Proxy for video on demand server control

• US 7,168,086 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Carpenter, J. Wiltse, Bruck, Timo, Mighdoll, Lee S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig, Andrew Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/201,484
• Time in Patent Office: 2,976 Days
• Field of Search: 725/118, 725/119, 725/120, 725/127, 725/148, 725/149, 725/95, 725/96, 725/93, 725/98, 709/246
• US Class Current: 725/98
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• 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 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A video on demand system includes a head-end coupled through a proxy server to plural client terminals. The proxy server performs (or cooperates with another component in performing) various functions, including user interface definition, security, system administration (e.g. channel management, load distribution, and failover), and protocol translation.

Claims

1. A video system comprising at least two different and non-compatible video-on-demand applications, a video-on-demand server and a remote client, a first video-on-demand application executing on the server, the first video-on-demand application employing a first video-on-demand application control protocol comprising control data communicated to control a video-on-demand application, the client employing a second video-on-demand application control protocol comprising control data communicated to control a video-on-demand application, wherein the first video-on-demand application control protocol employed by the first video-on-demand application at the server is different and non-compatible with the second video-on-demand application control protocol employed by the client, the system further including a proxy comprising a computer interposed between the server and the client in a multi-tier configuration, the proxy including means for translating between the different and non-compatible first and second video-on-demand application control protocols, wherein translating comprises translating control data compatible with the first video-on-demand application but not compatible with the second video-on-demand application into control data compatible with the second video-on-demand application but not compatible with the first video-on-demand application, wherein the server and client can communicate control data through the proxy even if the control data in the first and second protocols are different, and wherein change to either the first or second video-on-demand application control protocol can be accommodated by a change to the proxy rather than to the client or server, respectively and wherein the control data communicated according to the first and second video-on-demand protocols is delivered via data packets transmitted according to a same TCP/IP network protocol.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy further includes means for translating between at least one of said first and second video-on-demand application control protocols and a third video-on-demand application control protocol comprising control data communicated to control a video-on-demand application and different from said first and second video-on-demand application control protocols, wherein the same proxy can be used in different server/client environments.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy includes means for ameliorating aberrant behavior in at least one of said server or client.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the proxy includes means for detecting a predetermined input communication in an input video-on-demand application control protocol, and issuing an output communication in an output video-on-demand application control protocol that does not exactly correspond to the input communication.

5. In a video-on-demand system including at least two non-compatible video-on-demand applications, plural clients receiving on-demand video originating from at least one video server communicating according to a first video-on-demand application and wherein at least one of said plural clients communicates according to a second video-on demand application incompatible with the first video-on-demand application, a proxy server performing a method comprising:

assigning a first transmission channel to a first client to transmit an on-demand video thereto;

assigning a second transmission channel to a second client to transmit an on-demand video thereto;

using control data of the first video-on-demand application, instructing the video server to transmit to the first client on the first transmission channel and instructing the video server to transmit to the second client on the second transmission channel; and

using control data of the second video-on-demand application, instructing the first client to receive on the first transmission channel and instructing the second client to receive on the second transmission channel;

wherein the proxy server comprises a computer interposed between the video server and said plural clients in a multi-tier configuration, and the proxy server translates control data compatible with the first video-on-demand application but not compatible with the second video-on-demand application into control data compatible with the second video-on-demand application but not compatible with the first video-on-demand application thereby facilitating integration of non-compatible components into an existing system by providing translation between components communicating according to two or more non-compatible video-on-demand applications.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the proxy server reassigns the first client to a third transmission channel at a point between the beginning and end of the first client'"'"'s on-demand video, so as to manage channel resources.

7. In a video-on-demand system comprising two or more non-compatible video-on-demand applications, plural video-on-demand clients requesting video programs according to a first video server control protocol of a first video-on-demand application, and a head-end serving video programs according to a second video server control protocol of a second video-on-demand application, a proxy server performing a method comprising:

from a client, receiving by the proxy server, control data representing a video server control action in the first protocol of the first video-on-demand application;

translating by the proxy server the received control data into control data representing a video control action in the second control protocol of the second video-demand application; and

sending by the proxy server the translated control data to the head-end serving video programs according to the second video server control protocol of the second video-on-demand application;

wherein the proxy server comprises a computer interposed between the head end and the plural video-on-demand clients in a multi-tier configuration and includes a protocol translation component that translates control data compatible with the first video-on-demand application but not compatible with the second video-on-demand application into control data compatible with the second video-on-demand application but not compatible with the first video-on-demand application thereby facilitating integration of non-compatible video-on-demand applications into an existing system by providing translation between components communicating according to two or more non-compatible video-on-demand applications.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising plural video-on-demand clients requesting video programs according to the second video server control protocol of the second video-on-demand application and the method further comprises:

from a second client, receiving by the proxy server, control data representing a video server control action in the second protocol of the second video-on-demand application; and

sending by the proxy server to the head-end, the control data received from the second client without translation;

wherein the proxy server communicates with the client in the first protocol of the first video-on-demand application, and the proxy server communicates with the second client in the second protocol of the second video-on-demand application.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a second video server at the head-end, wherein the second video server serves video programs according to the first video server control protocol of the first video-on-demand application, and the method further comprises:

from a second client, receiving by the proxy server, control data representing a video server control action in the first protocol of the first video-on-demand application; and

sending by the proxy server to the second video server without translation, the control data received from the second client.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving according to a first network control protocol, control data from a client requesting video programs according to a first video-on-demand server control protocol of a first video-on-demand application;

translating the received control data into control data representing a video control action in a second video-on-demand server control protocol of a second video-on-demand application; and

sending, according to the first network control protocol, the translated control data to a head-end serving video-on-demand programs according to the second video-on-demand server control protocol of the second video-on-demand application;

wherein the method is performed by a proxy server comprising a computer interposed between the client and the head-end wherein the proxy server translates to and from control data of the first video-on-demand application and control data of the second video-on-demand application thereby facilitating video-on-demand control between two or more components communicating according to two or more non-compatible video-on-demand applications.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving control data from a second client requesting video programs according to the second video-on-demand server control protocol of the second video-on-demand application; and

sending without translation, the control data from the second client to the head-end serving video-on-demand programs according to the second video-on-demand server control protocol.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving control data from a second client requesting video programs according to the first video-on-demand server control protocol of the first video-on-demand application; and

sending without translation, the control data to a second video server at the head-end, wherein the second video server serves video-on-demand programs according to the first video-on-demand server control protocol of the first video-on-demand application.

13. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method of translating control data for incompatible video-on-demand applications, the method comprising:

receiving from a first client communicating application control data according to a first video-on-demand application, application control data comprising on-demand video control;

assigning a first transmission channel to the first client;

sending to a head-end communicating application control data according to a second video-on-demand application, application control data comprising instructions to transmit on-demand video on the first transmission channel;

sending to the first client communicating application control data according to the first video-on-demand application, application control data comprising instructions to receive on-demand video on the first transmission channel;

receiving from a second client communicating application control data according to the first video-on-demand application, application control data comprising on-demand video control;

assigning a second transmission channel to the second client;

sending to the head-end communicating application control data according to the second video-on-demand application, application control data comprising instructions to transmit on-demand video on the second transmission channel; and

sending to the second client communicating application control data according to the first video-on-demand application, application control data comprising instructions to receive on-demand video on the second transmission channel;

wherein the method is performed by a proxy server comprising a computer interposed between the first and second clients and the head-end and wherein the proxy server translates between control data compatible with the first video-on-demand application but not compatible with the second video-on-demand application and control data compatible with the second video-on-demand application but not the first video-on-demand application and the sent and received application control data comprising the first and second video-on-demand application is transmitted according to a same network communication protocol.

14. A method for assigning video-on-demand transmission channels to transmit on-demand video programming from a head-end communicating control data according to a first on-demand video application to plural clients communicating control data according to a second on-demand video application, the method performed by a proxy server computer receiving and sending control data, the method comprising:

receiving from a first client, a second application control data comprising on-demand video control;

assigning a first transmission channel to the first client;

sending to the head-end, a first application control data comprising instructions to transmit on-demand video on the first transmission channel;

sending to the first client, a second application control data comprising instructions to receive on-demand video on the first transmission channel;

receiving from a second client, a second application control data comprising on-demand video control;

assigning a second transmission channel to the second client;

sending to the head-end, a first application control data comprising instructions to transmit on-demand video on the second transmission channel;

and sending to the second client, a second application control data comprising instructions to receive on-demand video on the second transmission channel;

wherein the head-end was designed to communicate with clients communicating control data according to the first on-demand video application; and

wherein the proxy server comprises a computer interposed between first and second clients and the head-end in a multi-tier configuration and wherein the proxy server translates between control data compatible with the first on-demand video application but not compatible with the second on-demand video application and control data compatible with the second on-demand video application but not compatible with the first on-demand video application, the translation facilitating integration of components communicating according to two or more non-compatible on-demand video applications.

15. In a video system with several different brands of video-on-demand applications, each such different brand operating according to a different communications protocol, the system comprising:

plural clients and plural servers, each client and each server communicating according to a single video on demand application, at least one client communicating according to a video on demand application incompatible with a video on demand application of at least one server; and

a proxy server comprising a computer interposed between the at least one client and the at least one server, the proxy server translating between clients and servers communicating according to incompatible video on demand applications;

wherein the proxy server translates between clients and servers communicating according to incompatible applications, such that control data of a first application employed by a client and control data of a second application expected by the server are translated and the proxy server facilitates integration of otherwise non-compatible components into the video system.

16. The existing system of claim 15, wherein the several different brands include at least one of Seachange, Vivid and Netshow Theater.