Dynamic medium content streaming system

• US 8,380,808 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Royal J. O'Brien
• Original Assignee: Royal J. O'Brien
• Inventors: O'Brien, Royal
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US12/276,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/231, 709243-244
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A streaming on demand system includes an on-demand requester object installed on a computing device. The on-demand requester object is configured to receive I/O requests for an application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery. The on-demand requester object includes a minifilter associated with a filter manager in an I/O stack. The minifilter receives each I/O request from the application, references a table that includes at least one address where each data pack required to fulfill each I/O request is located, and determines if the data pack has been streamed to the system. The table may also include a size indicator for each data pack. The minifilter loads before compression and filter minifilter drivers in the I/O stack. The minifilter attaches to the I/O stack by registering with a filter manager in the I/O stack for I/O requests for the application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery. The minifilter passes on a read call if a required data pack is available locally and if all data in the required data pack has been received. The minifilter withholds a read call if a required data pack is not available locally or if all data in the required data pack has not been received. If an I/O request is a write operation, the minifilter writes an address and size indicator corresponding to the write operation to the table. If the I/O request is a create operation, the minifilter attaches extended data to a file stream.

Claims

1. A streaming on demand system comprising an on-demand requester object installed on a computing device, said on-demand requester object being configured to receive I/O requests on behalf of an application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery, said on-demand requester object being responsive to application I/O requests, said application I/O requests corresponding to sequential and non-sequential data packs, said data packs being portions of a complete data stream, said I/O requests determining an order in which data packs are sought for the application, said on-demand requester object comprising a minifilter associated with a filter manager in an I/O stack, said filter manager being configured to call the minifilter, said minifilter having a preoperation callback routine for the I/O request registered with the filter manager, and said minifilter being configured to receive each I/O request from the application, said minifilter being further configured to reference a table that includes names and paths with at least one offset address and length where each data pack required to fulfill each I/O request is located, said minifilter being further configured to determine if the data pack has been streamed to the system, and said application being a program configured to use the data packs that fulfill each I/O request when the data packs are available on the computing device.

2. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured to load before compression and filter minifilter drivers in the I/O stack.

3. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter attaching to the I/O stack by registering with a filter manager in the I/O stack for I/O requests for the application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery.

4. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said table including a size indicator for each data pack.

5. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured to pass on a read call if a required data pack is available locally and if all data in the required data pack has been received.

6. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured to withhold a read call if a required data pack is not available locally.

7. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured to withhold a read call if all data in the required data pack has not been received.

8. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said at least one address including and address for at least one local source for a first data pack and an address for at least one remote source for a second data pack.

9. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said at least one address including and address for at least one local source for a first data pack, said local source being a source from the group consisting of a hard disk, an optical storage medium, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic storage medium, and an address for at least one remote source for a second data pack.

10. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said at least one address including and address for at least one local source for a first data pack, and an address for at least one remote source for a second data pack, said remote source being a source from the group consisting of a server and a peer computing device.

11. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured to request to retrieve a required data pack from a first source corresponding to a first address in the table if the data pack is available from the first source, and to

identify an alternative address in the table if the data pack is not available from the first source.

12. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured, if the I/O request is a write operation, to mark an area as delivered and then write an address and size indicator corresponding to the write operation to the table.

13. A streaming on demand system according to claim 1, said minifilter being configured, if the I/O request is a create operation, to attach extended data to a file stream, said extended data corresponding to the create operation.

14. A streaming on demand method comprising installing an on-demand requester object on a computing device having an I/O manager, said on-demand requester object being configured to receive I/O requests from the I/O manager on behalf of an application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery, said on-demand requester object being responsive to application I/O requests, said application I/O requests corresponding to sequential and non-sequential data packs, said data packs being portions of a complete data stream, said I/O requests determining an order in which data packs are sought for the application, said on-demand requester object comprising a minifilter associated with a filter manager in an I/O stack, said filter manager being configured to call the minifilter, said minifilter having a preoperation callback routine for the I/O request registered with the filter manager, and

said minifilter receiving each I/O request from the I/O manager, said minifilter referencing a table that includes names and paths with at least one offset address and length where each data pack required to fulfill each I/O request is located,

said minifilter determining if the data pack required to fulfill each I/O request been streamed to the system, and said application using the data packs that fulfill each I/O request when the data packs are available on the computing device.

15. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14 further comprising attaching said minifilter to the I/O stack by registering with a filter manager in the I/O stack for I/O requests for the application for which data is available in data packs for streaming delivery.

16. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14 further comprising, said minifilter passing on a read call if a required data pack is available locally and if all data in the required data pack has been received.

17. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14 further comprising, said minifilter withholding a read call if a required data pack is not available locally.

18. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14 further comprising, said minifilter withholding a read call if all data in the required data pack has not been received.

19. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14, said at least one address including and address for at least one local source for a first data pack, said local source being a source from the group consisting of a hard disk, an optical storage medium, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic storage medium, and

an address for at least one remote source for a second data pack, said remote source being a source from the group consisting of a server and a peer computing device.

20. A streaming on demand method according to claim 14, said minifilter requesting to retrieve a required data pack from a first source corresponding to a first address in the table if the data pack is available from the first source, and identifying an alternative address in the table if the data pack is not available from the first source.