Method for remotely controlling a streaming media server with a pause and resume functionality

• US 8,855,469 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quickplay Media Inc (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maharajh, Kavi, MacNeil, Bart, Walker, Torin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US13/568,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20130064527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 725/61, 725/62, 725/88, 725/93, 725/95, 725/102, 386/205, 386/216, 386/241, 386/248, 386/325, 386/343, 386/349, 386/350, 709/231, 709/232, 709/235
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 : adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 : at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 : intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 : Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 : using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 : based on the service used
• 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 21/2387 : Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 : Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 : involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 : Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

In embodiments, the present invention provides a method and system for managing playback of content delivered to a mobile device with a pause and resume functionality. The method and system includes receiving delivered content on a mobile device, initiating playback of the delivered content, pausing playback of the content being delivered to the mobile device in response to an action and resuming delivery of the content upon a request.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling a streaming media server with a pause and resume functionality, the method comprising:

transmitting content as a plurality of data packets to a destination;

recording a number of bytes transferred per session;

receiving a pause instruction;

calculating the total number of bytes transferred to the destination before receiving the pause instruction; and

calculating the position at which the content was paused, wherein the position at which the content was paused is calculated based on an algorithm that determines a percentage of the content that is viewed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein upon resuming transmission of the content, the content is transmitted to another device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least one attribute of the other device differs from at least one attribute of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the other device is operating at a bandwidth different from the bandwidth at which the mobile device is operating.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a client RTSP request handler tracks the number of bytes transferred per session.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, a session monitor for maintaining an in-memory map of the active client connections the client RTSP handler is handling.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the session monitor is associated with at least one of a consumption profile, user profile, and device profile.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the pause instruction is received from the destination.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the data packets are RTP data packets.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the data packets are HTTP data packets.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the data packets are data packets suitable for network data transmission.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the data packets are suitable for video content transmission.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a proxy to track usage of streamed content.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the calculation to determine a point at which to resume streaming of the content.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising resuming transmission of the content to the destination.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein transmission is resumed through the use of an interactive programming guide.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising resuming transmission to the same destination using a different format based on an available network bandwidth.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising resuming transmission of the content to a different destination.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is video content.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing a delivery format upon resuming transmission.

22. A method for remotely controlling a streaming media server with a pause and resume functionality, the method comprising:

transmitting content as a plurality of data packets to a destination;

recording a number of bytes transferred per session;

receiving a pause instruction;

calculating the total number of bytes transferred to the destination before receiving the pause instructions; and

calculating the position at which the content was paused, wherein the position at which the content was paused is calculated based on an algorithm, wherein the algorithm determines the percentage of the content that is viewed based on a data transferred, a total file size, a total running time and a buffering constant.

23. A method for remotely controlling a streaming media server with a pause and resume functionality, the method comprising:

transmitting content as a plurality of data packets to a destination;

recording a number of bytes transferred per session;

reviving a pause instruction;

calculating the total number of bytes transferred to the destination before receiving the pause instruction; and

calculating the position at which the content was paused, wherein the position at which the content was paused is calculated based on an algorithm, wherein the algorithm determines the percentage of the content that is viewed as a data transferred divided by a total file size, all multiplied by a total running time, minus a buffering constant.