Richard T Oesterreicher

7159234, Jan 2, 2007

Jun 27, 2003

10/609432

Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US
Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Dan Teifke - Bothell WA, US

G06F 11/00

725 87, 725 94, 714 4, 714 5, 714 6, 714 11

Systems, methods, and computer readable media are provided for very fast failover of streaming media servers. Fast failover allows for better quality of service. If a first server that is streaming media to a customer fails, a second server can continue operations in its place. Single frame failover can be accomplished by simultaneously streaming a digital asset by a first server and a second server. The second server flags each frame of the asset for discard, and meanwhile monitors the first server to ensure the first server is operational. Upon detecting a failure in the first server, the second server stops flagging frames for discard.

7194188, Mar 20, 2007

Apr 2, 2003

10/406042

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US

H04N 5/783
H04N 5/781
H04N 7/173

386 68, 386125, 725 87, 725 88

A system and method are disclosed for facilitating fast-forwarding by viewers through a first-run program beyond the current broadcast point. In one embodiment, the first-run program is distributed before its scheduled publication time, and may be viewed at any time after the publication time. In a second embodiment, content is distributed on or after the publication time, but at a rate greater than the normal viewing rate. In a third embodiment, content is distributed on demand after the publication time by a media distribution server. In a fourth embodiment, a viewer participating in a multicast session of the content requests content beyond the current broadcast point. The viewer is switched to a unicast session, and the requested content is transmitted to the viewer. In alternative embodiments, a release code may be provided to control the time after which the viewer will be permitted to view program segments beyond the current broadcast point.

7500055, Mar 3, 2009

Jun 27, 2003

10/609433

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US
Brian Eng - Bellevue WA, US
Brad Jackson - Kirkland WA, US

Beach Unlimited LLC - Las Vegas NV

G06F 12/00

711118

A system and method are disclosed for eliminating many of the transactional performance limitations in current digital media server systems by augmenting those existing systems with an adaptable cache. In a preferred embodiment, the adaptable cache is a compact storage device that can persist data and deliver it at an accelerated rate, as well as act as an intelligent controller and director of that data. Incorporating such an adaptable cache between existing storage devices and an external network interface of a media server, or at the network interface itself, significantly overcomes the transactional limitations of the storage devices, increasing performance and throughput for the overall digital media system. The adaptable cache of the present system and method may preferably be integrated directly into the storage and delivery pipelines, utilizing the native communications busses and protocols of those subsystems.

7680938, Mar 16, 2010

Aug 30, 2006

11/468613

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US

G06F 15/173

709226

A system and method for load balancing a plurality of servers is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of servers in a video-on-demand or other multi-server system are divided into one or more load-balancing groups. Each server preferably maintains state information concerning other servers in its load-balancing group including information concerning content maintained and served by each server in the group. Changes in a server's content status or other state information are preferably proactively delivered to other servers in the group. When a content request is received by any server in a load-balancing group, it evaluates the request in accordance with a specified algorithm to determine whether it should deliver the requested content itself or redirect the request to another server in its group. In a preferred embodiment, this determination is a function of information in the server's state table.

7899924, Mar 1, 2011

Feb 19, 2003

10/369306

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US

G06F 15/16

709231, 709232, 709250, 713150, 713160, 370229, 370469, 370474

A hardware engine that streams media asset data from a media buffer to a network under instructions provided by a host PC is disclosed. The PC preferably stores control blocks that provide packet header formatting instructions in a media buffer along with the media asset data to be streamed. In a preferred embodiment, the hardware engine comprises programmable logic devices so that the engine can be upgraded. The present invention further comprises methods for designing the hardware engine, methods for upgrading the hardware engine, and methods for streaming digital media asset data.

7912954, Mar 22, 2011

Jun 27, 2003

10/609426

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US

G06F 15/173

709226

A system and method for load balancing a plurality of servers is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of servers in a video-on-demand or other multi-server system are divided into one or more load-balancing groups. Each server preferably maintains state information concerning other servers in its load-balancing group including information concerning content maintained and served by each server in the group. Changes in a server's content status or other state information are preferably proactively delivered to other servers in the group. When a content request is received by any server in a load-balancing group, it evaluates the request in accordance with a specified algorithm to determine whether it should deliver the requested content itself or redirect the request to another server in its group. In a preferred embodiment, this determination is a function of information in the server's state table.

RE42685, Sep 6, 2011

Dec 20, 2007

11/961991

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Suwanee GA, US

G06F 9/44

717171, 717175, 709203, 386332, 348 E5008

A system and method are disclosed for upgrading both hardware and software components of a digital media server without disrupting media delivery services. In a preferred embodiment, the present system and method employ an object-oriented model that allows system servers to remain fully operational while software upgrades at both the operating system and application levels are installed. Additionally, the system and method use redundant or partitionable programmable logic devices to perform firmware upgrades without disrupting media delivery services.

8196172, Jun 5, 2012

Apr 10, 2006

11/401605

Richard T. Oesterreicher - Naples FL, US
Craig Murphy - Kirkland WA, US

H04N 7/173

725115, 725 90, 725 91

A system and method are disclosed for facilitating fast-forwarding by viewers through a first-run program beyond the current broadcast point. In one embodiment, the first-run program is distributed before its scheduled publication time, and may be viewed at any time after the publication time. In a second embodiment, content is distributed on or after the publication time, but at a rate greater than the normal viewing rate. In a third embodiment, content is distributed on demand after the publication time by a media distribution server. In a fourth embodiment, a viewer participating in a multicast session of the content requests content beyond the current broadcast point. The viewer is switched to a unicast session, and the requested content is transmitted to the viewer. In alternative embodiments, a release code may be provided to control the time after which the viewer will be permitted to view program segments beyond the current broadcast point.