Patent · US Active

Random access read/write media format for an on-demand distributed streaming system

US7536470B2 · kind B2 · utility

19Cited by
9References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 12, 2005
Grant dateMay 19, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 15, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L69/14
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A random access read/write media format that enables segments of media to be read, written, accessed, and streamed in a non-sequential order. A media file is divided into a series of timeblocks TB0 to TBn-1 wherein each timeblock consists of media packets of a short non-overlapping time span. Each media packet in the media file is also divided into data units identifiable by data unit ID. A timeblock index table, with an entry for each timeblock in the series, and a media packet index field with a data unit ID entry for each data unit in the media packet (located in each timeblock header), are used to quickly locate portions of desired data. This two-level index hierarchy, the timeblock index table and the media packet index table, eases the locating, reading and writing of non-sequential media packets. The timeblock index allows data to be quickly found in terms of time, while the media packet index allows data to be quickly found by data unit ID.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.