Real-time or near real-time streaming

• US 8,892,691 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pantos, Roger, Tseng, Alan, May, William Jr., Batson, James David
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US13/082,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses provide real-time or near real-time streaming of content, specified in one or more playlists, using transfer protocols such as an HTTP compliant protocol. In one embodiment, a method can execute a user application on a client device to present media files and to control presentation of the media files. The method can further run a media serving process on the client device to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and a media source at which the media files are available, to retrieve the media files from the media source, and to decode the media files retrieved. The media serving process can call the user application to process a custom URL in order to obtain an object referred to by the custom URL.

Claims

1. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable instructions that when executed by a data processing system cause the system to perform a method comprising:

executing a user application on a client device to present content of media files on the client device, to control access to content of the media files for presentation by the user application, and to retrieve a decryption key from a media source remote from the client device; and

running a media serving process on the client device remote from the media source as a different software process separate from the user application, to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and the media source at which the media files are available, to retrieve the decryption key from the user application, to retrieve the media files from the media source, to decode the retrieved media files using the decryption key, and to provide decoded content from the media files to the user application, wherein access to the content of the media files is controlled by a key processed by, or retrieved by and processed by, the user application and transmitted to the media serving process, and when the user application retrieves the key, the retrieving of the key is independent of the media serving process retrieving the media files and wherein the user application provides a user interface to control the presentation and communicates with the media serving process through an Application Programming Interface (API) and wherein the media serving process retrieves the playlist from the user application or from the media source.

2. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the media serving process and the user application share the same privileges with respect to memory control, memory space, memory allocation, filesystem control, and network control.

3. The medium as in claim 2 wherein the user application processes the decryption key used by the media serving process to decode the retrieved media files.

4. The medium as in claim 2 wherein the user application installs a client certificate which is used to answer a server challenge when a connection is made to download the decryption key.

5. The medium as in claim 2 wherein the playlist contains URLs for decryption keys, wherein the URLs use a custom URL scheme.

6. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the media serving process calls, through the API, the user application when the media serving process fails to load or decode a media file so that the user application retrieves one or more keys which are returned to the media serving process.

7. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the user application processes the decryption key used by the media serving process to decode retrieved media files.

8. The medium as in claim 7 wherein the user application installs a client certificate which is used to answer a server challenge when a connection is made to download the decryption key.

9. The medium as in claim 8 wherein the playlist contains URLs for decryption keys, wherein the URLs use a custom URL scheme.

35. The medium of claim 5 wherein at least one URL for a decryption key comprises a parameter specifying an initialization value for decryption.

10. A machine implemented method performed by a data processing system, the method comprising:

executing a user application on a client device to present content of media files on the client device, to control access to content of the media files for presentation by the user application, and to retrieve a decryption key from a media source remote from the client device; and

running a media serving process on the client device remote from the media source as a different software process separate from the user application, to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and the media source at which the media files are available, to retrieve the decryption key from the user application, to retrieve the media files from the media source, to decode the retrieved media files using the decryption key, and to provide decoded content from the media files to the user application, wherein access to the content of the media files is controlled by a key processed by, or retrieved by and processed by, the user application and transmitted to the media serving process, and when the user application retrieves the key, the retrieving of the key is independent of the media serving process retrieving the media files and wherein the user application provides a user interface to control the presentation and communicates with the media serving process through an Application Programming Interface (API) and wherein the media serving process retrieves the playlist from the user application or from the media source.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the media serving process and the user application share the same privileges with respect to memory control, memory space, memory allocation, filesystem control, and network control.

12. The method as in claim 11 wherein the user application processes the decryption key used by the media serving process to decode the retrieved media files.

13. The method as in claim 11 wherein the user application installs a client certificate which is used to answer a server challenge when a connection is made to download the decryption key.

14. The method as in claim 11 wherein the playlist contains URLs for decryption keys, wherein the URLs use a custom URL scheme.

15. The method as in claim 10 wherein the user application processes the decryption key used by the media serving process to decode the retrieved media files, wherein the user application installs a client certificate which is used to answer a server challenge when a connection is made to download the decryption key, and wherein the playlist contains URLs for decryption keys that are retrieved through a custom URL scheme.

36. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one URL for a decryption key comprises a parameter specifying an initialization value for decryption.

16. A data processing system comprising:

means for executing a user application on a client device to present content of media files on the client device, to control access to content of the media files for presentation by the user application, and to retrieve a decryption key from a media source remote from the client device; and

means for running a media serving process on the client device remote from the media source as a different software process separate from the user application, to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and the media source at which the media files are available, to retrieve the decryption key from the user application, to retrieve the media files from the media source, to decode the retrieved media files using the decryption key, and to provide decoded content from the media files to the user application, wherein access to the content of the media files is controlled by a key processed by, or retrieved by and processed by, the user application and transmitted to the media serving process, and when the user application retrieves the key, the retrieving of the key is independent of the media serving process retrieving the media files and wherein the user application provides a user interface to control the presentation and communicates with the media serving process through an Application Programming Interface (API) and wherein the media serving process retrieves the playlist from the user application or from the media source.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the media serving process and the user application share the same privileges with respect to memory control, memory space, memory allocation, filesystem control, and network control.

18. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable instructions that when executed by a data processing system cause the system to perform a method comprising:

executing a user application on a client device to present content of media files on the client device through a user interface provided by the user application and to control access to content of the media files for presentation by the user application; and

running a media server process on the client device remote from a media source as a different software process separate from the user application, to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and the media source at which the media files are available, to retrieve the media files from the media source, and to decode the retrieved media files;

receiving, by the media server process, a URL in the playlist, which URL refers to data to be used by the media server process to decode at least one of the media files;

calling, by the media server process through an Application Programming Interface (API), the user application to process the URL to obtain the data to be used by the media server process;

receiving, by the media server process, the data in response to the user application processing the URL to obtain the data;

decoding, by the media server process, at least one of the media files using the data; and

providing, by the media server process, the decoded at least one of the media files to the user application, wherein access to the content of the media files is controlled by a key processed by, or retrieved and processed by, the user application and transmitted to the media server process, and when the user application retrieves the key, the retrieving of the key is independent of the media server process retrieving the media files.

19. The medium as in claim 18 wherein the data is a decryption key.

20. The medium as in claim 19 wherein the user application uses a custom URL to protect content provided through the user application.

21. The medium as in claim 20 wherein a registry stores a relationship between the custom URL and the user application, and wherein the media server process checks the registry to call the user application when the media server process is unable to decode a media file.

22. The medium as in claim 21 wherein the custom URL is specified by an EXT-X-KEY tag.

23. The medium as in claim 21 wherein the user application is authorized by a provider of the media files.

24. The medium as in claim 20 wherein the user application installs, into a registry, a relationship between a custom URL, which is used to retrieve one or more decryption keys for the media files, and the user application, and wherein the user application installs the relationship into the registry when the user application is first installed or first launched.

25. The medium as in claim 24 wherein the relationship points the media server process to the user application which uses the custom URL.

26. The medium as in claim 20 wherein the custom URL is not supported by the media server process.

27. The medium as in claim 20 wherein the custom URL is used to retrieve the decryption key which is used by the media server process to decode the media files in the playlist.

28. The medium as in claim 27 wherein a resolution of the custom URL by the user application depends upon at least one of (a) the user application'"'"'s level of privilege relative to content in the media files;

(b) the content in the media files; and

(c) a date or time or both of the request to present the content in the media files.

29. The medium as in claim 28 wherein the decryption key is returned to the media server process through the user application.

37. The medium of claim 22 wherein the custom URL comprises a parameter specifying an initialization value for decryption.

30. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable instructions that when executed by a data processing system cause the system to perform a method comprising:

executing a user application on a client device remote from a media server, the user application being configured to control access to content of the media files for presentation by the user application and to present content of media files on the client device through a user interface of the user application;

running a media server process on the client device remote from the media server as a different software process separate from the user application, to retrieve a playlist specifying the media files and the media source at which the media files are available;

receiving, by the media server process, a URL in or for the playlist, which URL refers to data to be used to process at least one of the media files;

calling, by the media server process, the user application to process the URL to obtain the data to be used by the remote media server;

receiving, by the media server process, the data in response to the user application processing the URL to obtain the data, wherein access to the content of the media files is controlled by the data to be used to process the at least one of the media files, the data processed by, or retrieved and processed by, the user application and transmitted to the media server process, and when the user application retrieves the data, the retrieving of the data is independent of the media server process retrieving the media files and wherein the user application communicates with the media server process through an Application Programming Interface (API) and wherein the media server process retrieves the playlist from the user application or from the media server; and

transmitting the data to the remote media server.

31. The medium as in claim 30 wherein the URL is a custom URL for one of the playlist or a decryption key for at least one media file in the playlist and wherein the user application uses the custom URL to protect content provided through the user application.

32. The medium as in claim 30 wherein a registry stores a relationship between the custom URL and the user application, and wherein the media server process examines the registry to call the user application when the remote media server is unable to process the URL.

33. The medium as in claim 32 wherein the remote media server is part of a set top box and is configured to retrieve and process a playlist and is configured to produce a message, which is transmitted back to the media server process, to request a resolution of the custom URL and wherein the transmitting of the data to the remote media server provides the resolution of the custom URL.

38. The medium of claim 31 wherein the URL is a custom URL for a decryption key and the URL comprises a parameter specifying an initialization value from decryption.

34. A method of presenting media files on a client device and controlling access by the client device to content of the media files, the method comprising:

sending a playlist and a key, by a user application running on the client device, to a media serving process running on the client device, wherein the playlist comprises one or more URIs each identifying a media file containing media content, and wherein the key controls access to the content of the media files;

requesting from the media source, by the media serving process, one or more media files using the one or more URIs in the playlist file;

receiving from the media source, by the media serving process, the one or more media files;

accessing, by the media serving process, the content of the one or more media files received from the media source;

requesting, by the media serving process, a new key from the user application to access the content of the one or more media files, when accessing of the content of the one or more media files fails, and;

retrieving, by the user application, a new key to access the one or more media files;

sending, by the user application, the new key to the media serving process;

accessing, by the media serving process, the content of the one or more media files using the new key; and

sending, by the media serving process, the content of the one or more media files to the user application for presentation on the client device by the user application.