Patent ID: 7917612

Claim:
A method for determining a status of a streaming delivery of content, the method comprising: intercepting at a streaming proxy system instructions sent between a client system and a content provider system during a streaming delivery of content to the client system from the content provider system through the streaming proxy system, the instructions being defined according to a streaming protocol and comprising a plurality of commands used by the client system and the content provider system to manage the streaming delivery of content including at least one set up instruction, at least one tear down instruction, and at least one play or pause instruction issued by the client based on playback control of the content by a user of the client system; analyzing with the streaming proxy system the commands used by the client system and content provider system to manage the streaming delivery of content to determine a delivery status for the streaming delivery of content to the client system based on a sequence and timing of the plurality of commands, the delivery status being determined at least in part by applying a rules base to the intercepted commands and a history of actions by a user of the client during previous streaming of content and indicating a pattern of access of content by the user of the client with the streaming proxy system, the delivery status representing at least a completeness of delivery; and based upon the determined delivery status, determining with the streaming proxy system at least one billing action for the streaming delivery.