System for streaming databases serving real-time applications used through streaming interactive

• US 8,834,274 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: OL2 Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G., van der Laan, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, BACH V
• Application Number:
  US13/385,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20120142433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 44
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 : Backbone network devices

Abstract

An apparatus comprising one or more servers of a hosting service server center and a RAID that stores geometry for objects of a complex scene. The RAID being coupled to the one or more application or game servers and being operable to interactively stream the geometry on-the-fly during real-time animation associated with running of a game or application on the one or more servers. The geometry is being streamed with substantially no detectable latency.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

routing, by inbound routing network devices, live video received at a hosting service center from one or more client devices associated with one or more users remotely located from the hosting service center to one or more servers at the hosting service center that execute a twitch video game, execution of the twitch video game producing uncompressed video of 3D animation;

integrating, by the one or more servers, the live video with the twitch video game such that the live video appears within the uncompressed video of 3D animation produced by execution of the twitch video game;

compressing, by a compression unit at the hosting service center, the uncompressed video of 3D animation integrated with the live video, thereby producing compressed streaming interactive video;

transmitting, via outbound routing network devices coupled to the compression unit, the compressed streaming interactive video over the Internet to the one or more users, wherein the compressed streaming interactive video is compressed with a worst-case, round-trip latency of 90 ms, from a user control input to display of a response to the user control input on a client device of a user, for a transmission distance of 1500 miles from the hosting service center to the client device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the live video comprises real-time image data of a human face.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the compressed streaming interactive video includes geometry.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the uncompressed video of 3D animation is generated, at least partially, using data streamed from a high-speed storage unit through a high-speed network connection.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the high-speed storage comprises a RAID.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the high-speed storage comprises a SAN.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the data streamed is determined by interactive user input coupled to the one or more servers.