US 6,807,550 B1 · Methods and systems for providing random access to structured media content

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing random access of structured media content are described. One aspect provides a novel file structure or “Vfile”, and method of using the same, for organizing and managing portions of a structured media content file that are or can be downloaded from a content provider such as a multimedia content server. The Vfile is configured to emulate a server file structure that a server uses to store structured media content files. The Vfile is established at a client location when a client accesses a structured media content file and is used to buffer and cache structured media content file portions. In addition to having an infrastructure that emulates the server's file structure, the Vfile includes one or more media management tags. The tags are used by the client to manage a cache of structured media content file portions that are downloaded from the server. Exemplary tags include, but are not limited to (1) a validity tag that indicates whether a particular portion of a structured media content file is available in the Vfile cache, (2) a hit count tag that gives an indication of how many times a particular portion has been accessed, (3) an importance tag that gives a weight to the hit count and determines how long the portion can stay in cache, and (4) a lock tag that indicates whether or not to lock selected structured media content file portions in the Vfile. Cache management strategies make use of the management tags to ensure that relevant portions of the media file are maintained by the client for as long as they are needed. Those file portions that are needed, but which are not present in the Vfile, can be streamed to the client by the server while those file portions that are present are used to render a view for the user.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A structured media management data structure embodied on one or more computer-readable media for randomly accessing structured media content, comprising:

a client file structure configured to emulate a server file structure that is associated with one or more servers that access and provide structured media content to one or more clients, the server using the server file structure to store the structured media content, the client file structure being configured for use in caching portions of a structured content file associated with structured media content that is stored by the server in the server file structure;
and
one or more media management tags associated with the client file structure and configured for use in cache management of portions of the structured media content file that are randomly accessible by a client, wherein the media management tags comprise:
a validity tag that indicates whether a particular portion of a structured media content file has been downloaded from the server;
an importance tag that indicates the importance of a particular portion of a structured media content file, the importance tag being configured for use in determining whether or not to lock the particular portion of the structured media content file in the client file structure;
and
a hit count tag that gives an indication of how many times a particular portion of a structured media content file cached in the client file structure has been accessed.

4 more elements

A cache management method for managing random access to structured media content comprising:

accessing portions of a structured media content file that is maintained by a server in a server file structure;
caching said portions in a client file structure comprising one or more media management tags that are configured for use in managing cached portions of the structured media content file;
and
managing random access to the structured media content file using the one or more media management tags, wherein said one or more media management tags comprises an importance tag that indicates the importance of a particular portion of a structured media content file, the importance tag being configured for use in determining whether or not to lock the particular portion of the structured media content file in the client file structure, and wherein said managing comprises
receiving a portion of a structured media content file from the server;
determining whether there is a desirable amount of client memory to hold the received portion;
and
if there is not a desirable amount of client memory to hold the received portion, evaluating the importance tags of one or more structured media content file portions contained in the client file structure and, responsive thereto, removing enough of the contained portions to provide a desirable amount of memory to hold the received portion.

5 more elements

A computerized system for randomly accessing structured media content comprising:

one or more computer-readable media resident on a client computer;
a client file structure on the one or more computer-readable media, the client file structure being configured to emulate a server file structure that is used to store a structured media content file;
a client application on the one or more computer-readable media and executable on the client computer for rendering structured media content that is contained in the client file structure;
a first set of application program interfaces embodied on the one or more computer-readable media and configured to receive one or more calls from the client application to provide requested structured media content file portions, the first set of application program interfaces being configured to determine whether the requested structured media content file portions are present in the client file structure and if not, generate a request for missing portions of the structured media content file;
and
a second set of application program interfaces embodied on the one or more computer-readable media and configured to receive one or more calls from the first set of application program interfaces in the event a requested structured media content file portion is not present in the client file structure, the second set of application program interfaces being further configured to retrieve the requested structured media content file portions from a server, wherein the first set of application program interfaces comprises:
an interface method to assign importance values to individual portions of the structured media content file that are contained in the client file structure, the importance values being usable to determine which file portions of the client file structure to remove in order to make room for other more important file portions;
an interface method to assign priority values to individual portions of the client file structure, the priority values being useable to determine which file portions should be provided from the server before other file portions;
an interface method to lock portions of the structured media content file in the client file structure;
and
an interface method to unlock portions of the structured media content file in the client file structure.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and systems for providing random access to structured media content

Life of this patent

Methods and systems for providing random access to structured media content

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28