System and method for data stream fragmentation with scalability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11943273-B2
Application number	US-202318124405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2023
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A method of data conditioning is disclosed that in one aspect can include the steps of receiving a data stream, encoding a time code in the data stream to identify a portion of the data stream corresponding to a content fragment, and separating the identified portion of the data stream to define the content fragment, wherein the content fragment comprises the encoded time code.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
receive a data stream;
encode a time code in the data stream;
separate, based on the time code, the data stream to define a content fragment, wherein the content fragment comprises the encoded time code;
encode a horizon window indicating at least one next in time fragment into the content fragment and, for the at least one next in time fragment, indicate a quality level of the at least one next in time fragment; and
store the content fragment in a content delivery network.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the time code indicates a time the content fragment was created.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the time code is derived from UNIX-based time.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the time code is derived by adding a duration of the content fragment to a standard time at a time when the data stream is encoded.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to encode the time code in the data stream, further cause the at least one processor to encode in the data stream at least one of a service identification, an encoder identification, or an encoder software identification.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the data stream is a transport stream and wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to encode a service descriptor table in private data of the transport stream.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to encode the data stream with fragmentor information comprising at least one of a fragmentor device identification or a fragmentor software identification.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein the fragmentor information is encoded in a header of the content fragment.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to encode the content fragment of the data stream with an authenticated checksum.

10. A system comprising:
a first computing device configured to:
send a data stream; and

a second computing device configured to:
receive the data stream;
encode a time code in the data stream;
separate, based on the time code, the data stream to define a content fragment, wherein the content fragment comprises the encoded time code;
encode a horizon window indicating at least one next in time fragment into the content fragment and, for the at least one next in time fragment, indicate a quality level of the at least one next in time fragment; and
store the content fragment in a content delivery network.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the time code indicates a time the content fragment was created.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the time code is derived from UNIX-based time.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the time code is derived by adding a duration of the content fragment to a standard time at a time when the data stream is encoded.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein to encode the time code in the data stream, the second computing device is configured to encode in the data stream at least one of a service identification, an encoder identification, or an encoder software identification.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the data stream is a transport stream and wherein the second computing device is further configured to encode a service descriptor table in private data of the transport stream.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second computing device is further configured to encode the data stream with fragmentor information comprising at least one of a fragmentor device identification or a fragmentor software identification.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the fragmentor information is encoded in a header of the content fragment.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second computing device is further configured to encode the content fragment of the data stream with an authenticated checksum.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
receive a data stream;
separate the data stream into a plurality of content fragments;
encode a horizon window indicating at least one next in time fragment into the plurality of content fragments and, for the at least one next in time fragment, indicate a quality level of the at least one next in time fragment; and
store at least one of the plurality of content fragments in a content delivery network.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to encode a time code in the data stream, wherein separating the data stream into the plurality of content fragments is based on the time code.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to encode the data stream with fragmentor information comprising at least one of a fragmentor device identification or a fragmentor software identification.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein the horizon window indication of the at least one next in time content fragment is encoded in a universally unique identifier (UUID) container of each content fragment of the plurality of content fragments.

23. A system comprising:
a first computing device configured to:
send a data stream; and

a second computing device configured to:
receive the data stream;
separate the data stream into a plurality of content fragments;
encode a horizon window indicating at least one next in time fragment into the plurality of content fragments and, for the at least one next in time fragment, indicate a quality level of the at least one next in time fragment; and
store at least one of the plurality of content fragments in a content delivery network.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the second computing device is further configured to encode a time code in the data stream, wherein separating the data stream into the plurality of content fragments is based on the time code.

25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the second computing device is further configured to encode the data stream with fragmentor information comprising at least one of a fragmentor device identification or a fragmentor software identification.

26. The system of claim 23 , wherein the horizon window indication of the at least one next in time content fragment is

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Van Doorn Jan
• Field Brian

Classifications

• H04L65/70 Primary

  Media network packetisation · CPC title

• G06F15/16

  Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs {(coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B)} · CPC title

• H04N21/234309 Primary

  by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo (conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01) · CPC title

• H04N21/235

  Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors · CPC title

• H04N21/435

  Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream · CPC title