Multimedia communications system and method for providing audio on demand to subscribers

• US 6,985,932 B1
• Filed: 01/25/1999
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: RealNetworks, Inc.
• Inventors: Glaser, Robert D., O'Brien, Mark, Goldberg, Randy Glen, Boutell, Thomas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/237,099
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/219, 709/217, 709/247, 709/232, 709/227, 709/213, 709/216, 725/41, 725/92, 725/46, 725/135, 725/1, 725/142, 725/2, 725/105, 725/91, 725/87, 725/89, 725/94, 711/118
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/30 by a single channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/46 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53-H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/83 not sharing the network with any other service
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information

Abstract

An audio-on-demand communication system provides real-time playback of audio data transferred via telephone lines or other communication links. One or more audio servers include memory banks which store compressed audio data. At the request of a user at a subscriber PC, an audio server transmits the compressed audio data over the communication link to the subscriber PC. The subscriber PC receives and decompresses the transmitted audio data in less than real-time using only the processing power of the CPU within the subscriber PC. According to one aspect of the present invention, high quality audio data compressed according to lossless compression techniques is transmitted together with normal quality audio data. According to another aspect of the present invention, metadata, or extra data, such as text, captions, still images, etc., is transmitted with audio data and is simultaneously displayed with corresponding audio data. The audio-on-demand system also provides a table of contents indicating significant divisions in the audio clip to be played and allows the user immediate access to audio data at the listed divisions. According to a further aspect of the present invention, servers and subscriber PCs are dynamically allocated based upon geographic location to provide the highest possible quality in the communication link.

Claims

1. A client networked device for connection with one or more remote computers providing delivery of digital encoded audio data and related metadata via a communication network, said related metadata is synchronized to said digital encoded audio data, the client networked device comprising:

a first and a second data buffer to store the digital encoded audio data and related metadata, respectively; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the data buffers and a computer readable storage medium;

said computer-readable storage medium operative to contain one or more unique file identifiers related to one or more locations or addresses in a memory of the one or more remote computers where the digital encoded audio data and related metadata is stored, said unique file identifiers being capable of being displayed by the client networked device and of being selected using an input device coupled to the client networked device, said processor operative in response to a selection of a unique file identifier to generate a request via the communication network to receive digital encoded audio data and related metadata from the one or more locations or addresses in the memory of the one or more remote computers where said digital encoded audio data and related metadata is stored, said data buffers operative, in response to a receipt of the request to receive digital encoded audio data and related metadata from the one or more locations or addresses in the memory of the one or more remote computers, to store digital encoded audio data and the related metadata received via the communication network, and said processor further operative to decode the received digital encoded audio data and related metadata and render said decoded digital audio data and related metadata on the client networked device during receipt of at least the digital encoded audio data.

2. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said digital encoded audio data includes streamed audio data, and wherein said streamed audio data is received by one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

3. The client network device as recited in claim 2 wherein the digital encoded audio data is encoded using compression;

and wherein the digital encoded audio is decoded and decompressed using a random access memory coupled with the client networked device.

4. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said metadata is rendered by the processor on the client networked device while said decoded digital audio data is rendered.

5. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said digital encoded audio data includes a compressed audio data file that is stored on said one or more remote computers.

6. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said selected unique file identifier facilitates access to one or more locations within the memory of the one or more remote computers and wherein the memory is a computer-readable storage medium.

7. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said unique file identifier includes an address representing a location of said digital encoded audio data, and wherein said unique file identifier is received into a memory of the client networked device from a remote server having a different network address from the one or more remote computers.

8. The client network device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a menu stored on the computer-readable storage medium operative to indicate addresses of a plurality of digital encoded audio where audio data is stored on the one or more remote computers, and a module operative to receive a signal from the input device to change an indication of the one or more addresses of the plurality of digital encoded audio data.

9. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said processor is operative to regulate a rate with which the digital encoded audio data is being received from a remote server using TCP/IP.

10. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein said digital encoded audio data includes video data with the digital encoded audio data, and wherein the video data is received within one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

11. The client network device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first and second data buffers for receiving the digital encoded audio data and related metadata are defined within the computer readable storage medium.

12. The client network device as recited in claim 11 wherein the first data buffer is defined within a first range of memory addresses within the computer readable storage medium and the second data buffer is defined within a second range of memory addresses within the computer readable storage medium.

13. The client network device as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital encoded audio data is received from a first of the one or more remote computers and the related metadata is received from a second of the one or more remote computers.

14. A method of receiving a digital encoded audio data files for use on a client networked device coupled with one or more remote computers delivering digital encoded audio data file and related metadata via a communications network, said related metadata is synchronized to said digital encoded audio data, the method comprising:

displaying on the client networked device a unique file identifier used to access;

(a) a location or address where the digital encoded audio data file is stored in a memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers, and

(b) a location or address where the related metadata is stored in a memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers;

receiving a selection of the displayed unique file identifier used to access a location or address where the digital encoded audio data file is stored and used to access a location or address where the related metadata is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers in response to using an input device coupled with the client networked device;

generating on the client networked device, as a result of the receiving of the selection of the displayed unique file identifier, a request to the one or more remote computers via the communications network to receive the digital encoded audio file and related metadata from said location or address where the digital encoded audio data file is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers and from said location or address where the related metadata is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers;

receiving by the client networked device, as a result of the generated request, via the communications network;

(a) the digital encoded audio data file from said location or address where the digital encoded audio data file is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers, and (b) the related metadata from said location or address where the related metadata is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers;

storing at least a portion of the digital encoded audio data file and related metadata respectively into a first and second data buffer;

decoding at least a portion of the stored digital encoded audio data file and rendering at least a portion of the decoded stored digital encoded audio data file on the client networked device during the receiving of the digital encoded audio data file from said location or address where the digital encoded audio data file is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers.

15. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising including video data with the digital encoded audio data, and receiving the video data within one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

16. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 15 further comprising encoding the digital audio data file using compression;

and decoding the digital encoded audio using decompression with a random access memory coupled with the client networked device.

17. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising including streamed audio data with the digital encoded audio data, and receiving the streamed audio data within one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

18. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising including with said digital encoded audio data file a compressed audio data file and related metadata;

storing the compressed audio data file and the metadata on the client networked device; and

rendering the metadata on the client networked device while receiving the digital encoded audio data file.

19. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising relating said unique file identifier to a location on the one or more remote computers by using the unique file identifier to access the locations within the memory of the one or more remote computers, and using a computer-readable storage device as the memory on the one or more remote computers.

20. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising receiving the unique file identifier from a remote networked server having a different network address from the one or more remote computers, and storing said unique file identifier into a memory of the client networked device upon receipt thereof.

21. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising storing, on the computer-readable storage device of the client networked device, a menu of multiple unique file identifiers used to indicate addresses of a plurality of digital encoded audio where audio data is stored on the one or more remote computers, receiving on the client networked device a signal from the input device, and changing a display of the multiple unique file identifier used to access the addresses of the plurality of digital encoded audio files in response to receipt of the signal.

22. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising regulating a rate with which the digital encoded audio data files are being received from a remote server using TCP/IP.

23. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14 further comprising rendering the encoded audio data file by decoding the digitally encoded data file using an audio driver stored in a memory on the client networked device while the digital encoded audio data file is being received from the one or more remote computers.

24. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14, wherein the first and second data buffers are defined within a memory storage device coupled to the client networked device.

25. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 24 wherein the first data buffer is defined within a first range of memory addresses within the memory storage device and the second data buffer is defined within a second range of memory addresses within the memory storage device.

26. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 24, wherein the digital encoded audio data file and related metadata are received into the first and second data buffers, respectively.

27. The method of receiving digital encoded audio data file as recited in claim 14, wherein the digital encoded audio data is received from a first of the one or more remote computers and the related metadata is received from a second of the one or more remote computers.

28. A computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application, the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device, for receiving digital encoded audio data and related metadata via a communication network, said related metadata is synchronized to said digital encoded audio data, the client networked device comprising:

displaying on the client networked device a unique file identifier related to one or more locations or addresses where digital encoded audio data and related metadata are stored in a memory storage device coupled with one or more remote computers;

receiving a selection of the displayed unique file identifier related to the one or more locations or addresses where the digital encoded audio data and related metadata are stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers, the selection received via an input device coupled with the client networked device;

generating on the client networked device, as a result of the receipt of the selection of the displayed unique file identifier, a request to at least one of the remote computers via a communications network to receive digital encoded audio and related metadata from said one or more locations or addresses where the digital encoded audio data and related metadata is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers;

receiving by the client networked device, as a result of the generated request and via the communications network, the digital encoded audio data and related metadata from said one or more locations or addresses in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers; and

storing at least a portion of the received digital encoded audio data and related metadata respectively into a first and second data buffer; and

decoding at least a portion of the stored digital encoded audio data and rendering at least a portion of the decoded and stored digital encoded audio data and related metadata on the client networked device during the receiving of the digital encoded audio data from said one or more locations or addresses where the digital encoded audio data is stored in the memory storage device coupled with the one or more remote computers.

29. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

including video data with the digital encoded audio data, and receiving the video data within one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

30. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

including streamed audio data with the digital encoded audio data, and receiving the streamed audio data within one of the data buffers via the communications network in a packetized format.

31. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

including with said digital encoded audio data a compressed audio data file; and

storing compressed audio data files with related metadata on the one or more remote computers.

32. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

relating said unique file identifier to a location on the one or more remote computers by using the unique file identifier to access the locations within the memory of the one or more remote computers, and using a computer-readable storage device as the memory on the one or more remote computers.

33. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in the client networked device further comprise:

receiving into the client networked device via the communication network, the unique file identifier from a remote networked server having a different network address from the one or more remote computers, and storing said unique file identifier into the memory of the client networked device upon receipt thereof.

34. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

storing a menu of multiple unique file identifiers used to indicate addresses of a plurality of digital encoded audio data where audio data is stored on the one or more remote computers;

receiving on the client networked device a signal from the input device; and

changing a display of the multiple unique file identifiers that are used to access the addresses of the plurality of digital encoded audio files in response to receipt of the signal.

35. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise decoding the digital encoded audio data using decompression with a random access memory coupled with the client networked device.

36. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the instructions when executed by a processor in a client networked device further comprise:

rendering the digital encoded audio data file by decoding the digital encoded data file using an audio and/or video driver stored in a memory on the client networked device while the digital encoded audio data file is being received from the one or more remote computers.

37. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the first and second data buffers are defined within a memory storage device coupled to the client networked device.

38. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 37, wherein the first data buffer is defined within a first range of memory addresses within the memory storage device and the second data buffer is defined within a second range of memory addresses within the memory storage device.

39. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 37, wherein the digital encoded audio data file and related metadata are received into the first and second data buffers, respectively.

40. The computer readable medium having instructions for use in a single media player application as recited in claim 28, wherein the digital encoded audio data is received from a first of the one or more remote computers and the related metadata is received from a second of the one or more remote computers.