Streaming from a media device

• US 8,949,820 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: de Vries, Jeffrey, Zavertnik, Greg, Hubbell, Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US13/685,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20130081009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• 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:

connecting a removable storage device to a host device, the removable storage device including a streaming application, the host device including a streaming software player;

copying at least a portion of the streaming application from the removable storage device onto local host storage, the portion of the streaming application including a plurality of blocks of data;

receiving a request to perform a streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application;

generating a request for one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity of the plurality of blocks of data;

sending the request for the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity to the local host storage;

providing the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity to the streaming software player.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising running the streaming software player with the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking whether or not the local host storage has enough storage space to contain the streaming application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a shortcut corresponding to the streaming-related activity, the shortcut used to generate the request to perform the streaming-related activity.

5. 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.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the streaming software player, a request to perform a second streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application;

determining whether one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity are part of the plurality of blocks of data;

generating a request for the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity;

sending the request for the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity to the local host storage if the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity are part of the plurality of blocks of data;

sending the request for the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity to the removable storage device if the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity are not part of the plurality of blocks of data;

providing the one or more blocks associated with the second streaming-related activity to the streaming software player.

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

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

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising saving the modified files to a subdirectory that resides beneath the streaming software player, wherein the streaming software player uses the modified files instead of original files when streaming the streaming application.

10. A system comprising:

a removable storage device including a streaming application and configured to;

copy at least a portion of the streaming application from the removable storage device onto local host storage of a host device, the portion of the streaming application including a plurality of blocks of data;

a streaming software player system, on the host device, configured to;

receive a request to perform a streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application;

generate a request for one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity of the plurality of blocks of data;

send the request for the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity to the local host storage;

receive the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the streaming software player system is further configured to run with the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the removable storage device is further configured to check whether or not the local host storage has enough storage space to contain the streaming application.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the streaming software player system is further configured to create a shortcut corresponding to the streaming-related activity, the shortcut used to generate the request to perform the streaming-related activity.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the streaming software player is further configured to access data from the removable storage device necessary to stream the software application using the streaming software player.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a file editor associated with the streaming application.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the streaming software player system is further configured to receive modifications to files associated with the streaming application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the streaming software player system is further configured to save the modified files to a subdirectory that resides beneath the streaming software player, wherein the streaming software player uses the modified files instead of original files when streaming the streaming application.

18. A system, comprising:

means for connecting a removable storage device to a host device, the removable storage device including a streaming application, the host device including a streaming software player;

means for copying at least a portion of the streaming application from the removable storage device onto local host storage, the portion of the streaming application including a plurality of blocks of data;

means for receiving a request to perform a streaming-related activity associated with the streaming application;

means for generating a request for one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity of the plurality of blocks of data;

means for sending the request for the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity to the local host storage;

means for providing the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity to the streaming software player.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for running the streaming software player with the one or more blocks associated with the streaming-related activity.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for checking whether or not the local host storage has enough storage space to contain the streaming application.