Proxy apparatus and method for streaming media information and for increasing the quality of stored media information

• US 9,537,919 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Markowitz, Robert E., O'Neil, Joseph T., Rosen, Kenneth H., Stuntebeck, Peter H.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US14/066,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2265 Server identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• 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

Abstract

A proxy apparatus and method for streaming media information via at least one network and for building-up a good quality version of the media information are provided. When a user device communicates with the proxy apparatus using a particular bandwidth and requests that media information be provided, the proxy apparatus first determines if a version of the media information encoded for the user device'"'"'s connection bandwidth has been stored in the proxy apparatus. If a version of the media information encoded for the user device'"'"'s bandwidth is not available from the proxy apparatus, the proxy apparatus sends a request to a media server for the media information. If the version of the media information has missing packets, the proxy device sends retransmission requests to the media server to obtain the missing packets, thereby building-up a good quality version of the media information.

Claims

1. A method for streaming media information, the method comprising:

receiving, by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, a first version of the media information based on a determination that a second version of the media information that is encoded at a second bandwidth cannot be received, wherein the first version of the media information is received from a server based on a meta tag that identifies versions of the media information that are present on the server; and

streaming, to a device, the first version of the media information at a first bandwidth, wherein the second bandwidth differs from the first bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the first version of the media information received from the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a user bandwidth associated with a connection of the device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving the first version of the media information when the user bandwidth associated with the connection of the device is less than the second bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the device, a request for the media information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the server, a request for the first version of the media information at the first bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the server, each of the versions of the media information identified by the meta tag.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a list of data packets lost during the streaming of the first version of the media information to the device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising retransmitting, to the device, the data packets in the list.

10. A system for streaming media information, the system comprising:

a memory that stores instructions;

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

identifying a plurality of versions of the media information from a meta-tag, wherein the plurality of versions of the media information include a first version of the media information and a second version of the media information;

streaming, in response to a request from a device, the first version of the media information when a user bandwidth associated with the device is greater than or equal to a first bandwidth but less than a second bandwidth, wherein the first version of the media information is encoded at the first bandwidth; and

streaming, in response to the request from the device, the second version of the media information when the user bandwidth associated with the device is greater than or equal to the second bandwidth, wherein the second version of the media information is encoded at the second bandwidth, wherein the second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise storing the first version of the media information and the second version of the media information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the request for the media information from the device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining the user bandwidth associated with the device based on a connection between the device and the system.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from a server, each of the plurality of versions of the media information identified by the meta-tag.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining which data packets were lost during the streaming of the first version of the media information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprising retransmitting the data packets that were determined to be lost during the streaming of the first version of the media information.

17. A system for streaming media information, the system comprising:

a memory that stores instructions;

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

transmitting, to a gateway proxy device, a first version of the media information based on a determination that a user bandwidth associated with a device is less than a second bandwidth associated with a second version of the media information, wherein the first version of the media information is transmitted based on a meta tag that identifies versions of the media information that are present on the system; and

streaming, to the gateway proxy device, the first version of the media information at a first bandwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is less than or equal to the user bandwidth.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting each of the versions of the media information identified on the system.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise retransmitting data packets that were lost during the streaming of the first version of the media information.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the gateway proxy device, a request for the first version of the media information when the user bandwidth of the device is less than the second bandwidth.