Systems and methods utilizing efficient video compression techniques for browsing of static image data

• US 8,929,459 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Massimino, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/247,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20120076210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 375/240.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6379 directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

Embodiments include systems and methods that use video compression techniques when browsing web pages referencing static image data or video content. In non-limiting examples, this can include using modern video compression techniques when browsing web pages referencing compressed static image data to obtain increased efficiency in transmission and/or rendering of the static image data on a browser at a client device. In an embodiment, a system includes a browser that browses a received web page having a content identifier and an associated video compression data signature. The browser includes a decoder that decodes compressed video content associated with the content identifier in accordance with a type of video compression identified by the video compression data signature to obtain static image data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device having a browser, a web page that references a static image identifier;

requesting a static image file identified by the static image identifier from a web server using the browser, the static image identifier indicating that the static image file is encoded using a type of static image compression;

receiving a compressed video file in response to the request for the static image file;

recognizing that the compressed video file contains a video compression data signature by examining a plurality of bytes within the received compressed video file; and

decoding the received compressed video file using a type of video compression identified by the video compression data signature to obtain static image data encoded in the compressed video file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the static image identifier is included in a URL within an image tag in the received web page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of video compression more efficient than a type of static image compression used to encode image data in the static image file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the video compression data signature identifies a type of video compression selected from the group of VP8, H.264, and VC-1 video compression.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the type of static image compression comprises a type of compression selected from the group of JPEG, GIF, and PNG static image compression.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding the received compressed video file is performed by a client application other than the browser, the client application configured to transmit the decoded static image data to the browser after decoding.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding the received compressed video file is performed by a keyframe decoder, the keyframe decoder having capability limited to decoding a video keyframe.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received compressed video file was transcoded from the requested static image file by a recompression service in response to the request for the static image file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the static image data includes a plurality of static images and each of the plurality of static images is rendered for display by the browser.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recompressing the decoded static image data using a type of static image compression selected from the group of JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

11. A system comprising:

a browser, configured to operate on a first computing device and browse a received web page including a static content identifier, the browser further being configured to request static image content associated with the static content identifier that is encoded using a type of static image compression;

wherein the browser receives, in response to the request, compressed video content that is a video compression of the requested static image content; and

wherein the browser employs a decoder that decodes the received compressed video content based on a video compression data signature associated with the compressed video content to obtain static image data, the video compression data signature recognized by examining a plurality of bytes within the compressed video content.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a client application configured to operate on the first computing device, wherein the decoder employed by the browser is included within the client application and is configured to transmit the decoded static image data to the browser after decoding.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the decoder is a keyframe decoder, the keyframe decoder having capability limited to decoding a video keyframe.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the received compressed video content was transcoded from the requested static image content by a recompression service in response to the request for the static image content.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the static image data includes a plurality of static images and each of the plurality of static images is rendered for display by the browser.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the decoder is configured to recompress the decoded static image data using a type of static image compression selected from the group of JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of computing devices, each computing device having at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the memory of the plurality of computing devices include instructions for execution by the at least one processor, including instructions to;

receive a HTTP request from a web browser executing on a client device for static image content, the static image content within a static image file identified by a static image identifier,

transcode the requested static image content into a video compression file using a type of video compression, the video compression including a video compression signature, and

transmit the video compression file to the client device in response to the request for static image content; and

wherein the client device recognizes that the video compression file is encoded using a type of video compression by examining a plurality of bytes within the static image compression file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions to receive the HTTP request from the web browser are included in a web server application stored in the memory of a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices, the web server application configured to be executed by the at least one processor of the first computing device, and wherein the instructions to transcode the requested static image content into a video compression file are included in a recompression service application stored in the memory of a second computing device of the plurality of computing devices, the recompression service application configured to be executed by the at least one processor of the second computing device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the recompression service includes a transcoder configured to transcode the requested static image content, wherein the transcoder is a keyframe encoder, the keyframe encoder having capability limited to encoding a video keyframe.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a client application executed by the client device receives the transmitted video compression file, decodes the video compression file based on the recognized type of video compression to obtain static image data, recompresses the static image data using a type of static image compression, and transmits the recompressed static image data to the web browser.