Method and apparatus for sending/receiving VOD streaming device providing client-favored advertisement

A method of receiving streaming service in a client terminal, the method comprising:

• providing a client information of available multimedia contents from a multimedia server and transmitting indication of a corresponding client selected multimedia contents to the multimedia server;
• receiving and reproducing the selected multimedia contents provided from the multimedia server;
• providing, after an automated suspension of the reproduction of the selected multimedia contents by the multimedia server based on an expiration of a predetermined amount of time and/or reproduction extent of the multimedia contents, the client information of a plurality of advertisement contents available through the multimedia server and transmitting an indication of a corresponding client selected specific advertisement contents to the multimedia server;
• receiving the client selected specific advertisement contents and reproducing the selected client requested specific advertisement contents based upon predetermined conditions;
• and
• receiving an advertisement contents stop request from the client and transmitting the advertisement contents stop request to the multimedia server and resuming the receiving and reproducing of the selected multimedia contents from the multimedia server, with the multimedia server immediately resuming provision of the selected multimedia contents upon receipt of the advertisement contents stop request from the client terminal before completion of a transmission of the selected specific advertisement contents to the client terminal.

A method of providing a streaming service from a multimedia server to a client terminal according to user-favored advertisement contents, comprising:

• receiving by the multimedia server a real-time transport streaming protocol (RTSP) play video command from a client terminal;
• transmitting a corresponding video to the client terminal as real-time transport protocol (RTP) data;
• determining a time expired or amount of the video transmitted to the client terminal to suspend the transmitting of the video to the client terminal when the time expired or the amount of the video transmitted exceeds a respective predetermined value;
• automatically providing an RTSP pause video command from the multimedia server to the client terminal to indicate a pausing of the video transmission based upon the time expired or the amount of the video transmitted exceeding the respective predetermined values;
• establishing a hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) user controlled advertisement session upon the suspension of the transmitting of the video to the client terminal;
• receiving an RTSP play advertisement request from the client terminal;
• transmitting to the client terminal user requested advertisements, selected based upon a received user selection of particular advertisement categories and/or advertisements that have particular advertisement attributes, as RTP data and/or RTSP data upon receipt of the RTSP play advertisement request;
• determining, before expiration of a full transmission of the user requested advertisements, whether a time expired or amount of the transmitted user requested advertisements transmitted to the client terminal exceeds a predetermined value to determine whether to act on a client terminal request to stop the transmitting of the user requested advertisement;
• receiving an RTSP stop advertisement command from the client terminal to tear down the HTTP session and stop the transmission of the user requested advertisement if the time expired or the amount of the transmitted user requested advertisement transmitted to the client terminal exceeds the predetermined value;
• receiving another RTSP play video message immediately subsequent to the receiving of the RTSP stop command;
• and
• resuming the transmitting of the video as the RTP data upon receipt of the other RTSO play video message.

A multimedia server, which provides a streaming service, the multimedia server comprising:

• a service controller to provide multimedia contents to a client terminal in accordance with client controlled receipt of advertisement contents, which the client terminal is obligated to receive at least a portion of, by automatically suspending transmission of the advertisement contents transmitted to the client terminal, with the transmission of the advertisement contents occurring between an automatically interrupting of a sequentially previous provision of the multimedia contents to the client terminal and immediately before a resuming of provision of the multimedia contents to the client terminal upon receipt of an advertisement stop command from the client terminal, and with the immediate resuming of the provision of the multimedia contents to the client terminal being performed regardless of completion of the transmission of the advertisement contents to the client terminal;
• and
• a data storage to store the multimedia contents, the advertisement contents, and client data,
• wherein, when the advertisement stop command is not received from the client terminal during the transmission of the advertisement contents, the immediate resuming provision of the multimedia contents to the client terminal is performed upon completion of reproduction of the advertisement contents,
• wherein the service controller comprises:
• a web service engine managing client access specifics;
• a search engine retrieving multimedia contents and advertisement contents requested by the client terminal from the data storage through the web service engine;
• a media streaming engine transferring requested media contents retrieved by the search engine to the client terminal;
• and
• a session management engine managing sessions during which the client terminal accesses the multimedia server according to the client controlled receipt of the advertisement contents.

A client terminal, to receive multimedia contents and advertisement contents, the client terminal comprising:

• a web browsing unit to access a multimedia server and to request desired multimedia contents and advertisement contents;
• and
• a session manager to manage a multimedia contents reproduction session according to client initiated receipt of advertisement contents, which the client terminal is obligated to receive at least a portion of, via the web browsing unit during an automated intermission of receipt and reproduction of the multimedia contents reproduction session,
• with a client of the client terminal being provided with an option to request a stopping of receipt of the advertisement contents through transmission of an advertisement stop command to the multimedia server,
• reproduction of the advertisement contents including automatically interrupting receipt and reproduction of the multimedia contents reproduction session from the multimedia server, and including immediately resuming of the receipt and reproduction of the multimedia contents reproduction session from the multimedia server based upon transmission by the client terminal of the advertisement stop command during the receipt and reproduction of the advertisement contents, and
• the immediate resuming of receipt and reproduction of the multimedia contents reproduction session being performed regardless of completion of the receipt and reproduction of the advertisement contents from the multimedia server,
• wherein when the advertisement stop command is not transmitted to the multimedia server during the receipt and reproduction of the advertisement contents the resuming of the receipt and reproduction of the multimedia contents reproduction session is performed after completion of the receipt and reproduction of the advertisement contents.