Streaming media using erasable packets within internet queues

A streaming media encoding and routing system comprising:

• an encoder circuit that constructs a streaming media sequence as a plurality of sequential frames, each frame comprising a plurality of segments;
• the encoder circuit that is programmed to place media information into the plurality of segments of each frame according to a predefined priority and further programmed to order the sequence of said segments within each frame such that the segments are progressively priority-ranked from high priority to low priority;
• a processor configured to receive quality of service data representing condition of network congestion;
• and
• said processor programmed to test an incoming packet in the streaming media to determine whether it is encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments;
• said processor further programmed to reduce network congestion when the received quality of service data indicates presence of network congestion by:
• (a) selectively and progressively erasing segments within the incoming packet beginning with a lowest-ranked priority segment if the incoming packet is determined to be encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments;
• and
• (b) dropping the entire incoming packet if the incoming packet is determined not be encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments.

A method of reducing congestion within a streaming media network comprising:

• receiving a streaming media sequence as a plurality of incoming packets, wherein at least a portion of the packets are encoded such that in each packet a plurality of segments that contain media data have been progressively priority-ranked from high priority to low priority;
• receiving a quality of service data indicative of condition of network congestion;
• testing an incoming packet in the streaming media to determine whether it is encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments;
• and
• using a processor to reduce network congestion when the received quality of service data indicates presence of network congestion by:
• (a) selectively and progressively erasing segments within the incoming packet beginning with a lowest-ranked priority segment if the incoming packet is determined to be encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments;
• and
• (b) dropping the entire incoming packet if the incoming packet is determined not to be encoded as collections of progressively priority-ranked segments.