Abstract:
The stream sourcing content delivery system goes to a database and builds a physical stream, based on a schedule. The stream source content delivery system works at a station ID (SID), finds the order of the delivery of content for the station based upon the schedule, and downloads a plurality of music files to its hard drive to enable play back. The stream source content delivery system then concatenates the files, to create stream, and awaits the request of one or more stream recipients. Some preferred system embodiments further comprise a fail-safe mode, whereby a loop of music is generated from the downloaded stream, and is delivered to one or more users when further access to content is interrupted, such that recipients experience an uninterrupted delivery of a plurality of files, e.g. songs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to the transfer, distribution, and play of streamed information or content in a network environment. More particularly, the invention relates to the creation of streamed and loopable content in a network environment.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The Internet comprises a web of computers and networks, which are widely spread throughout the world. The Internet currently comprises millions of network connections, and is used by millions of people, such as for business, education, entertainment, and/or basic communication.  
           [0003]    Digital content, such as sound recordings, e.g. songs, are often transferred across the Internet. In addition to the basic transfer of song files, numerous network enabled radio stations have been introduced, which provide content to listeners at computers across the Internet. Network enabled radio has significantly increased the magnitude and variety of content to recipients, as compared to conventional over-the-air radio broadcasts  
           [0004]    While there are numerous Internet radio stations currently in operation, there are many technological shortcomings in the delivery of digital content to listeners. For example, buffering between songs, i.e. tracks, and even during tracks, is a common occurrence, which commonly diminishes the quality of a broadcast for listeners. As well, a short or long duration failure across the network, e.g. a blackout, results in the cessation of a music presentation, further diminishing the user experience.  
           [0005]    As well, current content delivery systems do not offer sufficient flexibility and/or scalability for future network architectures and increased market demands. As the number of Internet radio stations increases to meet consumer demand, and as the number and variety of content recipients, i.e. listeners, increases, it will be necessary to provide substantial improvements in content delivery architectures.  
           [0006]    Pull vs. Push Mod Is for Content Delivery. In content delivery systems which operate on a push distribution model, a source complex makes an outbound connection to a distribution point, and pushes data to the distribution point at a rate determined by the source complex. However, in a content delivery system which operates on a push distribution model, broadcasters are required to be aware of the network architecture. Therefore, every time a distribution point is added, the broadcast configuration is required to change, to make an outbound connection to the new distribution point. As well, the implementation of fail over and/or load balancing logic typically requires that a push system frequently reconfigure both the distribution points and the broadcaster hosts.  
           [0007]    A pull model typically requires less buffering logic than a push model for the broadcaster, because the broadcaster just sends data obliviously, i.e. the distribution point is required to receive the data and feed a local buffer appropriately. In a content delivery system which operates on a pull distribution model, a distribution point initiates the connection with a broadcaster, and requests a desired stream identifier.  
           [0008]    Several structures and methods have been described for the distribution of content in a network environment.  
           [0009]    N. Dwek, Multimedia Content Delivery System and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,946, describes “A system and method for delivering multimedia content to computers over a computer network, such as the Internet, includes a novel media player which may be downloaded onto a user&#39;s personal computer. The media player includes a user interface which allows a listener to search an online database of media selections and build a custom playlist of exactly the music selections desired by the listener. The multimedia content delivery system delivers advertisements which remain visible on a user&#39;s computer display screen at all times when the application is open, for example, while music selections are being delivered to the user. The advertisements are displayed in a window which always remains on a topmost level of windows on the user&#39;s computer display screen, even if the user is executing one or more other programs with the computer.” 
           [0010]    M. DeLorenzo, Multi-Room Entertainment System with In-Room Media Player, U.S. Pat. No.6,438,450, describes “A plurality of media data, including audio data or audio/video data, are stored in a central database. A plurality of in-room, user interface systems access the media data through a central server. The central server presents to the in-room system a selection menu through which at least one of the media data may be selected. Upon selection of a media data by the user interface, the central server accesses the selected media data from the central database and transmits it to the in-room system. The media data may be transmitted by downloading the data to an intermediate system, playing the media data at the intermediate system and outputting the played media data to the in-room system through a communications line. The media data may also be transmitted by streaming the media data to the in-room system through a communications line. The central server may present to the in-room system any of a number of additional menus including a purchase menu through which the selected media data may be purchased, an activation menu through which communication between the in-room system and the central server may be established for a period of time, a radio menu through which any of a plurality of programmed media-data channels may be accessed and a mood menu through which the brightness of the image displayed on the in-room system video monitor may be affected.” 
           [0011]    Other structures and methods have been described for the distribution of content in a network environment, such as: Streaming Information Providing Method, European STREAM SOURCING CONTENT DELIVERY SYSTEM patent application Ser. No. 1187 423; O. Hodson, C. Perkins, and V. Hardman,  Skew Detection and Compensation for Internet Audio Applications ; 2000 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo; 2000; C. Aurrecoechea, A. Campbell, and Linda Hauw,  A Survey of Qos Architectures , Center for Telecommunication Research, Columbia University; www.ctr.columbia.edu/comet/members.html; S. Cen, C. Pu, R. Staehli, and J. Walpole,  A Distributed Real - Time MPEG Video Audio Player , Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology; N. Manouselis, P. Karampiperis, I. Vardiambasis, and A. Maras,  Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems under a Qos Perspective , Telecommunications Laboratory, Technical University of Crete;  Helix Universal Gateway Configuration Guide , RealNetworks Technical Blueprint Series; Jul. 21, 2002 ; Helix Universal Server from RealNetworks , www.realnetworks.com;  Helix Universal Gateway , www.realnetworks.com;  Helix Universal Server , www.realnetworks.com;  Media Delivery , www.realnetworks.com; and  Windows Media Services  9  Series , www.microsoft.com.  
           [0012]    Other systems describe various details of audio distribution, streaming, and/or the transfer of content in a network environment, such as G. France and S. Lee, Method for Streaming Transmission of Compressed Music, U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,119; D. Marks, Group Communications Multiplexing System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,491; M. Abecassis, Integration of Music From a Personal Library with Real-Time Information, U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,340; J. Logan, D. Goessling, and C. Call, Audio Program Player Including a Dynamic Program Selection Controller, U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,076; E. Sitnik, Multichannel Audio Distribution System Having Portable Receivers, U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,880; M. Bowman-Amuah, Method For Providing Communication Services Over a Computer Network System, U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,163; H. Ando, S. Ito, H. Takahashi, H. Unno, and H. Sogabe, Information Recording Device and A Method of Recording Information by Setting the Recording Area Based on Contiguous Data Area, U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,037; P. Hunt and M. Bright, Method and Apparatus for Intelligent and Automatic Preference Detection of Media Content, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. Pat. No. 2002 0078056; G. Beyda and K. Balasubramanian, Hybrid Network Based Advertising System and Method, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. Pat. No. 2002 0082914; System and Method for Delivering Plural Advertisement Information on a Data Network, International Publication Number WO 02/063414; Method for Recording and/or Reproducing Data on/from Recording/Recorded Medium, Reproducing Apparatus, Recording Medium, Method for Recognizing Recording/Recorded Medium, and Method for Recording and/or Reproducing Data for Apparatus Using Recording/Recorded Medium, European Patent Application No. EP 1 178 487; Method and System for Securely Distributing Computer Software Products, European Patent Application No. EP 1 229 476; Infornation Transmission System, Information Transmission Method, Computer Program Storage Medium Where Information Transmission Program is Stored, European Patent Application No. EP 1 244 021; Digital Content Publication, European Patent Application No. EP 1 267 247; File and Content Management, European Patent Application No. EP 1 286 351; S. Takao; Y. Kiyoshi; W. Kazuhiro; E. Kohei.  Packet Synchronization Recovery Circuit ; Section: E, Section No. 1225, Vol. 16, No. 294, Pg. 120; Jun. 29, 1992; R. Sion, A. Elmagarmid, S. Prabhakar, and A. Rezgui,  Challenges in Designing a Qos Aware Media Repository , Purdue University, hftp://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/sion; Z. Chen, S. Tan, R. Campbell, and Y. Li,  Real Time Video and Audio in the World Wide Web , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;  Content Networking with the Helix Platform , RealNetworks White Paper Series; Jul. 21, 2002; C. Hess,  Media Streaming Protocol: An Adaptive Protocol for the Delivery of Audio and Video over the Internet , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998; R. Koster,  Design of a Multimedia Player with Advanced Qos Control , Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, January 1997; C. Poellabauer and K. Schwan,  Coordinated CPU and Event Scheduling for Distributed Multimedia Applications , College of Computing Georgia Institute of Technology, R. West, Computing Science Department Boston University; and Windows Media—www.microsoft.com.  
           [0013]    While some content delivery technologies describe the delivery of streamed content across a network, existing systems do not adequately provide a seamless delivery to a large number of recipients, nor do such technologies provide a “fail safe” seamless playback of content upon failure across the network.  
           [0014]    It would be advantageous to provide a system and an associated method which provides a seamless delivery of songs to a large number of recipients, which provides a “fail safe” seamless playback of content upon failure across the network. The development of such a content delivery system would constitute a major technological advance.  
           [0015]    It would also be advantageous to provide a system and an associated method which provides delivery of content as well as metadata to multiple distribution points, and has the capability of broadcasting content indefinitely, even if a database or content store fails. The development of such a content delivery system would constitute a major technological advance.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0016]    The stream sourcing content delivery system goes to a database and builds a physical stream, based on a schedule. The stream source content delivery system works at a station ID (SID), finds the order of the delivery of content for the station based upon the schedule, and downloads a plurality of music files, e.g. 6 hours of music, to its hard drive to enable play back. The system then concatenates the files, to create a stream, and awaits the request of one or more stream recipients. Some preferred system embodiments further comprise a fail-safe mode, whereby a loop of music is generated from the downloaded stream, and is delivered to one or more users when further access to content is interrupted, such that recipients experience an uninterrupted delivery of a plurality of files, e.g. songs. A stream source content delivery system provides flexibility and scalability for large number of stations, e.g. up to 100 stations, and/or listeners. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a stream source content delivery system between a scheduling system, a content storage system, and a distribution point;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of stream source content delivery systems implemented within a pull model load balancing distribution environment;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of periodic playlist retrieval within the stream source content delivery system;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a flowchart of periodic playlist management within the stream source content delivery system;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of content cache marking within the stream source content delivery system;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a flowchart of content cache in memory within the stream source content delivery system;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of content stream management within the stream source content delivery system;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of looped content;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a first chart of system logging for a stream source content delivery system;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 is a second chart of system logging for a stream source content delivery system;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is a third chart of system logging for a stream source content delivery system; and  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 shows database schema for a stream source content delivery system.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    [0029]FIG. 1 is a schematic view  10  of a stream source content delivery (SSCD) system  12 , which acts as a bridge  11  between a scheduling system or database  14 , a content storage system  20 , and a distribution point  26 .  
         [0030]    A stream source content delivery system  12  fetches  22  songs  21 , e.g.  21   a - 21   n , from a content store  20  and stores them on a local disk  25  to be played by the user U. The system  12  loads these songs  21  into a memory  27 , and streams the songs  21 . It is sometimes the case that access to the content store  20  is lost. If a connection is lost between the stream sourcing content delivery server  12  and the content store  20  or local disk  25 , the system  12  preferably goes into a looping behavior  200  (FIG. 8), whereby the user&#39;s experience is uninterrupted. The looping behavior  200  avoids blackouts for the user, i.e. the loop  200  is of sufficient length  206  (FIG. 8) that the loop  200  is typically not noticeable, and is preferably DMCA compliant.  
         [0031]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  fetches songs  21 , e.g.  21   a - 21   n , from a content store  20  and stores them on a local disk  25 , to be played for a user U at a client terminal or computer  32 , e.g.  32   a  in FIG. 1. Client terminals or computers  32  typically comprise personal computers, mobile devices, and other microprocessor-based devices, such as portable digital assistants or network enabled cell phones. However, the apparatus and techniques can be implemented for a wide variety of electronic devices and systems, or any combination thereof, as desired.  
         [0032]    It is sometimes the case that access to the content store  20  is lost. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  loads these songs  21  into memory  27  and streams them to listeners  32 . If a connection is lost between the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  and the content store  20  or local disk  25 , the system  12  goes into a looping behavior  200  (FIG. 8), and the users experience is uninterrupted. The preferred looping behavior  200  avoids a blackout of content delivery to the user, and is typically compliant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) standards. By contrast, in the prior art, no such avoidance of blackout is provided, and in the case of a lost connection, a user experiences a lockup.  
         [0033]    Some preferred embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  provide, on a per file basis, an adjustable bit rate at which a stream  28  is sent  190 , 192  (FIG. 7), to avoid over running or under running at the receiving end of the stream  28 . This avoids a situation where timing errors can accumulate and result in interruptions or glitches in the delivery of music  21 .  
         [0034]    Some preferred embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  also preferably provide the insertion of metadata  210  (FIG. 8) into a stream  28 , to create song boundaries and to associate information with songs  21 .  
         [0035]    Some system embodiments  12  act as a component of a streaming architecture, such as for a Radio@ streaming architecture, available through Radio@AOL. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  delivers a formatted stream  28 , to a distribution point  26 , based on a content store  26  and a scheduling database  14 .  
         [0036]    From the high level view, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  fetches playlists  18  from a database  15  for each station  30 , e.g.  30   a , that the system  12  serves. The system  12  analyzes the playlists  18 , locally caches  24  the content  21   a - 21   n  for each station  30 , and sets up a listen thread, i.e. stream  28 . A distribution point  26  can then connect to the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , and relay the data stream  28 , typically corresponding to a relay protocol.  
         [0037]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  shown in FIG. 1 manages the retrieval  16  and caching of the playlists  18  from the scheduling database  14 , manages content  21  on the local disk  25  and in memory  27 , and relays content  21  to distribution points  26 , during normal operation and various failure conditions.  
         [0038]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  typically logs the status of the system operation and hardware, such that operations personnel can properly manage the stream sourcing system hardware  12 .  
         [0039]    Some preferred embodiments of stream sourcing content delivery system  12  comprehensively control the content  20 , the source complex, the distribution point  26 , the transport, and the clients  32   a - 32   j , to provide integrated flexibility and control over how content  21   a - 21   n  is delivered to users U, to ensure both that the user experience is maximized, and that system improvements and upgrades are readily implemented.  
         [0040]    In addition to improving the backend architecture of content delivery, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  improves user experience. For example, some preferred embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  do not require buffering between tracks. Users do not have to wait to buffer between songs  21  on the same stations  30 . Instead, there is typically a short buffering period when a user tunes into a station  30 . While the user listens to a station  30 , the user does not experience any buffering, unless the user has an abnormally bad network condition.  
         [0041]    As well, some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  provide reduced network congestion, through the use of matched data transmission, e.g. 14 kbps codec, and through the minimization of data overhead, which improves the delivery to data to a client  32 , i.e. it is less likely that a client  32  is not able to receive the necessary data for a given time slice. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  reduces a need to rebuffer in the middle of a song  21  due to network congestion, which further provides an improved user experience.  
         [0042]    The distribution point  26  shown in FIG. 1, which receives content streams  28 , e.g.  28   a - 28   k , from the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , may additionally receive content  38 , e.g. live content  38 , from a broadcaster  34 , such as through a broadcast feed  36 , e.g. SID=30.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of stream sourcing content delivery systems  12   a - 12   m  implemented within a load balanced pull model distribution environment  40 . Content delivery systems are typically configured to operate within either a push model architecture or a pull model architecture. In a push model system architecture, the system  12  makes an outbound connection to a distribution point  26 , and “pushes” data, e.g. songs  21 , to the distribution point  26 , at any rate that is acceptable the system  12 . A push model architecture requires less logic in the broadcaster  34  to deal with buffering, since the rate of the transmission of data  21  is not limited to external conditions, i.e. it is up to the distribution point  26  to receive the data  21   a - 21   n , and feed its own buffer appropriately.  
         [0044]    However, the downside of a push model architecture is that broadcasters  34  must be aware of the network architecture, such as the number and locations of distribution points  26 . Therefore, each time a distribution point  26  is added, the broadcast configuration is required to change, to make outbound connections to the new distribution point  26 . Furthermore, a push model architecture which includes fail over and/or load balancing becomes even more complex, and requires frequent reconfiguration of both the distribution points  28  and the broadcaster hosts  12 .  
         [0045]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12 a shown in FIG. 2 comprises a load-balanced “pull” model architecture  40 , in which a distribution point  26 , e.g.  26   a , initiates a connection with stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , e.g.  12   a , and requests the stream ID  30  that the distribution point  26  is interested in relaying to one or more clients  32 . Each stream sourcing content delivery system  12  in FIG. 2, e.g.  12   a , can accept multiple connections  30  (FIG. 1), and begins feeding data for any stream  28  that it is configured for. Therefore, the source complex  12  in the stream sourcing content delivery system  12   a  does not have to be aware of the network architecture. Instead, the source complex  12  only needs to be aware of the streams  30  that it is configured to serve.  
         [0046]    In the “pull” model architecture  40 , it is the responsibility of operations personnel to craft the network architecture as needed, whereby the majority of the network architecture is controlled by the distribution points  26 .  
         [0047]    As seen in FIG. 2, a load-balancing switch  42  in preferably located front of the stream sourcing content delivery hosts  12 , such that inbound connections from the distribution points  26  are automatically dispersed among the stream sourcing content delivery hosts  12 . The addition of distribution points  26  and load balancing  42  is readily achieved in the load-balanced “pull” model architecture  40  shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0048]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12   a  shown in FIG. 2 comprises a pull model, to simplify the responsibilities of system operations. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12   a  has been tested using a SHOUTCAST™ complex, available through NullSoft, Inc., to readily provide controlled broadcast and distribution functions.  
         [0049]    Song Selection Models—“Plan Ahead” vs. “Just In Time” Song Selection. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  can be configured for a wide variety of song selection models, such as “Just in Time” song selection, or “Plan Ahead” song selection.  
         [0050]    A “Just-in-Time” song selection model requires that the song selection process verify the existence of the file  21  on disk just before it is ready to be played. In some “Just-in-Time” song selection model embodiments, tracks are typically scheduled three tracks in advance. Some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  comprise Just-in-Time song selection, such as to decrease the chance of violating DMCA rules, and/or to maximize the chance that content  21  is available on the system disk  25 .  
         [0051]    Since song verification and access can be an intensive and time-sensitive process, which can be disrupted with the failure of multiple parts of the system, some system embodiments  12  preferably comprise a “Plan Ahead” song selection model, in which song tracks  21  for each station  30  are scheduled far in advance, and in which the local content cache  24  is populated with an extended playlist  18  of songs  21 . A “Plan Ahead” song selection model gives the broadcaster  34  an opportunity to plan ahead and pre-fetch the tracks  21  that the system  12  needs for the foreseeable future. A “Plan Ahead” song selection model also allows the caching of content  21  on the system  12 , so that in the event of a failure of the database  14  and content store  20 , the system  12  has sufficient content  21  to loop  200  (FIG. 8) on a DMCA compliant playlist  18 .  
         [0052]    System Performance and Scalability. The operating system of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  manages the retrieval of schedules playlists  18  and content  21 , the production of content streams  28 , and the loop  200  of content as needed. Therefore, the system input and output (IO) hardware, comprising the network  11  and disk  25 , is not the limiting factor in the performance of the system  12 , since the performance of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  is not limited by the overhead of the process. Therefore, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  is readily scaled to meet the needs of a large number of streams per host, e.g. as much as 150 or more streams per host system  12 , and/or as many as or more than 500 listeners or relays per host system  12 .  
         [0053]    While the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , is readily adapted for a wide variety of operating environments, current system embodiments typically comprise the following features:  
         [0054]    The system  12  schedules songs several tracks into the future, i.e. plan-ahead.  
         [0055]    The system  12  assumes that track time in the database  14  is correct.  
         [0056]    The system  12  assumes that the bit rate of each clip in the database  14  is correct and precise.  
         [0057]    Content  21  is either available via http, or is pre-loaded onto the local disk  
         [0058]    The schema of the system  12  preferably matches the database schema  
         [0059]    The metadata in database is currently less than or equal to 4000 bytes  
         [0060]    Database Management. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of periodic playlist retrieval  50  within the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . The system  12  typically communicates with the database  14 , e.g. such as an Oracle database  14 , through a database thread.  
         [0061]    The system  12  periodically wakes up  52 , e.g. such as every five minutes. Upon waking  52 , the system  12  logs  54  into the database  14 , such as within a user/password/database format, e.g. via a PRO*C daemon.  
         [0062]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  then performs a query  56  of how many total streams  28  that the system  12  is required to source, in order to allocate memory for the stream structures  28 . The system  12  queries  56  the database  14  for the current number of station identities (SIDs)  30 , and determines  58  if there are more results. Once the number of streams  28  has been determined, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  allocates the appropriate space, and continues.  
         [0063]    If there are no more results  60 , the process  50  is finished for that period, and begins  62  another sleep period, and then returns  64  to wake up  52 . If there are  66  more results, a determination  68  is made whether the result is a new SID  30 , at step  68 . If the SID determination  68  is negative  70 , i.e. the results are not a new SID  30 , the new playlist items are fetched  72 , not including what has been previously fetched. If the SID determination  68  is positive  76 , i.e. the results correspond a new SID  30 , the SID configuration for the new SID  30  is retrieved  78 , and the playlist  18  is fetched  80 , typically starting at the current time and extending for a time period, e.g. 5 minutes. The system  12  advances  74  to the next result in the result set, and returns to the result step  58 , to repeatedly process any other results, before sleeping  62 .  
         [0064]    As seen in FIG. 3, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  performs the periodic playlist retrieval process  50  after each sleep period, e.g. every 5 minutes.  
         [0065]    Retrieval of Stream Configurations. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  then retrieves the details for each stream  28  it will source. The system  12  compares the result set to the list of streams  28  it currently has, and adds any new streams  28  to the list.  
         [0066]    Retrieval of Playlists. For each stream configuration received in the previous step, the database thread queries the database  14 , and retrieves the corresponding playlist  18  for the stream  28 . The system  12  marks each playlist item  21  as “Not Cached”.  
         [0067]    Playlist Management. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of periodic playlist management  90  within the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , which illustrates normal operation for fetching new tracks. Under normal operation, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  queries  94  the database  14  and see if there are new tracks for the playlist for the given SID. The system  12  asks the database  14  if there are new tracks scheduled since the last time the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  retrieved this information (using a time and ID). If the determination is positive  96 , i.e. there are new items, the stream sourcing content delivery system adds  98  the information for each item to the playlist  18 , and returns  100  to the determination step  94 . If the determination is negative  102 , i.e. there are no new items, the periodic playlist management process  90  proceeds  104  to the next station ID  30 , queries the database  14  for the playlist  18  of the next station ID  30 , and then determines  94  if there are new tracks for the playlist  18  for the next SID  30 .  
         [0068]    The periodic playlist management process  90  is therefore repeated for each station ID  30 . The periodic playlist management process  90  guarantees that the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  has the maximum schedule for each station  30 , such that the system has the greatest chance to fetch the content  21  and to prepare the content stream  28 .  
         [0069]    Content Management. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  preferably caches content as far in the future as possible. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  uses two types of cache management, disk cache management, and memory cache management. As well, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  typically manages the removal of the content.  
         [0070]    Caching On Disk. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary content cache marking process  110  within a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . The system  12  looks  112  at a playlist item  21 , and determines  114  if the playlist item  21  is cached on the disk  25 .  
         [0071]    If the determination is positive  128 , e.g. the content is already cached on disk  25  from another station  30 , the system  12  touches  130  the file on the disk  25 , i.e. the system finds the content on disk  25 , and marks the playlist item as cached. The system  12  then advances  132  to the next playlist item  21 , and returns  134  to repeat the process, at step  112 .  
         [0072]    If the cache determination is negative  116 , e.g. the content is not already cached on disk  25  from another station  30 , the system fetches  118  the content  21  from the content store  20 , touches  120  the file on the disk  25 , and marks  122  the playlist item as cached on the disk  25 . The system  12  then advances  124  to the next playlist item  21 , and returns  126  to repeat the process, at step  112 .  
         [0073]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  periodically analyzes the items  21  in the playlist  18  for each stream  18 . If the system  12  sees an item in the playlist  18  that hasn&#39;t been marked as cached, the system  12  attempts to cache the content  21 . Before the system  12  caches the content  21 , the system  12  checks to see if the content  21  is already on disk  25 , i.e. the content  21  may already be cached on disk from another station  30 . If the system  12  finds the content  21  on disk  25 , the system  12  marks the playlist entry as cached. Otherwise, the system  12  fetches the content  21 , such as by using a corresponding URL from the database  14  to fetch the content  21  via HTTP. The system  12  then marks the content  21  cached on disk  25 .  
         [0074]    Caching in Memory. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of content caching in memory within a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  not only caches content  21  on disk  25 , but also caches content  21  in memory  27 , shortly before the content  21  plays. Each time a track  21  finishes streaming, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  typically looks ahead at the next two tracks  21  that it will stream. The system  12  then checks to see if these tracks  21  are in memory  27 . If such a track  21  is not in memory  27 , the system  12  reads the track  21  off of disk  25  into memory  27 . Therefore, at any given time, there are typically two tracks  21  per station  30  cached in memory  27  waiting to be streamed, which reduces the load on the system  12  when the data is sent.  
         [0075]    As seen in FIG. 6, when the system finishes  142  streaming a track  21 , a determination  144  is made whether the next track is cached in memory  27 . If the determination  152  is positive  152 , the system  12  proceeds to analyze  154  the next track  21 , while incrementing a counter. If the determination  152  is negative  146 , the system  12  reads  148  the file off the disk  25  and caches to memory  27 , while incrementing a counter.  
         [0076]    At step  154 , a determination is made whether the second track to be played  21  is cached in memory  27 . If the determination  154  is positive  162 , the system  12  proceeds to analyze  154  the third track  21 . If the determination  154  is negative  156 , the system  12  reads  158  the file off the disk  25  and caches to memory  27 , while incrementing the counter.  
         [0077]    At step  164 , a determination is made whether the third track to be played  21  is cached in memory  27 . If the determination  164  is positive  162 , the system  12  sleeps  174  until the next track  21  finishes streaming. If the determination  154  is negative  166 , the system  12  reads  168  the file off the disk  25  and caches to memory  27 , while incrementing the counter.  
         [0078]    Removing Content from Disk. The removal of content  21  from disk  25  is left to operations to manage. Since the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  does a system “touch”  120 , 130  (FIG. 5) on a file  21  when the system  12  anticipates using the file  21 , the identification of stale content  21  is readily performed. In some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 , a chronological content removal process, i.e. a “cron” job, is performed periodically, e.g. once every hour, in which any content  21  that is older than a specified time, e.g. 6-12 hours old, is removed.  
         [0079]    Removing Content from Memory. When the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  finishes streaming a file, the system  12  frees the memory  27  for the track  21 . Content  21  is typically cached in memory  27  uniquely for each stream  28 . Therefore, there can be an overlap of content  21  between streams  28  in the stream sourcing content delivery system  12 .  
         [0080]    Stream Management. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of content stream management within a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . The stream sourcing content delivery stream management functions similarly to “producer consumer” model.  
         [0081]    As seen in FIG. 7, there is a buffer  186 , e.g.  186   a  for each stream  28 , e.g.  28   a , that is required to receive new content  21 , to remain as full  188  as possible. The input thread  181  attempts  182   a - 182   p  to fill  188  each of the buffers  186   a - 186   p , such as through a loop process  184 . At the same time, there is a thread  190 , e.g.  190   a  that is sending data from the buffer  186  to connected listeners/relays  192   a - 192   p , such as through loop  194 , preferably at the bit rate for each stream  28 . . There is typically a single thread  181  which feeds all of the buffers  186  from the files  21  cached in memory  27 , and one thread  190  per system  12  CPU which sends data from the buffer  186  to receivers  192 , e.g.  192   a.    
         [0082]    Starting the Stream. When a stream  28  first starts, unless the system  12  is in a failure condition, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  attempts to start playing the next track  21  at the scheduled start time for the track  21 . This ensures that multiple stream sourcing content delivery instances  12  are synchronized, both with other stream sourcing content delivery instances  12 , and with and database  14 .  
         [0083]    Stream Format. Data is read from the cached files in memory  27 , and is preferably encapsulated. The data is then fed into the circular buffer  186  for each stream  18 .  
         [0084]    Metadata Insertion. Metadata  210  for each track  21  is inserted just before the track data  21  is fed into the buffer  186 . Metadata  210  is stored along with scheduled tracks  21  in the database  21 . The metadata  210  is preferably formatted within the database  14 . The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  retrieves metadata  210 , along with the playlist item information  21 . At the time that the track  21  will play, the metadata  210  is encapsulated, using the metaclass and metatype from the stream configuration, and the metadata message  210  is added the buffer  186 . In some system embodiments  12 , “0x901” is used for cached metadata  210 .  
         [0085]    Relay Functionality. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  exposes a listen thread, which is responsible for listening for inbound connections. When a connection is established, a relay negotiation occurs, such as in compliance with a relay protocol. Upon a successful negotiation, the file descriptor for the non-blocking socket is added to the listener send list.  
         [0086]    Time Management. Some embodiments of the stream sourcing content system  12  require that a client  32  be able to display a time elapsed per song  21 . While song-lengths  204 , e.g.  204   a  (FIG. 8), are normally passed down along with song changes, a listener is not guaranteed to tune in during a song-change, i.e. just as a new song  21  begins. Therefore, some preferred embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  are adapted to display time-remaining information  214  (FIG. 8), such as within metadata  210 , which is inserted into the datastream  28 .  
         [0087]    In an exemplary embodiment of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  which displays time-remaining information  214 , the system  12  reads the length  204  of a track  21  as one of the data fields in the playlist fetch. As a song  21  is ready to be streamed, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  looks at the corresponding time, and creates the following cached metadata message:  
                                       Class =   0x5       Type =   0x000       MID =   incremental from startup       MTOT =   0x00000001       MCURR =   0x00000001       Payload =   [size of track in bytes][bytes sent] (these are both integers)                  
 
         [0088]    After every N seconds, e.g. N=2 seconds, until the end of the track  21 , the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  sends the 0x5000 message. However, instead of t=0 in the payload, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  estimates the amount of time that has elapsed  212  (FIG. 8) in the track  21 , and inserts that value: 
         Payload=len=&lt;track length in seconds&gt;;t=&lt;time elapsed&gt;.  (1) 
         [0089]    The frequency of the repeated pass-thru metadata  210  is preferably configurable.  
         [0090]    In some preferred system embodiments, the display of elapsed time  212  comprises the following features:  
         [0091]    The system  12  looks for the first occurrence of a 0x5000 message, calculates the time remaining  214  for the given clipid, and initializes the display and timer to decrement the value.  
         [0092]    The system  12  disregards subsequent 0x5000 messages until the clipid changes.  
         [0093]    If the timer hits 0 before the system  12  sees a 0x5000 with a new clipid, the system  12  typically grays out the time remaining, i.e. this could occur if there is any drift, or if the time in the database is not exact.  
         [0094]    On a song-change, the system  12  uses the song-length information  204  in the 0x3000 message, to initialize the timer.  
         [0095]    Failover &amp; Recovery Conditions.  
         [0096]    Database is Down on Startup. Most embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  keep a time snapshot, e.g. 5 minutes, of station information  30 , playlists  18 , and metadata  210 . After each time period database sequence, e.g. after every 5 minutes, some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  writes a file to disk called FAIL 0 .bin. FAIL 0 .bin which contains station information  30 , playlists  18 , and metadata  210  for all streams  18 .  
         [0097]    Database and Content Store are Down at Startup. If FAIL 0 .bin doesn&#39;t exist and the database  14  is unavailable, the stream sourcing content delivery system exits.  
         [0098]    Database and Content Store Fail for a Short Time. On a database sequence failure, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  increases the frequency of polling the database  14  to every 30 seconds. For HTTP content grabs, the following applies:  
         [0099]    HTTP  500 —retry in 10 seconds; log the error  
         [0100]    HTTP  404 —ignored; after X 404&#39;s in a row, log the error  
         [0101]    HTTP unavailable—retry in 30 seconds; log the error  
         [0102]    Database &amp; Content Store Fail for an Extended Time. If the database  14  and content store  20  fail for an extended period, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  typically continues to advance through the playlist  18 . If the system  12  reaches the second-to-last playlist item  21 , the system  12  goes into a “looping mode”  200 , and a log entry is preferably made, to note the required looping operation  200 . The first track  21  in the playlist  18  is then cached into memory  27 . After each track  21  finishes streaming, the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  checks for new items in the playlist  18 , to stop the looping operation  200  if possible, i.e. to resume normal streaming of content  21 .  
         [0103]    Periodic Synchronization. Some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  comprise a periodic synchronization, such as to compensate for any time drift between playlists  18 .  
         [0104]    For example, in some system embodiments  12 , whereby multiple stream sourcing content delivery processes may drift in their playlists  18  by small amounts over time, e.g. the course of a day, a synchronization may preferably be periodically performed, e.g. daily, to minimize the overall drift.  
         [0105]    For example, in a system embodiment  12  which comprises a daily synchronization, the synchronization process is preferably performed at a time which minimizes the disruption of content playback for users, such as at late night or early morning. For example, in an exemplary daily synchronization methodology, on embodiment of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  stops and then begins streaming the next track that is scheduled for 5:00AM for a station  30 . While such a synchronization could cause a cut in the song  21  that is being listening to, the process ensures that the system servers are synchronization, and would affect only a small group of users.  
         [0106]    System Configuration. Some embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  allow for the configuration of the following parameters:  
         [0107]    PortBase: The port that listeners(blades) can connect to  
         [0108]    MaxUser: The maximum number of listeners that the server will accept.  
         [0109]    Password: Password for logging into the administrative interface.  
         [0110]    LogFile: Path to the logfile  
         [0111]    DBName: DatabaseID for Stream sourcing content delivery to use to log into the DB.  
         [0112]    DBUser: UserID for Stream sourcing content delivery to use to log into the DB.  
         [0113]    DBPassword: Password for the DB.  
         [0114]    BroadcasterID: Maps to a table in the database to retrieve information about which streams this instance of stream sourcing content delivery is responsible for.  
         [0115]    FlavorID: Streaming service  
         [0116]    MaxPlaylist: The maximum number of playlist items in memory for an individual; its what it will loop on, in the event of db failure  
         [0117]    RealTime  
         [0118]    ScreenLog  
         [0119]    CpuCount: number of CPU&#39;s in the machine, if Stream sourcing content delivery cant detect it, which it does for solaris, but for Linux, it cannot.  
         [0120]    GMTOffset: the “sysops” have to set this so that the DB, which is GMT based, returns the correct time to the stream sourcing content delivery for track play  
         [0121]    Logging. FIG. 9 is a first chart  220   a  of system logging for a stream sourcing content  10  delivery system  12 . FIG. 10 is a second chart  220   b  of system logging for a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . FIG. 11 is a third chart of system logging  220   c  for a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 . FIG. 12 shows database schema  250  for a stream sourcing content delivery system  12 .  
         [0122]    System Advantages. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  and associated methods provide significant advantages over existing content delivery and broadcast systems, and provides improvements to the scheduling, caching, and/or playing of content, e.g. songs.  
         [0123]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  delivers content  21  and metadata  210  to multiple distribution points  26 , and is able to broadcast content indefinitely if the database  12  or content store  20  fails. If a connection is lost between the stream sourcing content delivery server  12  and the content store  20 , the system  12  goes into a looping behavior  200 , whereby the user&#39;s experience is uninterrupted. The looping behavior is avoids content blackouts for the user, i.e. the loop  200  is of sufficient length that it is typically not noticeable, and is preferably DMCA compliant.  
         [0124]    The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  is also readily scaled to the number of broadcast streams  28   a - 28   k , and allows operations to easily manage the source complex. The stream sourcing content delivery system  12  is readily expanded and scaled for a large number of stations  32 , distribution points  26 , clients, relays, and/or listeners. A plurality of systems  12  can readily be operated together, and may further comprise load balancing between systems  12 .  
         [0125]    As well, datastreams within the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  preferably comprise metadata associated with the steam and/or songs, e.g. to create song boundaries, as well as controlled buffering and synchronization.  
         [0126]    Preferred embodiments of the stream sourcing content delivery system  12  sends content, on a per file basis, at a bit rate which matches the actual bit rate of reception and use, which avoids either over run or under run of data transfer.  
         [0127]    Although the stream sourcing content delivery system and methods of use are described herein in connection with the delivery of music, i.e. songs, the apparatus and techniques can be implemented for a wide variety of electronic content, such as a wide variety of audio content, e.g. songs, dialog, discussion, video content, multimedia content, or any combination thereof, as desired.  
         [0128]    Although the stream sourcing content delivery system and methods of use are described herein in connection with personal computers, mobile devices, and other microprocessor-based devices, such as portable digital assistants or network enabled cell phones, the apparatus and techniques can be implemented for a wide variety of electronic devices and systems, or any combination thereof, as desired.  
         [0129]    As well, while the stream sourcing content delivery system and methods of use are described herein in connection with interaction between a user terminals and one or more radio station sites across a network such as the Internet, the stream sourcing content delivery system and methods of use can be implemented for a wide variety of electronic devices and networks or any combination thereof, as desired.  
         [0130]    Accordingly, although the invention has been described in detail with reference to a particular preferred embodiment, persons possessing ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.