Prior art

Prior Art Analysis for U.S. Patent No. 11,470,138

This analysis reviews prior art references cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent No. 11,470,138 ("the '138 patent"). The independent claims (1, 14, and 19) of the '138 patent generally describe a method, system, and apparatus for streaming media by:

1. Segmenting media content into sequential "streamlets."
2. Encoding each streamlet into a set of streamlets, where each streamlet in the set corresponds to the same time index but has a unique bitrate.
3. Utilizing a "master module" to assign encoding jobs to a plurality of "host computing modules."
4. Basing the assignment on an "encoding job completion bid" received from the host modules.

For a prior art reference to anticipate a claim under 35 U.S.C. § 102, it must disclose, either expressly or inherently, every limitation of the claim. The most significant and potentially novel limitation in the '138 patent claims appears to be the use of an "encoding job completion bid" from host modules to a master module for the assignment of encoding tasks.

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1. U.S. Patent No. 6,985,958 B2 (Zimmer et al.)

• Full Citation: US 6,985,958 B2, "Method and system for providing content adaptation in a content distribution network," filed by S. Zimmer et al., and assigned to AT&T Corp.
• Dates: Filed May 1, 2002; Published Jan. 10, 2006.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system within a Content Distribution Network (CDN) that adapts content to suit the capabilities of a requesting client device. It discloses intercepting a content request, determining the client's capabilities, and then selecting a pre-stored, appropriately formatted version of the content or directing the request to a content adaptation server to transcode the content in real-time. The system aims to optimize delivery by matching content versions to client device characteristics (e.g., screen size, processing power, network connection).
• Potential Anticipation of US 11,470,138 Claims:
  • This reference teaches the concept of having multiple versions of content available for different network conditions and client types, which is foundational to adaptive bitrate streaming. It addresses the "why" (adapting to client needs) but is less specific on the "how" of the '138 patent's encoding architecture.
  • Anticipation Analysis: Zimmer et al. does not appear to anticipate the claims of the '138 patent. While it discusses transcoding and selecting content versions, it does not disclose the specific architecture of segmenting content into "streamlets" and, critically, lacks any teaching of a distributed encoding system where a master module assigns jobs to host modules based on a "completion bid." The job allocation mechanism, a key element of the '138 patent's claims, is absent.

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2. U.S. Patent No. 8,650,318 B2 (Riedl et al.)

• Full Citation: US 8,650,318 B2, "System and method for directing a client to a content source," filed by S. Riedl et al., and assigned to Smooth-Flow, LLC.
• Dates: Filed Sep. 28, 2009; Published Feb. 11, 2014.
• Brief Description: This patent details a method for directing a client device to an optimal content source (e.g., a server in a CDN) from which to stream media. The system uses a "manifest file" that lists multiple content sources. The client can then test the performance of these sources (e.g., by measuring latency or throughput) and select the best one. It also describes segmenting media files into chunks for adaptive streaming, allowing the client to switch between bitrates based on network conditions by requesting chunks from different quality versions of the stream.
• Potential Anticipation of US 11,470,138 Claims:
  • This reference clearly discloses segmenting media into chunks and creating multiple versions at different bitrates for adaptive streaming. This aligns with elements 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the '138 patent's independent claims.
  • Anticipation Analysis: Riedl et al. does not anticipate the claims of the '138 patent. The focus of this prior art is on the client-side selection of an optimal content source (server), not on the server-side process of encoding the content. It does not describe or suggest a distributed encoding architecture with a master module, host modules, and a bidding process for assigning encoding jobs. The core server-side encoding method of the '138 patent is not taught.

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3. U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2003/0055986 A1 (Zaslavsky et al.)

• Full Citation: US 2003/0055986 A1, "System and method for fast-start, variable-rate streaming of media over a network," filed by G. Zaslavsky et al.
• Dates: Filed Sep. 19, 2001; Published Mar. 20, 2003.
• Brief Description: This application describes a method for streaming media where a file is encoded at multiple bitrates. The server stores the media in a "multi-rate" file containing data for different quality levels. A client requests the media, and the server sends an initial portion at a low bitrate for a "fast start." Subsequently, based on available bandwidth, the server can switch to sending data from higher or lower bitrate versions of the file to adapt to network conditions. The technology focuses on providing a seamless viewing experience despite fluctuating bandwidth.
• Potential Anticipation of US 11,470,138 Claims:
  • This reference teaches the creation and use of multiple, parallel streams of the same content at different bitrates to enable adaptive streaming. It is highly relevant to the general concept of adaptive bitrate technology.
  • Anticipation Analysis: Zaslavsky et al. does not anticipate the claims of the '138 patent. The application describes the result of an encoding process (a multi-rate file) and its use in streaming, but it does not disclose the specific method of creation claimed in the '138 patent. There is no disclosure of segmenting the content into discrete "streamlets" that are then assigned for encoding via a master/host architecture using a "completion bid" system. The novel encoding infrastructure is not present.

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4. U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2003/0110287 A1 (Traversat et al.)

• Full Citation: US 2003/0110287 A1, "Scalable Media Streaming System," filed by B. Traversat et al., and assigned to Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• Dates: Filed Dec. 6, 2001; Published Jun. 12, 2003.
• Brief Description: This application describes a peer-to-peer (P2P) system for streaming media. A media file is divided into multiple segments, and these segments are distributed across numerous peer devices in the network. When a client wants to view the content, it retrieves different segments from different peers simultaneously. The system also describes how peers can form "groups" to share segments efficiently, and it includes a mechanism for peers to advertise which segments they have available.
• Potential Anticipation of US 11,470,138 Claims:
  • This reference teaches segmenting a media file for distributed delivery. It also involves a distributed network of "peers" (which could be analogized to "hosts").
  • Anticipation Analysis: Traversat et al. does not anticipate the claims of the '138 patent. Its focus is on the distribution and retrieval of already-encoded media segments in a P2P network, not the initial encoding process. It does not teach creating sets of streamlets with unique bitrates for each time index. Most importantly, it completely lacks the claimed master/host architecture where hosts "bid" for encoding jobs. The peer discovery and segment advertising in this reference is for content delivery, not for load-balancing an encoding farm.