1. A method of resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated on a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving a request for the media program from the first device in a media program provider, the request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
(b) generating a segment playlist for the requested media program;
wherein the media program comprises a first subset of media program segments and a second subset of media program segments temporally distributed among the first subset of media program segments, and the segment playlist comprises:
instructions for retrieving a first subset of the media program segments from a media server at a first set of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI of the first set of URIs associated with one of the segments of the first subset of the media program segments;
instructions for retrieving a second subset of media program segments from the media server via the media program provider at a second set of URIs, each URI of the second set of URIs associated with a segment of the second set of media program segments;
(c) transmitting the segment playlist to the first device;
(d) receiving a request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device in the media program provider, the request including the user identifier and derived from the instructions for retrieving the seconds set of media program segments;
(e) redirecting the received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments to the media server;
(f) repeating steps (d)-(e) until a request to resume play of the media program is received from the second device in the media program provider;
(g) determining a temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program from the most recent received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments; and
(h) transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the first device is a live streaming device;
the second device is a live streaming device; and
the step of transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device comprises the steps of:
(i) generating a resumed segment playlist for the resumed requested media program, the resumed segment playlist including media segments temporally occurring after the determined temporal location; and
(j) transmitting the resumed segment playlist to the second device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the first device is a live streaming device;
the second device is a flash streaming device; and
the step of transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device comprises the step of transmitting the temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program and the media program identifier to the second device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device in the media program provider includes user identifier and a temporal location within the media program.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the method further comprises the step of logging the received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments; and
the step of determining the temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program comprises determining the temporal location using the logged received requests.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining the temporal location using the logged received requests comprises determining the temporal location from the media program segment preceding the most recently logged received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments.
7. A method of resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated on a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising the steps of:
(a) transmitting a request for the media program from the first device in a media program provider, the request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
(b) receiving a segment playlist for the requested media program in the first device;
wherein the media program comprises a first subset of media program segments and a second subset of media program segments temporally distributed among the first subset of media program segments, and the segment playlist comprises:
instructions for retrieving a first subset of the media program segments from a media server at a first set of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI of the first set of URIs associated with one of the segments of the first subset of the media program segments;
instructions for retrieving a second subset of media program segments from the from the media server via the media program provider at a second set of URIs, each URI of the second set of URIs associated with a segment of the second set of media program segments;
(c) transmitting a request to retrieve at least one of the first set of media program segments from the first device to the media server, the request derived from the instructions for retrieving the first set of the media programs from the media server;
(d) receiving the requested at least one of the first set of media program segments from the media server;
(e) transmitting a request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device from the media program provider, the request including the user identifier and derived from the instructions for retrieving the seconds set of media program segments;
(f) receiving the requested at least one of the second set of media program segments in the first device from the media server according to the transmitted request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media programs, the transmitted request redirected to the media server from the media program provider;
(g) repeating steps (c)-(f) until playback of the media program on the first device is terminated;
(h) transmitting a request to resume play of the media program to the media program provider from the second device; and
(i) receiving the media program in the second device to resume playback beginning at a temporal location within the media program determined from the most recent request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments transmitted from the first device to the media program provider includes the media program identifier and a current temporal location within the media program.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the media server is a live streaming media server.
10. A method of resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated by a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising the steps of:
receiving a first request to transmit the media program from a media server to a first device, the first request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
retrieving the media program associated with the media program identifier;
streaming the media program from the media server to the first media program device;
monitoring the streaming of the media program to the first media program device in the media server to generate media program streaming information;
transmitting the media program streaming information to a media program provider;
receiving a request to resume transmission of the media program from a second device in the media server, the transmission resuming from a temporal location within the media program determined from the streaming information transmitted to the media program provider;
resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the first device is a flash device;
the second device is a flash device;
the request to resume transmission of the media program from the second device comprises the media program identifier, the user identifier, and the temporal location within the media program; and
the step of resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information comprises the steps of:
transmitting the media program identifier and the temporal location within the media program to the second device.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the first device is a flash device;
the second device is a live streaming device; and
the step of resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information comprises the steps of:
generating a resumed segment playlist for the resumed requested media program, the resumed segment playlist including media segments temporally occurring after the determined temporal location; and
transmitting the resumed segment playlist to the second device
13. A method of resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated by a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising the steps of:
receiving a first request to initiate transmission of a media program from a media server to a first device from the first device, the first media request comprising a user identifier;
transmitting a media program identifier to the first device, the media program identifier identifying the media program to be streamed by a media server to the first device;
receiving media program streaming information from the media server, the media program streaming information generated from monitored streaming of the media program from the media server to the first device;
receiving a request to resume transmission of the media program from the media server to a second device;
determining a temporal location within the media program from which to resume transmission of the media program at least in part from the streaming information; and
transmitting a media program identifier and information describing the temporal location to the media program player.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the media server is a flash server.
15. An apparatus for resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated on a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising:
(a) means for receiving a request for the media program from the first device in a media program provider, the request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
(b) means for generating a segment playlist for the requested media program;
wherein the media program comprises a first subset of media program segments and a second subset of media program segments temporally distributed among the first subset of media program segments, and the segment playlist comprises:
instructions for retrieving a first subset of the media program segments from a media server at a first set of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI of the first set of URIs associated with one of the segments of the first subset of the media program segments;
instructions for retrieving a second subset of media program segments from the media server via the media program provider at a second set of URIs, each URI of the second set of URIs associated with a segment of the second set of media program segments;
(c) means for transmitting the segment playlist to the first device;
(d) means for receiving a request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device in the media program provider, the request including the user identifier and derived from the instructions for retrieving the seconds set of media program segments;
(e) means for redirecting the received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments to the media server;
(f) means for receiving a request to resume play of the media program from the second device in the media program provider;
(g) means for determining a temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program from the most recent received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments; and
(h) means for transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:
the first device is a live streaming device;
the second device is a live streaming device; and
the means for transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device comprises:
(i) means for generating a resumed segment playlist for the resumed requested media program, the resumed segment playlist including media segments temporally occurring after the determined temporal location; and
(j) means for transmitting the resumed segment playlist to the second device.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:
the first device is a live streaming device;
the second device is a flash streaming device; and
the means for transmitting information to resume play of the media to the second device comprises the means for transmitting the temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program and the media program identifier to the second device.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:
the request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device in the media program provider includes user identifier and a temporal location within the media program.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:
the apparatus further comprises the step of logging the received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments;
the means for determining the temporal location within the media program to resume playback of the media program comprises means for determining the temporal location using the logged received requests.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the means for determining the temporal location using the logged received requests comprises means for determining the temporal location from the media program segment preceding the most recently logged received request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments.
21. An apparatus for resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated on a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising:
(a) means for transmitting a request for the media program from the first device in a media program provider, the request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
(b) means for receiving a segment playlist for the requested media program in the first device;
wherein the media program comprises a first subset of media program segments and a second subset of media program segments temporally distributed among the first subset of media program segments, and the segment playlist comprises:
instructions for retrieving a first subset of the media program segments from a media server at a first set of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI of the first set of URIs associated with one of the segments of the first subset of the media program segments; and
instructions for retrieving a second subset of media program segments from the from the media server via the media program provider at a second set of URIs, each URI of the second set of URIs associated with a segment of the second set of media program segments;
(c) means for transmitting a request to retrieve at least one of the first set of media program segments from the first device to the media server, the request derived from the instructions for retrieving the first set of the media programs from the media server;
(d) means for receiving the requested at least one of the first set of media program segments from the media server;
(e) means for transmitting a request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media program segments from the first device from the media program provider, the request including the user identifier and derived from the instructions for retrieving the seconds set of media program segments;
(f) means for receiving the requested at least one of the second set of media program segments in the first device from the media server according to the transmitted request to retrieve at least one of the second set of media programs, the transmitted request redirected to the media server from the media program provider;
(g) means for transmitting a request to resume play of the media program to the media program provider from the second device; and
(h) means for receiving the media program in the second device to resume playback beginning at a temporal location within the media program determined from the most recent request to retrieve the at least one of the second set of media program segments.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the request to retrieve at least one of he second set of media program segments transmitted from the first device to the media program provider includes the media program identifier and a current temporal location within the media program.
23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the media server is a live streaming media server.
24. An apparatus for resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated by a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising the steps of:
means for receiving a first request to transmit the media program from a media server to a first device, the first request comprising a media program identifier and a user identifier;
means for retrieving the media program associated with the media program identifier;
means for streaming the media program from the media server to the first media program device;
means for monitoring the streaming of the media program to the first media program device in the media server to generate media program streaming information;
means for transmitting the media program streaming information to a media program provider;
means for receiving a request to resume transmission of the media program from a second device in the media server, the transmission resuming from a temporal location within the media program determined from the streaming information transmitted to the media program provider; and
means for resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:
the first device is a flash device;
the second device is a flash device;
the request to resume transmission of the media program from the second device comprises the media program identifier, the user identifier, and the temporal location within the media program; and
the means for resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information comprises:
means for transmitting the media program identifier and the temporal location within the media program to the second device.
26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:
the first device is a flash device;
the second device is a live streaming device; and
the means for resuming transmission of the media program from the media server to the second device from the temporal location determined from the streaming information comprises:
means for generating a resumed segment playlist for the resumed requested media program, the resumed segment playlist including media segments temporally occurring after the determined temporal location; and
means for transmitting the resumed segment playlist to the second device
27. An apparatus for resuming playback of a media program, the playback initiated by a first device and resumed on a second device, comprising:
means for receiving a first request to initiate transmission of a media program from a media server to a first device from the first device, the first media request comprising a user identifier;
means for transmitting a media program identifier to the first device, the media program identifier identifying the media program to be streamed by a media server to the first device;
means for receiving media program streaming information from the media server, the media program streaming information generated from monitored streaming of the media program from the media server to the first device;
means for receiving a request to resume transmission of the media program from the media server to a second device;
means for determining a temporal location within the media program from which to resume transmission of the media program at least in part from the streaming information; and
means for transmitting a media program identifier and information describing the temporal location to the media program player.
28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the media server is a flash server.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for diagnosing a cause of deviation from an intended form in a workpiece produced by a manufacturing process, in which at least one form is defined for the workpiece and manufacturing equipment acts upon the workpiece according to the manufacturing process to impart the form, the method comprising the steps of:
defining a plurality of measurements for the workpiece, each relative to a respective reference datum;
taking the defined measurements for the workpiece;
generating a record of the measurements;
comparing the recorded measurements for each workpiece; and
inferring from the comparison of the measurements the existence of an alert condition associated with the action of the manufacturing equipment on the workpiece.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one form comprises a shape of at least a portion of the workpiece.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurements correspond to a hierarchic set of forms characterizing the workpiece, each form corresponding to an action of the manufacturing equipment.
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of plotting at least a subset of the recorded measurements in a graph prior to the step of inferring the existence of an alert condition, wherein the graph depicts deviations of the measurements from respective reference data.
5. A method for identifying evidence of deviation from specification in a form produced in a workpiece by a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process being performed by respective manufacturing equipment, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a set of measurable forms associated with the workpiece, each form corresponding to an action of the manufacturing equipment;
for each form, identifying a reference datum;
for each form, making a set of measurements of the form relative to the respective datum;
comparing each set of measurements to a respective target range of values; and
based on the comparison, inferring the existence of evidence of an alert condition,
wherein the hierarchic set of forms comprises two categories: a first category of forms characterizing the shape of a portion of the workpiece, and a second category of forms characterizing a set of portions of the workpiece.
6. A method for identifying evidence of deviation from specification in a workpiece produced by a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process being performed by respective manufacturing equipment, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a set of repeated portions of the workpiece, each instance of a repeated portion having a form, the form of one instance of a repeated portion being substantially similar to the form of the other instances;
for each instance of the repeated portion, making a set of measurements of the reproducible part relative to a respective reference datum;
comparing each set of measurements to a respective target range of values; and
based on the comparison, inferring the existence of evidence of deviation from specification.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of inferring an alert condition based upon the evidence of a preselected rule.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the preselected rule comprises the deviation exceeding a threshold value.
9. A method for assessing a condition of a workpiece acted upon by manufacturing equipment, comprising the steps of:
identifying a set of forms, each form corresponding to an aspect of the action of the manufacturing equipment upon the workpiece;
for each form, making a plurality of measurements;
for each plurality of measurements, computing a respective deviation from a corresponding datum;
defining a deviation threshold; and
if a computed deviation exceeds the deviation threshold, inferring the existence of the condition attributable to the action of the manufacturing equipment on the workpiece associated with action corresponding to the form for which the deviation exceeds the threshold.
10. A method for detecting deviations from an intended form in a mechanical part, the deviations based upon computed differences between measured geometric properties with respect to a reference datum and defined threshold values, the deviations from an intended form caused by a machine tool operating on the mechanical part, the method comprising the steps of:
a. identifying a hierarchic set of geometric forms characterizing the mechanical part, each form corresponding to an action of the machine tool on the part, wherein the hierarchic set of geometric forms comprises two categories: a first category of forms characterizing the shape of a portion of a workpiece forming the mechanical part, and a second category of forms characterizing one or more portions of the workpiece;
b. categorizing the geometric forms from a lowest order to a highest order;
c. making a plurality of measurements corresponding to the lowest order form, each plurality of measurements made relative to a reference datum;
d. computing deviations based on differences between the plurality of measurements and the reference datum;
e. comparing the deviations with respective threshold values, the deviations exceeding threshold values indicating an alert condition; and
f. if an alert condition is present, inferring a deviation from the intended form.
11. A method for characterizing the ability of a machine tool to reproduce a product without deviating from a specification intended for at least a portion of the product, the characterization based upon taking geometric measurements, the method comprising the steps of:
a. identifying a set of geometric forms present in the product;
b. selecting a first of the set of geometric forms;
c. making a plurality of measurements corresponding to the selected geometric form;
d. for each plurality of measurements, computing a deviation from a respective reference datum;
e. checking for an alert condition based on each of the respective deviations;
f. if an alert condition is present, adjusting the machine tool and repeating the method from step c iteratively until no further alert condition is found; and
g. if no alert condition is detected, repeating the method from step b and incrementing to the next form until all geometric forms have been selected.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a first category of geometric form comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a segment, a line and a plane.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the geometric form comprises a surface defined by forms selected from the first category of geometric form.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first category of geometric forms comprises at least one of the groups consisting of curvilinear segment, a closed curve and a surface.
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the specification comprises at least one of the groups consisting of a spatial form and a temporal form.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spatial form comprises physical locations where the product is made.
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the temporal form comprises an interval of time.