Network audio directory server and method

• US 8,856,267 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telegraph Peak Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rangecast Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Sullivan, Terence Sean, Barnett, Richard E., Brennan, Terence
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US11/600,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A system and method of communicating audio through a network. The method includes detecting audio content from an audio source by a first network terminal, sending a directory packet including a network address of the detected audio content to a second network terminal, and requesting the audio content through the network by the second audio terminal. The further step of storing the detected audio content in a buffer for audio packets identified by packet identities may be added. The sending a directory packet step may include sending a packet identity, and the requesting step may include specifying an audio packet according to the packet identity. A further step of sending a source packet including the network address of the detected audio content to a network directory server by the first network terminal may be added. The network directory server may execute the sending a directory packet step.

Claims

1. A method of communicating audio through the Internet, comprising the steps of:

capturing intermittent audio content as it occurs in real time from a scanning radio receiver that receives intermittent radio broadcasts containing audio content, by discriminating said intermittent radio broadcasts using a radio squelch circuit, thereby determining the start and end of plural audio content segments, by a first network terminal;

forming plural individual audio files corresponding to each of said plural audio content segments;

storing at least a first one of said plural individual audio files at a network addressable location;

sending a directory packet including an Internet URL for said network addressable location of said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files, but that does not include said at least one of said plural individual audio files, to a second network terminal, and

requesting said at least one of said plural individual audio files through the Internet by said second network terminal according to said Internet URL.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending a source packet including said Internet URL for said network addressable location of said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files to a network directory server by the first network terminal, and wherein

said sending a directory packet step is accomplished by the network directory server.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said storing step occurs in a buffer located in the network directory server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning radio receiver provides audio source data related to the scanning radio receiver, the method further comprising the step of:

including audio source data in the directory packet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

applying selection criteria to the audio source data by the second network terminal, and

if the audio source data does not match said selection criteria, discarding the directory packet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

adding source priority data that is related to the audio content to the directory packet.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

applying selection criteria to the source priority data by the second network terminal, and

if the source priority data does not match the selection criteria, discarding the directory packet.

8. The method of claim 1 and wherein said requesting step further includes specifying plural individual audio packets according to plural corresponding Internet URLs, and the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving plural individual audio packets by said second network terminal, and

replaying said plural individual audio packets in chronological order.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the plural individual audio packets are non-contiguous in time, and wherein

said replaying step occurs in a shortened period of time by compressing the non-contiguous periods between the plural individual audio packets.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files from the first network terminal to a third network server,

sending a source packet including said Internet URL of said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files to a network directory server by the third network server, and wherein

said sending a directory packet step is accomplished by the network directory server.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said storing step occurs in a buffer located in said network directory server.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said directory packet includes a time stamp related to the original time of the audio content.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing step occurs in a buffer located in said first network terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

transferring a portion of said buffer of containing the plural individual audio files from the first network terminal to a network directory server;

assigning an Internet address to said portion of said buffer of audio packets at the directory server, and wherein

said sending a directory packet step is accomplished by the network directory server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein audio content requested by said second network terminal is reproduced as audio.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a plurality of audio content is requested by said second network terminal in response to a plurality of directory packets, and a second requested audio content is buffered during reproduction of a first audio content and reproduced after the first audio content is complete.

17. A system for communicating audio through the Internet, comprising:

a first network terminal operable to capture intermittent audio content as it occurs in real time from a scanning radio receiver that receives intermittent radio broadcasts containing audio content, by discriminating said intermittent radio broadcasts using a radio squelch circuit, thereby determining the start and end of plural audio content segments, and operable to form plural individual audio files corresponding to each of said plural audio content segments,

operable to form plural individual audio files corresponding to each of said plural audio content segments, and operable to store at least a first one of said plural individual audio files at network addressable location, and operable to send a corresponding directory packet including an Internet URL for said network addressable location of said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files, but that does not include said at least one of said plural individual audio files, to a network directory server, and wherein

said network directory server, receives said corresponding directory packet, and operates to send at least a portion of said corresponding directory packet into the Internet, and

a second network terminal operable to receive said at least a portion of said directory packet and operable to request said at least a first one of said plural audio files through the Internet, according to said Internet URL.

18. The system of claim 17, and wherein

said first network terminal is operable to send a source packet including said Internet URL of said at least a first one of said plural individual audio files to a network directory server, and

said network directory server is operable to send said directory packet.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a buffer located at said first network server for storing said plural individual audio files by corresponding Internet URLs, and wherein

said directory packet includes said corresponding Internet URLs, and wherein

said second network terminal is operable to specify plural individual audio files according to said corresponding Internet URLs.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said buffer is in a memory located in said network directory server.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a third network server, and wherein

said first network server is operable to transfer a portion of said buffer of plural individual audio files to said third network server, and wherein

said third network server is operable to reassign said corresponding Internet URLs.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein

said scanning radio receiver provides source data related to said scanning radio receiver, and wherein

said first network terminal is operable to include audio source data in said directory packet.

23. The system of claim 22, and wherein

said second network terminal applies selection criteria to said audio source data, and if the audio source data does not match said selection criteria, discards the directory packet and does not request said audio content.

24. The system of claim 17, and wherein:

source priority data, which is related to the audio content, is added to said directory packet.

25. The system of claim 24, and wherein

said second network terminal applies selection criteria to said source priority data, and if the source priority data does not match said selection criteria, discards the directory packet and does not request said audio content.

26. The system of claim 17 and wherein

said second network terminal is operable to request plural of said plural individual audio files, and to receive and replay said plural individual audio files in chronological order.

27. The system of claim 26 and wherein

said plural individual audio files are non-contiguous in time, and wherein

said second network terminal is operable to replay said plural individual audio files in a shortened period of time by compressing the non-contiguous periods between said plural individual audio files.

28. The system of claim 17 wherein said directory packet includes a time stamp related to the audio content.