or data segments at the remote device, and wherein the step of commencing playback of the video data file comprises decrypting the received data segments based on the decryption information in the header file.

31. A method according to claim 24 wherein the remote device comprises one or more additional execution threads, and wherein the method comprises receiving the remaining subsequent data segments from the computing device over the data network at the request of the next available first, second, or one or more additional execution threads, which all operate concurrently.

32. A method according to claim 24 wherein the numerical ordinal values associated with the ordered data segments are integer values, and wherein the first execution thread is configured to request data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are odd, and the second execution thread is configured to request data segments having associated numerical ordinal values that are even.