Method for user session transitioning among streaming interactive video servers

• US 8,632,410 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: OL2 Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G., van der Laan, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VO V
• Application Number:
  US13/385,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20120149476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/51 Storing of cleaning tools, e.g. containers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/59 with movable squeezing members
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/531 Server assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 : Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 : Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/166 : concerning the amount of transmission errors, e.g. bit error rate [BER]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 : the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 : the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/436 : using parallelised computational arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 : involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 : involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/895 : in combination with error concealment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 : by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 : Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 : involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 : Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 : Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/27 : Server based end-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 : Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 : Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 : Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 : Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 : Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method by which a streaming interactive video user session is handed off from one streaming interactive video server to another without noticeable disruption to the video stream or the user interactivity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a hosting service center comprising:

running twitch video games on a plurality of servers that generate streams of uncompressed streaming interactive video therefrom;

compressing the streams of uncompressed streaming interactive video;

transmitting the streams of compressed streaming interactive video over the Internet to remote users;

running an application on a first server of the hosting service center that provides a user interface screen for a user to watch a plurality of video windows of twitch video games being played, the first server generating first uncompressed streaming interactive video from the running of the application;

compressing the first uncompressed streaming interactive video to produce first compressed streaming interactive video;

transmitting the first compressed streaming interactive video from the hosting service center to the user, the user interacting with the application via a client device remote to the hosting service center;

responsive to selection input of the user to join a multiplayer twitch video game provided on the user interface screen, transitioning the user from the first server to a second server at the hosting service center that runs the multiplayer twitch video game, thereby generating second uncompressed streaming interactive video, the second uncompressed streaming interactive video being compressed and then transmitted over the Internet from the hosting service center to the client device of the user; and

wherein the first compressed streaming interactive video and the second compressed streaming interactive video are both compressed with a worst-case, round-trip latency of 90 ms, from a user control input to display of a response to the user control input on the client device of the user, over a transmission distance of 1500 miles or less.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising switching the first server to an idle state following the transitioning of the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising loading the multiplayer twitch video game from a RAID array of the hosting service center.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the video windows each comprise a thumbnail video window.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising transitioning the user back from the second server to the first server running the application responsive to additional user input.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer instructions, which, when executed, operable to:

run twitch video games on a plurality of servers that generate streams of uncompressed streaming interactive video therefrom;

compress the streams of uncompressed streaming interactive video;

transmit the streams of compressed streaming interactive video over the Internet to remote users;

run a first application on a first server of a hosting service center that provides a user interface screen allowing a user to watch a plurality of video windows of twitch video games being played, the first server generating first uncompressed streaming interactive video from the running of the application;

compress the first uncompressed streaming interactive video to produce first compressed streaming interactive video;

transmit the first compressed streaming interactive video from the hosting service center to the user, the user interacting with the first application via a client device remote to the hosting service center;

responsive to selection input of the user to join a multiplayer twitch video game provided on the user interface screen, transition the user from the first server to a second server at the hosting service center that runs the multiplayer twitch video game, thereby generating second uncompressed streaming interactive video, the second uncompressed streaming interactive video being compressed and then transmitted over the Internet from the hosting service center to the client device,

wherein the first compressed streaming interactive video and the second compressed streaming interactive video are both compressed with a worst-case, round-trip latency of 90 ms, from a user control input to display of a response to the user control input on the client device of the user, over a transmission distance of 1500 miles or less.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein execution of the computer instructions is further operable to switch a shared compression unit from compressing the first uncompressed streaming interactive video to compressing the second uncompressed streaming interactive video.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein execution of the computer instructions is further operable to switch the first server to an idle state following the transition.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein execution of the computer instructions is further operable to load the multiplayer twitch video game from a RAID array of the hosting service center.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein the video windows each comprise a thumbnail video window.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein execution of the computer instructions is further operable to transition the user back from the second server to the first server running the first application responsive to additional user input.