International Business Machines Corporation

Sascha Baumeister

Gerd Breiter

Michael Beisiegel

Piotr Przybylski

Bernhard Schmid

Thomas Raith

Reinhard Duscher

A method, device, and program product are provided for streaming a media file over a distributed information system to a client computer running a browser application. First, a server receives a request for a particular media file from the client computer. Then, the server dynamically generates a metafile, whereby said metafile contains information about the identification, location and format of the media file, and returns it back to the client computer. Advantageously, the server intercepts a download request for the actual media file and reinterprets the download request in into a request for receiving a corresponding metafile. Thus, instead of returning the requested media file, a metafile is returned that allows immediate streaming of the requested media file without the need of waiting for the download to be finished.

Method and device for streaming a media file over a distributed information system

The present invention relates to a method comprising improvements in transferring large data amounts e.g., large files associated with 'new media' like audio and video data which are streamed through the network. The present invention comprises basically to decouple the transfer and the rendering of data in a way that combines the strength, i.e., the advantages of the streaming paradigm with the flexibility and usability advantages of the store&forward paradigm. This is basically achieved by separating the application logic from the transport logic. The transfer/transport logic is covered by a novel transfer protocol whereas the player application logic can issue standard file access statements like fread, fseek in order to access and render the streamed data.

File futures

An improved method and system is provided for providing the end-user of a mainframe application running a limited, character-oriented transfer protocol like the IBM3270 protocol with a combined rendering of non-character, i.e. new media data and traditional character data preferably on the same end-user computer. It is proposed to install an individually programmed program component ( ), called Server Media Resolution Service (SMRS) on the application server ( ) site and a matching program component ( ), called Client Media Resolution Service (CMRS) which is a universal, standard component without any individual application specific features. The SMRS is told the client computer destination, searches the requested media address and feeds this meta information to the CMRS which in turn manages the start of a client site media renderer in order to render the new media data received from a datastore such as the File System ( ). A practical example of the media renderer could be a media player ( ) which requests and renders a streamable asset provided by a a stream server ( ) to said media player ( ). Thus, when any change in the host application program is required such changes have to be done in the host application only, the SMRS and the plurality of CMRS components may, however, remain untouched which reduces system programmers work significantly.

Method and system for integration of new media into character-oriented applications

For browsing entity beans in a client-server environment using the Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) architecture a generic servlet is provided for receiving a service requests from a Web browser and for initiating an access to an entity bean directory to identify an entity bean home according to a bean name contained in the request. The identified entity bean home is asked for a specific entity bean instance using key information passed with the service request. The identified bean instance is introspected by using getBeanInfo( ) methods of the Java Bean Introspector. The information achieved by the introspection is used for retrieving entity bean properties from an EJB persistency store. On the basis of the retrieved information the generic servlet generates a response which provides a representation of the retrieved information. The generic servlet allows to avoid the development of customized servlets which comprise specific code for the browsing and editing of different entity bean classes.

Generic servlet for browsing EJB entity beans

A computer system and method including commands to permit interaction between a client and a component in a backend system. The command has an input object, for transformation by the backend system, and defines one or more output objects, representing the input object after transformation by the backend system. The command includes a connection specification, for identification of the backend system with which the client is to interact, and an interaction specification, for identification of the component in the backend system with which the client is to interact. The command also includes a communication object, for carrying out a connection between the client and the component of the backend system. The input object is supplied to the component of the backend system in accordance with the interaction specification and the connection specification. The command is driven by an execute method and the command signals a successfully or an unsuccessful event depending on exceptions being encountered by the component of the backend system in processing the input object. Navigators are built for constructing an interaction flow. Navigators contain chained commands and other navigators.

Growing community of inventors

Stuttgart, Germany

Sascha Baumeister