Akamai Technologies, Inc.

Ronnie So

Nicholas Shayne Brookins

Stephen L Ludin

Akinwale Olugbemiga Olugbile

Ashok Jaiprakash Lalwani

Abdul Salam Faisal Padinjareveetil

Mihir Parikh

Babu Suryanarayanan

James Egerton

According to this disclosure, a proxy server is enhanced to be able to interpret instructions that specify how to modify an input object to create an output object to serve to a requesting client. Typically the instructions operate on binary data. For example, the instructions can be interpreted in a byte-based interpreter that directs the proxy as to what order, and from which source, to fill an output buffer that is served to the client. The instructions specify what changes to make to a generic input file. This functionality extends the capability of the proxy server in an open-ended fashion and enables it to efficiently create a wide variety of outputs for a given generic input file. The generic input file and/or the instructions may be cached at the proxy. The teachings hereof have applications in, among other things, the delivery of web content, streaming media, and the like.

Methods and apparatus for making byte-specific modifications to requested content

Proxy server with byte-based include interpreter

A method and apparatus for delivering a content stream is implemented within a content delivery network (CDN) and, in one embodiment, includes the high level functions of recording the stream using a recording tier, and playing the stream using a player tier. For a live stream, the step of recording the stream includes a set of sub-steps that begins when the stream is received at a CDN entry point in a source format. The stream is then converted into an intermediate format (IF), which is an internal format for delivering the stream within the CDN and comprises a stream manifest, a set of one or more fragment indexes (FI), and a set of IF fragments. The player process begins when a requesting client is associated with a CDN HTTP proxy. In response to receipt at the HTTP proxy of a request for the stream or a portion thereof, the HTTP proxy retrieves (either from the archive or the data store) the stream manifest and at least one fragment index. Using the fragment index, the IF fragments are retrieved to the HTTP proxy, converted to a target format, and then served in response to the client request. The source format may be the same or different from the target format. Preferably, all fragments are accessed, cached and served by the HTTP proxy via HTTP.

Multiple bitrate format-agnostic streaming architecture

Growing community of inventors

Foster City, CA, United States of America

Ronnie So