System and method for progressive download using surplus network capacity

摘要

Systems and methods for providing the progressive download of media content using techniques that preferentially identify and use periods of surplus network capacity to maintain the content delivery. A buffer of a receiving system is maintained and pre-filled with enough content to bridge playback intervals where a network is unable to deliver content as fast as it is played out. Content delivery does not impact other users' applications and use of the network and its resources since content is preferentially sent when surplus network capacity exists in the network. When no surplus network capacity is available, a user requesting content may be given the option to continue the delivery in the background so that the content may be played at a later time. The user may then resume their playback experience once the content has been completely delivered using surplus network capacity as it becomes available.

主权项

1. A method for transferring content from a sending system to a receiving system, the sending system and the receiving system being part of a network configured to handle a first network traffic and a second network traffic, the second network traffic having a higher priority than the first network traffic, the method comprising:
receiving a first portion of a requested content file in a buffer of the receiving system, wherein the first portion is sent by the sending system over a network as a streaming media file, the receiving of the requested content file being associated with the first network traffic; playing the received portion of the streaming media file on the receiving system; providing a first alert to a user of the receiving system that provides a choice to continue receiving segments of the requested content file using a background delivery mode; receiving an instruction from the user in response to the first alert requesting the background delivery mode for delivery of the requested content file; suspending playing of the received portion of the streaming media file on the receiving system; and receiving a remaining portion of the requested content file in the background delivery mode from the sending system using surplus network capacity, the surplus network capacity being an amount of network capacity determined to be available at a given time period for handling the first network traffic without adversely affecting the second network traffic in the network, wherein the background delivery mode includes: stopping or pausing the playing of the received portion of the streaming media file; receiving the remaining portion of the requested content file using the surplus network capacity; and storing the remaining portion of the requested content file in a local storage of the receiving system for a subsequent playback of the requested content file.