Streaming media delivery system

• US 9,762,636 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WAG Acquisition, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: WAG Acquisition, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Price, Harold Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US15/283,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709204, 709217, 709219, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9084 Reactions to storage capacity overflow
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64776 for requesting retransmission, e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from server ARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

Streaming media, such as audio or video files, is sent via the Internet. The media are immediately played on a user'"'"'s computer. Audio/video data is transmitted from the server under control of a transport mechanism. A server buffer is prefilled with a predetermined amount of the audio/video data. When the transport mechanism causes data to be sent to the user'"'"'s computer, it is sent more rapidly than it is played out by the user system. The audio/video data in the user buffer accumulates; and interruptions in playback as well as temporary modem delays are avoided.

Claims

1. A method for distributing a live audio or video program over the Internet from a server system to a plurality of user systems, the method comprising:

receiving at the server system a continuous digitally encoded stream for the audio or video program, via a data connection from a live source, in real time, the server system comprising at least one computer;

upon receipt of the stream by the server system,

supplying, at the server system, media data elements representing the program, each media data element comprising a digitally encoded portion of the program and having a playback rate,

serially identifying the media data elements, said serial identification indicating a time sequence of the media data elements, and

storing the media data elements in a data structure under the control of the server system;

receiving requests at the server system via one or more data connections over the Internet, for one or more of the media data elements stored in the data structure, each received request specifying one or more serial identifiers of the requested one or more media data elements, each received request originating from a requesting user system of a plurality of user systems; and

responsive to the requests, sending, by the server system, the one or more media data elements having the one or more specified serial identifiers, to the requesting user systems corresponding to the requests;

wherein

the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system has a data rate more rapid than the playback rate of the one or more media data elements sent via that connection;

each sending is at a transmission rate as fast as the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system allows;

the one or more media data elements sent are selected without depending on the server system maintaining a record of the last media data element sent to the requesting user systems;

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the plurality of user systems are sent in response to the requests; and

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the requesting user systems are sent from the data structure under the control of the server system as the media data elements were first stored therein.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the serial identifiers are sequential.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending is via a reliable transmission protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reliable transmission protocol is TCP.

5. A server system for distributing a live audio or video program over the Internet to a plurality of user systems, the server system comprising:

at least one computer having a connection to the Internet;

a machine-readable, executable routine containing instructions to cause one of the at least one computers to receive a continuous digitally encoded stream for the live audio or video program, via a data connection from a live source, in real time;

a machine-readable, executable routine containing instructions to cause one of the at least one computers, upon receipt of the stream by the server system,

to supply, at the server system, media data elements representing the program, each media data element comprising a digitally encoded portion of the program and having a playback rate,

to serially identify the media data elements, said serial identification indicating a time sequence of the media data elements, and

to store the media data elements in a data structure under the control of the server system;

a machine-readable, executable routine containing instructions to cause one of the at least one computers to receive requests at the server system via one or more data connections over the Internet, for one or more of the media data elements stored in the data structure, each received request specifying one or more serial identifiers of the requested one or more media data elements, each received request originating from a requesting user system of a plurality of user systems; and

a machine-readable, executable routine containing instructions to cause one of the at least one computers to send, responsive to the requests, the one or more media data elements having the one or more specified serial identifiers, to the requesting user systems corresponding to the requests;

wherein,

the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system has a data rate more rapid than the playback rate of the one or more media data elements sent via that connection;

each sending is at a transmission rate as fast as the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system allows;

the one or more media data elements sent are selected without depending on the server system maintaining a record of the last media data element sent to the requesting user systems;

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the plurality of user systems are sent in response to the requests; and

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the requesting user systems are sent from the data structure under the control of the server system as the media data elements were first stored therein.

6. The server system of claim 5 wherein the serial identifiers are sequential.

7. The server system of claim 5, wherein the sending is via a reliable transmission protocol.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein the reliable transmission protocol is TCP.

9. A computer program product for distributing a live audio or video program over the Internet from a server system comprising at least one computer to a plurality of user systems, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions comprising:

instructions executable to cause one of the at least one computers to receive a continuous digitally encoded stream for the audio or video program, via a data connection from a live source, in real time;

instructions executable to cause one of the at least one computers, upon receipt of the stream by the server system,

to supply, at the server system, media data elements representing the program, each media data element comprising a digitally encoded portion of the program and having a playback rate,

to serially identify the media data elements, said serial identification indicating a time sequence of the media data elements, and

to store the media data elements in a data structure under the control of the server system;

instructions executable to cause one of the at least one computers to receive requests at the server system via one or more data connections over the Internet, for one or more of the media data elements stored in in the data structure, each received request specifying one or more serial identifiers of the requested one or more media data elements, each received request originating from a requesting user system of a plurality of user systems; and

instructions executable to cause one of the at least one computers to send, responsive to the requests, the one or more media data elements having the one or more specified serial identifiers, to the requesting user systems corresponding to the requests;

wherein,

the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system has a data rate more rapid than the playback rate of the one or more media data elements sent via that connection;

each sending is at a transmission rate as fast as the data connection between the server system and each requesting user system allows;

the one or more media data elements sent are selected without depending on the server system maintaining a record of the last media data element sent to the requesting user systems;

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the plurality of user systems are sent in response to the requests; and

all of the media data elements that are sent by the server system to the requesting user systems are sent from the data structure under the control of the server system as the media data elements were first stored therein.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the serial identifiers are sequential.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the sending is via a reliable transmission protocol.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the reliable transmission protocol is TCP.