Patent ID: 8122141

Claim:
A method for distributing streaming media via a data communications medium such as the Internet to at least one user system of at least one user, the streaming media comprising a plurality of sequential media data elements for a digitally encoded audio or video program, comprising providing a server programmed to receive requests from the user system for media data elements corresponding to specified serial identifiers and to send media data elements to the user system responsive to said requests, at a rate more rapid than the rate at which said streaming media is played back by a user; and providing a machine-readable medium accessible to said user, on which there has been recorded software for implementing a media player for receiving and playing the streaming media on said user system, said software being programmed to cause the media player to maintain a record of the identifier of the last data element that has been received; and to transmit requests to the server to send one or more data elements, specifying the identifiers of the data elements, as said media player requires in order to maintain a sufficient number of media data elements in the media player for uninterrupted playback.