System for controlling and enforcing playback restrictions for a media file by splitting the media file into usable and unusable portions for playback
First Claim
1. A method executable using one or more servers to transmit a media file, the method comprising:
- communicating in a first communication a second part of the media file, the second part being unusable without a first part;
communicating in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, such that the media file can be experienced via a user device using at least part of the first and second parts after a start of the second communication and neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to experience the media file.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Files are divided into parts and at least some of the parts are transmitted to a client using a communication channel. At least some of the transmitted parts are cached locally. This allows subsequent streaming playback of the file while using less bandwidth by transmitting the part of the file that hasn'"'"'t been cached, and combining the cached parts with the transmitted parts. In some embodiments, files may be represented at a low quality level by a first data set, and at higher quality levels with additional data sets. Data sets are cached locally, so that during subsequent streaming playback of the file, the quality level of the playback may be improved by sending additional data sets using bandwidth that would otherwise be dedicated to transmitting the cached data sets.
209 Citations
76 Claims
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1. A method executable using one or more servers to transmit a media file, the method comprising:
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communicating in a first communication a second part of the media file, the second part being unusable without a first part; communicating in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, such that the media file can be experienced via a user device using at least part of the first and second parts after a start of the second communication and neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to experience the media file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of transmitting a media file comprising:
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communicating in a first communication a second part of the media file, neither the second part nor a first part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; communicating in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, such that the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, the first part of the media file comprising a portion of each section, and the second part of the media file comprising another portion of each section, such that the first part communicated in the second communication and the second part communicated in the first communication can be combined so that the media file can be experienced via the user device. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of transmitting a media file comprising:
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communicating to a user device in a first communication a second part of the media file, neither the second part nor a first part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; communicating to the user device in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, the first part comprising headers, compression table selectors and scale factors of the media file, such that at least part of the first and second parts can be combined to experience at least a portion of the media file via the user device after the start of the second communication.
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29. A method of transmitting a media file comprising:
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communicating to a user device in a first communication a first part of the media file, the media file capable of being experienced at a first quality level using the first part of the media file; communicating to the user device a second part of the media file the first and second parts are combinable to experience the media file at a second quality level different than the first quality level, and only the second part, which is unusable without the first part, is to be retained in a store local to the user device for subsequent access by the user device; communicating to the user device in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, so that the first part can be combined with the retained second part to experience the media file via the user device, and neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to experience the media file at the second quality level. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of transmitting a media file comprising:
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communicating to a user device in a first communication a second part of the media file, the second part is to be retained in a store local to the user device, neither the second part nor a first part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; communicating to the user device in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, such that the first part communicated in the second communicated can be combined with a retained second part after the start of the second communication to experience the media file via the user device, such that the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, the first part comprising a portion of each section, and the second part comprising another portion of each section. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of receiving a media file to be experienced via a user device comprising:
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receiving in a first communication a second part of the media file, the second part is unusable to experience the media file without being combined with a first part; storing the second part; receiving in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; and combining the first part with the stored second part after the start of the second communication, so that the media file can be experienced via the user device, and neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to experience the media file. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A method of receiving a media file to be experienced via a user device comprising:
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receiving in a first communication a second part of the media file, neither the second part nor a first part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; storing the second part; receiving in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second communication with the stored second part after the start of the second communication, so that the media file can be experienced via the user device, such that the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, the first part of the media file comprising a portion of each section, and the second part of the media file comprising another portion of each section. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A method of receiving a media file to be experienced via a user device comprising:
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receiving in a first communication a second part of the media file, neither the second part nor a first part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; storing the second part; receiving in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file, the first part comprising headers, compression table selectors and scale factors of the media file; and combining the first part received in the second communication with the stored second part after the start of the second communication, so that the media file can be experienced via the user device.
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67. A method of receiving a media file to be experienced via a user device comprising:
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receiving in a first communication a first part of the media file, the media file capable of being experienced at a first quality level using the first part of the media file; receiving a second part of the media file, the second part being unusable without the first part, and the first and second parts being combinable to experience the media file at a second quality level different than the first quality level; storing the second part; receiving in a second communication subsequent to the first communication the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the received first part with the stored second part, so that the media file can be experienced via the user device, and neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to experience the media file at the second quality level. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A method of receiving a media file to be experienced via a user device comprising:
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receiving in a first communication a second part of the media file, neither the second part nor a second part of the media file is independently usable to experience the media file; storing the second part; receiving in a second communication subsequent to the first communication a first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second communication with the stored second part after the start of the second communication, so that the media file can be experienced via the user device, such that the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, the first part comprising a portion of each section, and the second part comprising another portion of each section. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76)
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Specification