Method and system for managing digital content, including streaming media

• US 20040083273A1
• Filed: 07/09/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kazmi, Syed Noman, Turner, William David, Polavarapu, Vinay, Madison, Justin Paul, Gade, Bhargavaram Bulleyya, Syed, Ghousuddin, Rodiger, Anthony Joseph, Roberts, Steven Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Method and system for uploading, managing and delivering digital content, including streaming media. The system according to one embodiment allows receives digital content from the client (102), assigns a stream identifier (ID) to the content and stores the content. The client is given a playlist uniform resource locator (URL) for publishing on its web site (610), the URL including the stream ID. Activation of the URL by an end user (104) causes the stream to be served to the end user, without the client receiving or providing an indication of the specifics of where the content was stored. An embodiment of the present provides a system and method that permit clients to actively manage their content, including defining logical folders and subfolders containing item(s) of the content and defining logical stream groups, containing items of the content.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to digital content, the method comprising:

receiving digital content from a client;

storing the digital content on a server having a hostname, the digital content having a filename;

assigning a unique identifier to the digital content;

providing the client with the link containing the unique identifier;

receiving a request for the content, the request based on activation of the link;

determining the hostname and filename based on the unique identifier; and

creating a redirector file, the redirector file including the hostname and filename.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a stream identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is the name of the digital content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content is a streaming media file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital content is a playlist comprising multiple streaming media files.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the link specifies a program for determining the hostname and filename based on the unique identifier.

7. A method of providing an end user access to digital content, the method comprising:

causing digital content to be stored on a server having a hostname, the digital content having a filename when stored;

receiving a unique identifier to the digital content;

publishing a link for activation by the end user, the link including the unique identifier of the digital content, wherein activation of the link causes resolution of the unique identifier into the hostname and filename and causes the digital content to be provided to the end user based on the hostname and filename.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique identifier is a stream identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique identifier is the name of the digital content.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital content is a streaming media file.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the digital content is a playlist comprising multiple streaming media files.

12. A system for managing digital content and provide digital content to end users, the system comprising:

one or more first servers configured to receive digital content;

one or more storage servers configured to store digital content received by the first servers;

a plurality of media servers coupled to at least one of the storage servers, the media servers configured to receive a request to experience an item of digital content and, in response to the request, read the item of digital content stored on the at least one storage server.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first servers include a web server.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first servers include an FTP ingest server.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first servers are the storage servers.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the request is from an end user and the media servers are further configured to communicate the item of content to the end user.

17. The system of claim 12 further comprising a playlist server configured to resolve the request and select one of the media servers to read the item of digital content.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein each media server has a mounting point associated therewith, the mounting point referring to the at least one storage server.

19. A method of managing digital content of a client, the method comprising:

associating the client with a primary site;

associating the client with one or more replication sites;

providing the client an option to upload digital content to both the primary site and any one or more of the replication sites;

receiving a request to upload an item of digital content, the request specifying one or more replication sites; and

based on the request, uploading the item of digital content to the primary site and the specified replication sites.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising associating the item of content with a universal identifier identifying the item of content as uploaded on the primary site and the specified replication sites.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the associating the client with replication sites is performed in response to the client specifying replication sites.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving a request to provide the uploaded content; and

providing the uploaded content from the primary site or the one or more specified replication sites based on client input.

23. A method of managing digital content of a client, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a time zone from the client;

associating the client with the time zone;

storing time related information for the client based on a standard time;

converting the stored time related information based on a standard time to time related information based on the time zone associated with the client; and

providing to the client the time related information based on the time zone.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the universal time is Greenwich Mean Time.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the converting includes adding or subtracting a number of hours.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the time related information is a date and time.

27. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving from the client time related information based on the time zone;

converting the time related information based on the time zone into time related information based on the standard time; and

storing the time related information based on the standard time.

28. A method of providing digital content, the method comprising:

generating a playlist uniform resource locator (URL) identifying digital content and a one of a plurality of sites having a copy of the digital content;

identifying a hostname associated with the digital content and the one site, the hostname identifying a media server associated with the one site; and

providing the digital content from the media server.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein generating the playlist URL includes receiving from a client providing the digital content a selection of the one site from the plurality of sites.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the one site includes a storage server and multiple media servers and wherein the digital content is stored on the storage server, the identifying hostname includes selecting the media server from the multiple media servers.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein selecting one of the multiple media servers is random.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein selecting one of the multiple media servers is based on relative load on the multiple media servers.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein identifying the hostname includes selecting the media server from multiple media servers.

34. The method of claim 28 wherein the digital content is a playlist comprising multiple streams and wherein the identifying the hostname is performed by each of the multiple streams.