# US 7,024,485 B2 · System for controlling and enforcing playback restrictions for a media file by splitting the media file into usable and unusable portions for playback > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,024,485 B2 - Document ID: US7024485B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/291,210 - Filed: 2002-11-08 - Published: 2003-09-18 - Granted: 2006-04-04 - Earliest claimed: 2000-05-03 - Assignees: Yahoo! Inc. - Inventors: Ted E Dunning; Amir Doron - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7024485B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06F 16/335: Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles (filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536) - G06F 16/337: {Profile generation, learning or modification} - G06F 16/40: of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data (retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70) - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G07F 17/16: for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like - H04L 65/612: for unicast - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04L 67/289: Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network - H04L 67/56: Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54) - H04L 67/568: Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching - H04N 21/2662: Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities - H04N 21/4331: {Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback} - H04N 21/440227: {by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Files are divided into parts and at least some of the parts are transmitted to a client using a communication channel. At least some of the transmitted parts are cached locally. This allows subsequent streaming playback of the file while using less bandwidth by transmitting the part of the file that hasn't been cached, and combining the cached parts with the transmitted parts. In some embodiments, files may be represented at a low quality level by a first data set, and at higher quality levels with additional data sets. Data sets are cached locally, so that during subsequent streaming playback of the file, the quality level of the playback may be improved by sending additional data sets using bandwidth that would otherwise be dedicated to transmitting the cached data sets. ## Claims ### Claim 1 In a client connected to a network and including a local storage device, a computer-implemented method of receiving and playing a media file comprising at least a first part and a second part, comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server m a first session the second part of the media file; storing the second part at the local storage device; receiving over the network and from a remote server m a second session subsequent to the first session the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second session with the stored second part after the start of the second session; and playing a representation of the media file at the local client after combining at least part of the first and second parts after the start of the second session; wherein the second part is not usable for playback without being combined with the first part. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received parts of the media file are encoded, and the second part is undecodable unless combined with the first part. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the media file is unplayable at the local client without authorization by a remote server. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein authorization comprises the reception over the network and from a remote server the first part of the media file. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the neither the first part nor the second part is independently usable to recreate a recognizable facsimile of the content of the media file. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of bits, wherein the first part comprises a first subset of bits from each section, and the second part comprises the remaining bits from each section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the media ifie is divided into a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of bits, wherein the first part comprises a first bit from each section, and the second part comprises the remaining bits from each section. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server during the first session the first part of the media file; and playing the representation of the media file back at the local client during the first session. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 8) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 8, wherein the first part is not stored at the local storage device after the playing of the media file. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 8) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 8, wherein the combined first and second parts are not stored at the local storage device after the playing of the media file. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the played representation of the media file is an exact digital copy of the media file. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the media file further comprises a third part; the first and second parts are combinable to form a representation of the media file at a first quality level; and the first, second, and third parts are combinable to form a representation of the media file at a second quality level higher than the first quality level. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer implemented method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server the third part of the media file; storing the third part at the local storage device; combining the received third part with the stored first part and the stored second part to form the representation of the media file at the second quality level; and playing the representation of the media file after combining the first, second, and third parts. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the third part is received over the network and from a remote server in a session other than the first session. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the third part and not the second part is received over the network and from a remote server in a session other than the first session. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the first part is not stored at the local storage device after the playing of the media file. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the combined first, second, and third parts are not stored at the local storage device after the playing of the representation of the media file. ### Claim 18 In a client connected to a network and including a local storage device, a computer-implemented method of receiving and playing a media file comprising at least a first part and a second part, comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server in a first session the second part of the media file; storing the second part at the local storage device; receiving over the network and from a remote server in a second session subsequent to the first session the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second session with the stored second part after the start of the second session; and playing a representation of the media file at the local client after combining at least part of the first and second parts after the start of the second session; wherein the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, wherein one of the sections contains exactly X bits, and wherein each of the remaining sections contains exactly Y bits, wherein X is less than or equal to Y, and wherein the first part comprises a first subset of bits from each section, and the second part comprises the remaining bits from each section. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer implemented method of claim 18, wherein Y equals 20. ### Claim 20 In a client connected to a network and including a local storage device, a computer-implemented method of receiving and playing a media file comprising at least a first part and a second parts, comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server in a first session the second part of the media file; storing the second part at the local storage device; receiving over the network and from a remote server in a second session subsequent to the first session the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second session with the stored second part after the start of the second session; and playing a representation of the media file at the local client after combining at least part of the first and second parts after the start of the second session; wherein the first part comprises headers, compression table selectors and scale factors of the media file. ### Claim 21 In a client connected to a network and including a local storage device, a computer-implemented method of receiving and playing a media file comprising at least a first part and a second part, comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server in a first session the first part of the media file, the first part of the media file comprising a representation of the media file at a first quality level; receiving over the network and from a remote server the second part of the media file, wherein the first and second parts are combinable to form a representation of the media file at a second quality level higher than the first quality level; storing the second part at the local storage device; receiving over the network and from a remote server in a second session subsequent to the first session the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the received first part with the stored second part; and playing a representation of the media file at the local client; wherein the second part is not usable for playback without being combined with the first part. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the first part is not stored at the local storage device after the playing of the media file. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the representation of the media file is played after combining the first and second parts. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the representation of the media file is played in response to a command, and the representation of the media file is generated from at least the first part. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the representation of the media file is generated from the second part as well as the first part if both the first part and the second part have been received at the time of playback. ### Claim 26 In a client connected to a network and including a local storage device, a computer-implemented method of receiving and playing a media file comprising at least a first part and a second part, comprising: receiving over the network and from a remote server in a first session the second part of the media file; storing the second part at the local storage device; receiving over the network and from a remote server in a second session subsequent to the first session the first part of the media file and not the second part of the media file; combining the first part received in the second session with the stored second part after the start of the second session; and playing a representation of the media file at the local client after combining at least part of the first and second parts after the start of the second session; wherein the media file is divided into a plurality of sections, wherein one of the sections contains exactly X bits, and wherein each of the remaining sections contains exactly Y bits, wherein X is less than or equal to Y, and wherein the first part comprises a first bit from each section, and the second part comprises the remaining bits from each section. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The computer implemented method of claim 26, wherein Y equals 20.