MEDIA PLAYBACK POINT SEEKING USING DATA RANGE REQUESTS

• US 20090106356A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Swarmcast, Inc.
• Inventors: Wormley, Nicholas, LeMay, Andrew, Brase, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Techniques are described for downloading user-selected segments of media objects. As described herein, a user may demand that a client device present a segment of a media object when the client device has not yet downloaded the data that represents the partial segment of the media object. The client device may then output two separate requests to a server that hosts the media object. The first request specifies a resource identifier of the media object and a first data range. Data in the first range specifies a format of data of the media object. The second request specifies the resource identifier of the media object and a second data range. Data in the second range represents the requested partial segment of the media object. When the client device receives the data, the client device uses the data in the first range to present the data in the second range.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, with a device, a demand to present a segment of a media object, wherein the segment starts at a playback point of the media object after an initial playback point of the media object, wherein the device has not yet received data that represents the segment;

outputting, in response to the demand, a first request that specifies a resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and that specifies a first range;

outputting, in response to the demand, a second request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all of the data in the media object and that specifies a second range, wherein the data that represents the segment of the media object is within the second range;

receiving, as a response to the first request, the data of the media object that is within the first range, wherein the data of the media object that is within the first range indicates metadata regarding the data in the media object within the second range; and

receiving, as a response to the second request, the data of the media object that is within the second range.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the data of the media object that is within the first range to convert the data of the media object within the second range into presentable data; and

presenting the presentable data via a presentation unit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, with a media player application, a virtual media object having content substantially similar to the segment of the media object after receiving the demand to present the segment of the media object;

providing the data of the media object that is within the first range to the media player application as a first portion of the virtual media object after receiving the data of the media object that is within the first range; and

providing the data of the media object that is within the second range to the media player application as a second portion of the virtual media object, after receiving the data of the media object that is within the second range; and

converting, with the media player application, the data within the second range into presentable data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein requesting the virtual media object comprises instructing, with the media player application, an operating system to output a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (“

HTTP”

) request that includes a resource identifier that specifies the segment of the media object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving the demand to present the segment of the media object from a user of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, prior to receipt of the demand to present the segment of the media object, a demand to present all of the media object;

instructing, prior to receipt of the demand to present the segment of the media object, one or more of the network interfaces to output a third request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object;

receiving data of the media object; and

instructing the presentation unit to present at least some of the data received in response to the third request, thereby causing the presentation unit to present at least a first portion of the media object.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein outputting the first request comprises instructing one or more network interfaces to output a first HTTP request that includes, in a header of the first HTTP request, the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and a range element that specifies the first range;

and

wherein outputting the second request comprises instructing one or more network interfaces to output a second HTTP request that includes, in a header of the second HTTP request, the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and a range element that specifies the second range.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the demand to present the segment of the media object comprises receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (“

URL”

) that indicates the segment of the media object.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a demand to bookmark a playback point in the media object, wherein the playback point is a starting point of the segment of the media object; and

generating, in response to the demand to bookmark the playback point, the URL.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

saving the URL for subsequent use; and

instructing the one or more network interfaces to send the URL to another device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the media object comprises video.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

outputting, with one or more of the network interfaces, after the demand is received, a request for range identification data that indicates byte indexes associated with playback points of the media object;

receiving the range identification data;

identifying a lower end of the second range as one of the byte indexes associated with one of the playback points closest to the starting playback point of the segment; and

identifying an upper end of the second range as one of the byte indexes associated with one of the playback points closest to an ending playback point of the segment.

13. A device comprising:

a processor;

one or more network interfaces coupled to a network;

a media player executing on the processor, the media player configured to receive a demand to present a segment of a media object, wherein the segment starts at a playback point of the media object after an initial playback point of the media object, wherein the device has not yet received data that represents the segment;

a presentation unit capable of displaying data based on data in the media object; and

a download agent that;

(i) as a response to the media player receiving the demand, instructs one or more network interfaces of the device to output a first request that specifies a resource identifier associated with all the data in the media object and a first range,

(ii) as a response to the media player receiving the demand, instructs one or more of the network interfaces to output a second request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all the data in the media object and that specifies a second range, wherein the data that represents the segment of the media object is within the second range;

(iii) receives, as a response to the first request, the data of the media object that is within the first range, wherein the data of the media object that is within the first range indicates metadata regarding the data in the media object within the second range; and

(iv) receives, as a response to the second request, the data of the media object that is within the second range;

14. The device of claim 13,

wherein the media player uses the data of the media object that is within the first range to convert the data within the second range into presentable data, and

wherein the media player causes the presentation unit to present the presentable data.

15. The device of claim 13,

wherein after the media player receives the demand, the media player requests a virtual media object having content substantially similar to the segment of the media object;

wherein after the download agent receives the data of the media object that is within the first range, the download agent provides the data of the media object that is within the first range to the media player as a first portion of the virtual media object; and

wherein after the download agent receives the data of the media object that is within the second range, the download agent provides the data of the media object that is within the second range to the media player as a second portion of the virtual media object.

16. The device of claim 15,

wherein the device further comprises an operating system;

and

wherein when the media player requests the virtual media object, the media player instructs the operating system to output a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (“

HTTP”

) request that includes a resource identifier that specifies the segment of the media object.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the media player receives the demand to present the segment of the media object from a user of the device.

18. The device of claim 13,

wherein the media player application is configured to receive, prior to receipt of the demand to present the segment of the media object, a demand to present all of the media object;

wherein the download agent is configured to instruct, prior to receipt of the demand to present the segment of the media object, one or more of the network interfaces to output a third request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object;

wherein the download agent is further configured to receive data of the media object; and

wherein the media player is configured to instruct the presentation unit to present at least some of the data received in response to the third request, thereby causing the presentation unit to present at least a portion of the media object.

19. The device of claim 13,

wherein the download agent is configured to instruct the one or more network interfaces to output the first request at least in part by instructing the one or more network interfaces to output a first HTTP request that includes, in a header of the first HTTP request, the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and a range element that specifies the first range;

and

wherein the download agent is configured to instruct the one or more network interfaces to output the second request at least in part by instructing the one or more network interfaces to output a second HTTP request that includes, in a header of the second HTTP request, the resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and a range element that specifies the second range.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the media player is configured to receive a Uniform Resource Locator (“

URL”

) that indicates the segment of the media object as part of the demand to present the segment of the media object.

21. The device of claim 20,

wherein the media player is configured to receive a demand to bookmark the playback point in the media object, wherein the playback point is a starting point of the segment of the media object;

and

wherein the media player is configured to generate, in response to the demand to bookmark the playback point, the URL.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the media player is further configured to save the URL for subsequent use and instruct the one or more network interfaces to send the URL to another device.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein the media object comprises video.

24. The device of claim 13,

wherein one or more of the network interfaces outputs, after the media player receives the demand, a request for range identification data that indicates byte indexes associated with playback points of the media object;

wherein the download agent is further configured to;

receive the range identification data;

identify a lower end of the second range as one of the byte indexes associated with one of the playback points closest to the starting playback point of the segment; and

identify an upper end of the second range as one of the byte indexes associated with one of the playback points closest to an ending playback point of the segment.

25. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a demand to present a segment of a media object, wherein the segment starts at a playback point of the media object after an initial playback point of the media object, wherein the device has not yet received data that represents the segment of the media object;

in response to the demand, instruct one or more network interfaces of the device to output a first request that specifies a resource identifier associated with all data in the media object and that specifies a first range;

instruct, in response to the demand, one or more of the network interfaces to output a second request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all the data in the media object and that specifies a second range, wherein the data that represents the segment of the media object is within the second range;

enable one or more of the network interfaces to receive, as a response to the first request, the data of the media object that is within the first range, wherein the data of the media object that is within the first range indicates metadata regarding the data in the media object within the second range;

enable one or more of the network interfaces to receives, as a response to the second request, the data of the media object that is within the second range;

use the data of the media object that is within the first range to convert the data within the second range into presentable data; and

instruct a presentation unit of the device to present the presentable data based on the data within the second range, thereby causing the presentation unit to present the segment of the media object.

26. A system comprising:

a client device that comprises;

one or more network interfaces coupled to a network;

a media player that receives a demand to present a segment of a media object, wherein the segment starts at a playback point of the media object after an initial playback point of the media object, wherein the client device has not yet received data that represents the segment of the media object;

a presentation unit capable of displaying data based on the data in the media object;

a download agent that;

(i) as a response to the media player receiving the demand, instructs one or more network interfaces of the device to output a first request that specifies a resource identifier associated with all the data in the media object and a first range,

(ii) as a response to the media player receiving the demand, instructs one or more of the network interfaces to output a second request that specifies the resource identifier associated with all the data in the media object and that specifies a second range, wherein the data that represents the segment of the media object is within the second range;

(iii) receives, as a response to the first request, the data of the media object that is within the first range, wherein the data of the media object that is within the first range indicates metadata regarding the data in the media object within the second range; and

(iv) receives, as a response to the second request, the data of the media object that is within the second range;

wherein the media player uses the data of the media object that is within the first range to convert the data within the second range into presentable data; and

wherein the media player causes the presentation unit to present the presentable data; and

a web caching server that receives the first request and the second request, wherein the web caching server comprises;

a resource cache that stores resources hosted by other servers; and

a cache manager that uses resource identifiers in requests from requesting devices to determine whether the resource cache stores resources identified by the resource identifiers; and

that sends requested resources to the requesting devices when the web caching server caches the requested resource.