INTERACTIVE DELIVERY OF MEDIA USING DYNAMIC PLAYLIST GENERATION SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIVE CRITERIA

摘要

A media delivery scheme distributes a stream of media files to a group of users while allowing individual users to request specific media files. In one embodiment, a media server maintains a playlist of media files to broadcast, and requests for media must satisfy certain restrictive criteria to be added to the playlist. In another aspect of a preferred embodiment, the media server schedules requested media so as to comply with provisions of the DMCA.

主权项

1. A computer implemented method of interactively delivering media over a computer network from a media server to a plurality of clients, the method comprising:
generating a first playlist that defines a first media file sequence, said first playlist satisfying a first set of restrictive criteria specified by a first client; generating a second playlist that defines a second media file sequence, said second playlist satisfying a second set of restrictive criteria specified by a second client; receiving a request to add a first media file to said first playlist from a third client while broadcasting said first media file sequence on a first channel; broadcasting a first updated media file sequence on said first channel as a conditional response to a determination that said first media file satisfies said first set of restrictive criteria specified by said first client, wherein said first set of restrictive criteria preclude any media files outside a first genre specified by said first client from being added to said first playlist and wherein said first updated media file sequence is formed by scheduling said first media file into said first playlist; receiving a request to add a second media file to said second playlist from a fourth client while broadcasting said second media file sequence on a second channel; and broadcasting a second updated media file sequence on said second channel as a conditional response to a determination that said second media file satisfies said second set of restrictive criteria specified by said second client, wherein said second set of restrictive criteria preclude any media files outside a second genre specified by said second client from being added to said second playlist and wherein said second updated media file sequence is formed by scheduling said second media file into said second playlist.