(12) United States Patent
`Vishwanath et al.
`
`USOO6216157B1
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,216,157 B1
`(45) Date of Patent:
`*Apr. 10, 2001
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A
`CLIENTSERVER SYSTEM WITH
`HETEROGENEOUS CLIENTS
`
`(75) Inventors: Mohan Vishwanath, San Jose; Anurag
`Mendhekar, Sunnyvale, both of CA
`(US)
`(73) Assignee: Yahoo! Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
`(*) Notice:
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`This patent is Subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/098,670
`(22) Filed:
`Jun. 17, 1998
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 08/970,735, filed on
`Nov. 14, 1997.
`
`(51) Int. CI.7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GO6F 13/38; GO6F 15/17
`
`(52) U.S. Cl. ............................................. 709/208; 709/203
`
`(58) Field of Search ..................................... 709/208, 203,
`709/217, 204, 210, 209, 228, 231, 219,
`206; 370/352,400; 379/88.06; 705/37;
`345/333, 340
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4/1996 DeVet et al. ......................... 381/123
`5,513,269
`5,566,022 * 10/1996 Segev .........
`... 359/172
`5,570,085
`10/1996 Bertsch ......
`340/825.07
`5,579,308 * 11/1996 Humpleman
`... 370/58.1
`5,608,786
`3/1997 Gordon .............
`... 379/100
`... 379/201
`5,629,978 * 5/1997 Blumhardt et al.
`5,694,163
`12/1997 Harrison ....................
`5,787,254
`7/1998 Maddalozzo, Jr. et al.
`
`
`
`- - - - - - 348/13
`
`- - - - - - - - - 709/225
`
`8/1998 Guck .................................... 395/683
`5,794,039
`5,805,073 * 9/1998 Agano et al. ................... 340/825.07
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Timothy W. Bickmore, Bill N. Schilit, Digestor:
`device-independent access to the World Wide Web, Com
`puter Networks and ISDN Systems 29 (1997), pp.
`1076-1082.
`Randy Sartin: HP JetSend: Off-the-Cuff Communication,
`BYTE, vol. 23, No. 4, Apr. 1988, pp. 49-50.
`Ferguson et al., Quality of Service on the Internet: Fact,
`Fiction, or Compromise'?, Http://www.telstra.net/gih/inet 98/
`index.html, 26 pages, Jan. 1998.*
`
`interactive application, and the apparatuS includes
`
`Primary Examiner Mark H. Rinehart
`Assistant Examiner Bunjob Jaroenchonwanit
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fliesler Dubb Meyer &
`Lovejoy LLP
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`Method and apparatus to deliver an application to a client
`through a transmission medium. The application can be an
`appliance-specific transducer and an adaptive-transmission
`transducer. The appliance-specific transducer, in View of the
`client's request for the interactive application in the server,
`is configured to modify the application based on at least one
`characteristic of the client and at least one characteristic of
`the application to generate an appliance-specific output.
`Based on at least one characteristic of the application and at
`least one characteristic of the medium of transmission, the
`adaptive-transmission transducer is configured to modify the
`appliance-specific output to generate an adapted output. The
`output is delivered through the medium to the client, which
`includes a decoder and a user-interface. The decoder
`decodes the adapted output to produce a modified version of
`the interactive application to be used by a party through the
`user-interface. In another embodiment, the application can
`be a push application.
`
`13 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
`
`75
`
`Modifying the
`Application
`
`N, 177
`
`An Appliance
`ar, 179
`specific Output
`
`Modifying the Appliance
`specific Output
`N, 181
`
`Adapted Output M 183
`
`Decoding the
`^ 185
`Adapted Output
`
`Modified Wersion
`of the
`^ 187
`Application
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 1
`
`

`

`US 6,216,157 B1
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`:
`5,838,683 : 11/1998 Corley et al. ........................ 370/408
`5... : y: t - - - - - - -
`"OAS
`2Y-- a
`f
`uck ...g.
`... 707/
`5,892,758 * 4/1999 Argyroudis .
`... 370/335
`5,907,322
`5/1999 Kelly et al. .......................... 345/327
`5,909,183 * 6/1999 Borgstahl et al.
`340/825.22
`5,909,215
`6/1999 Berstis et al. ........................ 345/340
`5,911,776 * 6/1999 Guck ...........
`... 709/217
`5,915,091
`6/1999 Ludwig et al.
`... 709/204
`5,933,141
`8/1999 Smith ................................... 345/339
`
`8/1999 Vahalia ................................. 709/225
`5,933,603
`5,940,387 * 8/1999 Humpleman
`370/352
`5,943,496
`8/1999 Li et al. ...
`395/685
`5,944,795
`8/1999 Civanlar ............................... 709/227
`5,945,991
`8/1999 Britt et al. ........................... 345/333
`5.956,737 * 9/1999 King et al. ...
`... 707/517
`5,983.263 * 11/1999 Rothrocket al.
`... 709/204
`5,986,662 * 11/1999 Argiro et al. ...
`... 345/424
`6.OO2.871 * 12/1999 D
`tal
`395/704
`2Y- - 12
`f
`USSan el al. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
`f
`
`
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 1 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`Application
`
`Push Application
`NM
`104
`
`Interactive Application
`NM
`102
`
`Figure 1
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 2 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`Appliance-specific Transducer /nu 150
`
`Server
`Side
`
`Adaptive-transmission Transducer /\u 152
`
`Transmission Medium MN 154
`
`Client Side
`
`Decoder M 156
`l
`User-interface MN/ 158
`
`Figure 2
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 3 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`-175
`
`Modifying the
`/N 177
`Application
`
`An Appliance
`M 179
`specific Output
`
`Modifying the Appliance
`specific Output M 181
`
`Adapted Output M 183
`
`Decoding the
`^ 185
`Adapted Outpu
`
`Modified Version
`Of the M 187
`Application
`
`Figure 3
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 4 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`ALUulO-.
`
`‘ALOOG
`
`‘ALI?euuB
`
`ALOOC)
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 6
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet S of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`Multimode
`Compressor Y 250
`
`Adaptive
`Packetizer MN 252
`
`Figure 5
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 7
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 6 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`NAO
`
`NAO
`
`WAO
`
`
`
`
`
`^^oTF??Lsng le?ues IesuÐAlun
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`TÆT DÆTNo.
`
`TVOETVOETGI
`
`AAO!
`
`9 eJnfil
`
`
`
`
`
`(TSO) eu?T ?uoud
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 8
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 7 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`-O
`
`
`
`Jewod a)nduo.O
`
`adÅ1}ndu]
`
`/ eun61
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 9
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 8 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`d_L}} |-
`
`d_L}}
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`dC][^\/d0 LAGD/AOL I dC].n/dOL | Koue) et uennoT
`
`
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 10
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 9 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`g9 eun61-3
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 10 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`
`
`V6 eun61-I
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 12
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 10, 2001
`
`Sheet 11 of 11
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 13
`
`

`

`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A CLIENT
`SERVER SYSTEM WITH HETEROGENEOUS
`CLIENTS
`
`2
`It should be apparent from the foregoing that there is still
`a need for an apparatus and method to automatically handle
`Such diverse applications, client capabilities and transmis
`Sion media, Such that different applications can be automati
`cally modified based on the resources available from the
`transmission media and the clients.
`SUMMARY
`The present invention is on methods and apparatus that
`automatically modify an application in View of one or more
`of the following: the application, and the capability of the
`client requesting the application and the transmission
`medium delivering the application. The client can be a
`palmtop computer showing your new appointment of the
`day, a microwave oven automatically being turned on at 6
`PM to cook your chicken, or a television showing your
`favorite James Bond movie. Each of these clients has
`different capabilities connected to different transmission
`media, and each application has its characteristics. Based on
`this invention, the Server computer automatically modifies
`the Specific application in View of the resources available So
`as to maximize the benefits of the resources.
`In one embodiment, the application can be of an interac
`tive type, Such as a web-page, which a user can interact with.
`This embodiment includes a Server apparatus in a Server.
`The Server apparatus includes an appliance-specific trans
`ducer and an adaptive transmission transducer. The
`appliance-specific transducer, in View of a client's request
`for an interactive application in the Server, is configured to
`modify the application based on the client and the applica
`tion to generate an appliance-specific output. This output is
`modified automatically depending on the client and the
`application itself. The adaptive transmission transducer,
`which is coupled to the appliance-specific transducer, is
`configured to modify the appliance-specific output. The
`modification is again based on the application and the
`corresponding medium of transmission. After the
`modification, an adapted output is generated, and is deliv
`ered through the medium to the client. Then, the client
`decodes the adapted output to produce a modified version of
`the interactive application that is adapted for the client.
`In another embodiment, the application can be of a push
`type. A push application is an application that is pre
`determined by a user, Such as from the user's profile. Based
`on her preference, as shown in her profile, Specific applica
`tions can be delivered to her. For example, during weekends,
`She prefers to wake up at 9 am, and she likes music by the
`Beetles. So at 9 am every Saturday and Sunday, the server
`Selects a Song by the Beetles, compresses it, and delivers it
`to her speaker next to her bed for fifteen minutes. This
`embodiment also includes a Server apparatus, with its cor
`responding appliance-specific transducer and adaptive trans
`mission transducer.
`Yet another embodiment includes a client apparatus in a
`client. The client apparatus includes a decoder for generating
`the modified version of an application from an adapted
`output. The adapted output is generated by one of the above
`described appliance-specific transducer and adaptive trans
`mission transducer
`Based on the present invention, applications are automati
`cally mapped onto various clients based on the resources
`available. In one embodiment, the resources include the
`bandwidth, acceptable error rates, and the latency of the
`transmission medium, and the processing power and
`memory capacity of a client.
`With the present invention, different types of clients can
`be connected through the same transmission medium, Such
`
`This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent
`application Ser. No. 08/970,735, filed on Nov. 14, 1997, and
`incorporated by reference into this specification.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates generally to a client-server
`technology and more particularly to a client-Server System
`with the application delivered to the client being automati
`cally modified based on the resources available.
`A Server computer may deliver applications to many
`different types of clients through many different types of
`media. For example, the Server can be delivering a page to
`a printer through a cable, a note to a pager through radio
`waves, an audio message to a cellular phone through
`microwave, a web page to a Internet enabled computer or a
`palmtop through infrared radiation, a movie to a television
`through optical fibers, or an on-off command to the Switch
`of a microwave oven or the central air-conditioning System
`of a house through twisted pairs.
`Each of these clients or appliances have different capa
`bilities. Some of them can have relatively powerful micro
`processors and memory capacity, Such as a palmtop. Others
`can be ultra-thin clients with minimal computation and
`memory power, Such as a television. The delivery media can
`be very different. For example, some have large bandwidth,
`such as optical fibers; but others have low bandwidth, such
`as twisted pairs. Also, the applications can be quite diverse.
`For example, a movie requires large bandwidth, low latency,
`and is quite tolerant to error rates, but an on-off command to
`a Switch has to be absolutely accurate, though the bandwidth
`requirement is low.
`There is typically a specific approach to deliver each type
`of application through a specific medium to a Specific client.
`For example, if you want to print a page, you will activate
`a specific printer driver to print that page; and if you want
`to Send a web-page to your Internet enabled computer, your
`web-page is compressed by a certain pre-determined ratio
`and is transmitted following a specific network protocol.
`Different software programs are called by the server to
`accomplish Such diverse taskS.
`Whether an Internet enabled computer or a television
`requests for an interactive application, which is an applica
`tion that you can interact with, Such as a web-page, the
`Server typically follows the same preset network protocol to
`deliver the interactive application. In other words, if, for
`example, the transmission medium is changed after the
`protocol is preset, the Server does not have the intelligence
`to modify the protocol dynamically in View of the change.
`There is no intelligent adaptability on the part of the Server.
`The server would not know or would not care that a user is
`Sitting one foot away from the web-page on the Internet
`enabled computer, or is sitting Six feet away from the
`web-page on the television.
`Not only does the server lack adaptability, the server
`would not be able to respond to certain requests from certain
`clients. For example, the application is a push application,
`which is an application determined by a user based on her
`profile, such as quoting the stock price of XEROX at 1 PM
`everyday. A Server would not be able to respond automati
`cally to both a pager requesting for a Stock quote, and a
`Standard telephone requesting for a weather report. The way
`it is typically done nowadays is to have a separate Server
`dedicated to handle each of these tasks.
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 14
`
`

`

`3
`as a high Speed Internet connectivity. The Server can modify
`the applications based on the clients receiving them and
`based on the applications. Also, with the present invention,
`different types of clients can be connected through different
`media, Such as wired and wireless, digital and analog, and
`the Server can adapt the applications accordingly.
`The client can be ultra-thin, with minimal computing
`power and memory capacity because the Server has already
`adapted or modified the application for the client. In other
`words, the client can be a very low-cost device.
`Moreover, Since applications can be modified by the
`Server to fit Specific clients, the same content materials can
`be used for different clients. For example, the present
`invention can use the same Internet content for an Internet
`enabled computer and a television. And these contents can
`be delivered to different clients in real time.
`With the present invention, development time to adapt
`different applications to a new type of client can be signifi
`cantly reduced. Changes can be done through Software
`modification based on the present invention. This, in turn,
`Significantly enables widespread deployment of a new type
`of client into the market place quickly.
`Note that the language used in the Specification has been
`principally Selected for readability and instructional
`purposes, and may not have been Selected to delineate or
`circumscribe the inventive Subject matter. Also, the features
`and advantages described in the Specification are not all
`inclusive. Other aspects and advantages of the present
`invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in
`the art, in View of the Specification, which illustrates by way
`of example the principles of the invention.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 shows examples of applications applicable to the
`present invention.
`FIG. 2 shows an example of the server side and the client
`Side of the present invention connected through a transmis
`Sion medium.
`FIG. 3 shows one set of steps to implement one embodi
`ment of the invention.
`FIG. 4 shows examples of appliance-specific transducers
`in the present invention.
`FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the adaptive transmis
`Sion transducer of the present invention.
`FIG. 6 shows examples of the characteristics of transmis
`Sion media for the present invention.
`FIG. 7 shows examples of ways to select the compression
`algorithms based on the computation power of the client and
`the input data type in the present invention.
`FIGS. 8A-B show examples of network protocols
`Selected by the adaptive packetizer under different condi
`tions in the present invention.
`FIGS. 9A-B illustrate an example of a decision tree of the
`present invention for a Web browsing application.
`Same numerals in FIGS. 1-9 are assigned to similar
`elements in all the figures. Embodiments of the invention are
`discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-9. However,
`those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the
`detailed description given herein with respect to these fig
`ures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends
`beyond these limited embodiments.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`The present invention is applicable to a Server-client
`environment. The Server can be connected to one or more
`
`5
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`4
`clients through the corresponding transmission media. The
`Server can be a personal computer or other types of
`computers, typically with more computation power and
`memory than the clients. The clients can be many different
`types of computing engines; for example, they can be an
`Internet enabled computer, a television, a palmtop, a micro
`wave oven, a telephone, or a pager. Thus, the capabilities of
`a client can be quite flexible, as long as it has a decoder to
`decode the information delivered by the server. In one
`embodiment, the clients also have Some form of user
`interface apparatus to communicate the decoded information
`to a uSer.
`In one example, a client requests for an application. This
`can be done by a user activating his Set-top box. He might
`want to get to YAHOO's web page through his television.
`This type of application is known as an interactive
`application, 102 in FIG.1. In Such an application, a user can
`interact with the application. This is different from just
`passively watching a STAR TREKepisode on the television,
`because a user cannot change anything in the episode.
`Anyway, the request is transmitted to the Server, which will
`access the web page. Then the Server adapts the accessed
`web page for the television, with the adaptation depending
`on a number of factors, for example, the web page itself,
`Such as whether the web page contains text, images, video
`or Some combination thereof, and the resources available,
`Such as the transmission medium carrying the web page to
`the client, and the capability of the client. In one
`embodiment, the web page is modified based on MPEG1
`Specifications and the RTP network protocols, and is trans
`mitted through an Internet connection from the Server to the
`Set-top box of the television. In this case, the client is the
`television and the Set-top box, which receives the transmit
`ted Signal, and decodes it. The decoded signals are typically
`a modified version of the original application. In other
`words, the decoded application is not exactly the same as the
`application in the server. Then the set-top box shows the web
`page on the television, allowing the user to interact with it.
`In another embodiment a user initially enters his prefer
`ence to the server. This can be the score of the LA Lakers
`basketball team at the end of each of their games to be shown
`on her pager Screen. Such piece of information is also known
`as a push application 104 in FIG. 1; it is preset by the user.
`When a score is available, the server can deliver it to her
`pager through radio wave. Again the application can be
`adapted based on at least one characteristic of the applica
`tion itself and the resources available.
`FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the server side and
`the client Side of the present invention connected through a
`transmission medium 154. FIG.3 shows one set 175 of steps
`to implement one embodiment of the invention.
`In one embodiment, the Server Side includes an appliance
`Specific transducer 150 and an adaptive-transmission trans
`ducer 152. In general terms, the appliance-specific trans
`ducer 150 modifies (step 177) an application based on the
`capability of the client; and the adaptive-transmission trans
`ducer 152 further modifies (step 181) the application based
`on the transmission medium 154. The modification can also
`depend on the application itself, for example, an audio signal
`is modified in a different way as compared to a piece of
`written text. In one embodiment, the client includes a
`decoder 156 and a user-interface 158. The decoder 156
`interprets or decodes (step 185) the delivered signal, which,
`may have previously been tailored to the capability of the
`decoder 156. Then, the user-interface 158 presents the
`modified application 187 to a user.
`In one embodiment, the appliance-specific transducer 150
`modifies an application based on at least one characteristic
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 15
`
`

`

`S
`of the application in conjunction with the client. For illus
`tration purposes, there are four different types of applica
`tions, and they are:
`(a) Document or Doc, which includes text and images in
`their corresponding formats.
`(b) Internet, which includes Streaming multimedia and
`plugins.
`(c) Email.
`(d) Form, which includes different types of forms with
`different formats for a user to enter information into.
`Each of these applications has its characteristics, and can be
`modified differently depending on the client.
`FIG. 4 shows examples of appliance-specific transducers
`150 in the present invention. In this specification, a term
`with an application appended by a client designates an
`appliance-specific transducer 150 for that application and
`that client. For example, a DocTV designates an appliance
`Specific transducer for modifying a document for television
`Viewing. This transducer can include a number of Sub
`transducers, Such as a format Sub-transducer for TV to
`change the format of the image depending on the television.
`This can be changing the Size of the text So that a user Six
`feet away can See the text. So there can be one or more of
`Such Sub-transducers to adapt the application for television
`Viewing. Note that television is typically watched six or
`more feet away, while a computer monitor is less than one
`foot away from a viewer. Other Sub-transducers, depending
`on needs, can be a text Sub-transducer to change the text
`characteristics based upon the client, an image Sub
`transducer to change the image characteristics based upon
`the client's display capabilities, and a user-interface Sub
`transducer to enhance the usability of the application on the
`client. The appliance-specific transducer 150 can add one or
`more Sub-transducers dynamically to modify the application
`accordingly.
`FIG. 4 shows additional examples of such sub
`transducers. For example, if one is browsing the Web using
`a phone with a display, the appliance-specific transducer 150
`can be a DocSPhone, 200, with S in SPhone denoting screen,
`or an InternetSPhone, 202. The DocSPhone is used if one is
`just using the phone to passively receive messages, while the
`InternetSPhone is used if one is using the phone to interact
`with the messages, as in interacting with a Web page. For
`another example, if one is using the phone to retrieve email,
`the appliance-specific transducer 150 can be an
`EmailSphone, 204, or a DocSPhone. The EmailSPhone,
`204, has additional intelligence in that the phone can have a
`Software management System for email. As a final example,
`if the phone is used for electronic commerce or
`E-Commerce, the appliance-specific transducer 150 can be
`a FormSPhone, 206, which can allow a user to edit a form,
`as in ordering a book from the Web.
`There are different ways to produce Such appliance
`specific transducers 150. One way is based on methods and
`apparatus disclosed in the co-pending U.S. patent applica
`tion Ser. No. 08/970,735, filed on Nov. 14, 1997, to generate
`Such transducers dynamically. Another method can be
`through direct mapping. For example, a page in HTML can
`be changed or mapped directly into a bit-map.
`In one embodiment, the output from the appliance
`specific transducer 150 is an appliance-specific output 179,
`which is further modified by an adaptive-transmission trans
`ducer 152.
`The adaptive-transmission transducer 152, based on the
`characteristics of the application and the transmission
`medium 154, modifies the appliance-specific output 179 to
`generate an adapted output 183. In one embodiment, the
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`US 6,216,157 B1
`
`6
`compression algorithm and the network protocol to be
`operated on the appliance-specific output 179 depend on at
`least one characteristic of the application, Such as the
`reliability or error rate of the application required, and the
`speed or bandwidth of the transmission medium 154. After
`the appliance-specific output 179 is modified to generate the
`adapted output 183, the server sends the adapted output 183
`through the transmission medium to the client.
`FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the adaptive
`transmission transducer 152 of the present invention. It
`includes a multimode compressor 250 and an adaptive
`packetizer 252. The compressor Selects the appropriate
`compression algorithm to compress the appliance-specific
`output 179, while the adaptive packetizer 252 selects the
`network protocol to generate the adapted output 183.
`FIG. 6 shows examples of the characteristics of transmis
`Sion media for the present invention. The different charac
`teristics can be in the bandwidth, error rates and latency.
`Latency represents how long a client has to wait for an
`application. A medium with a high error rate implies that
`data going through Such a transmission medium 154 tends to
`have more errors. To compensate for Such deficiencies, an
`application might have to be re-Sent to ensure the right signal
`has been received. This increases latency. For example, an
`analog signal, 300, transmitted through air-a wireleSS
`analog signal-has high error rate, 302, because Signal
`interference can be high. Since the Signals might have to be
`transmitted a number of times to ensure accuracy, the
`latency of the Signal increases, 304. Depending on the
`application and the transmission medium 154 to be used, the
`adaptive-transmission transducer 152 automatically takes
`into account Such variations, for example, by Selecting the
`appropriate compression algorithm and network protocol.
`In one embodiment, the multimode compressor 250 auto
`matically Selects the compression algorithm in View of the
`application, the transmission medium 154 and the client.
`The higher the form of data to be sent from the server to the
`client, the lower the bandwidth required, but the more
`computation power the client has to have. For example, with
`respect to ASCII text (a higher form data) and bitmap (a
`form data), the ASCII text document takes less bandwidth to
`be transmitted, but the client needs the decoding capability
`to understand the ASCII text. On the other hand, if the
`document is Sent in bitmap, the client displays whatever is
`received, but the amount of data Sent increases significantly.
`If the client has the capability to decode compressed ASCII
`text, and if the transmission medium 154 has a small
`bandwidth, then it is better to compress the ASCII text
`before transmission. This ensures a more efficient use of the
`CSOUCCS.
`In one embodiment, the parameters used to choose the
`compression algorithm include:
`(a) Input data type, whether it is text, graphics, natural
`images, audio or Video. Note that the application can have
`a number of different input data type, Such as there can be
`text and images on the Same page.
`(b) Rate-distortion requirement, or the compromise between
`bandwidth verSuS quality.
`(c) The transmission medium 154, which affects the
`bandwidth, error rate and latency.
`(d) Capabilities of the server and the client, such as the
`processing power and memory available.
`A number of compression algorithms are applicable to
`this invention. They include Lempel–Ziv (LZ), Run Length
`Encoding (RLE), JPEG, Hierarchical Vector Quantization
`(HVO), ADPCM, MPEG1, MPEG2, H.263 and Hierarchical
`Vector Quantization with Conditional Replenishment
`(HVOCR).
`
`IPR2018-01413
`Sony EX1029 Page 16
`
`

`

`15
`
`7
`FIG. 7 shows ways to select the compression algorithms
`based on the input data type and the computation power of
`the client because the decoder 156 might need to decom
`press the adapted output 183. Note that the computation
`power of the Server may also have to be taken into account
`because it is the server, or the multimode compressor 250,
`that is performing the compression. However, typically, the
`client is not as powerful as the Server. If the client has
`Sufficient power to decompress, the Server should have 10
`Sufficient power to compress.
`In one embodiment, the adaptive-transmission transducer
`152 not only Selects the compression algorithm, it also
`selects the network protocol, This can be done by the
`adaptive packetizer 252. To illustrate the present invention,
`three protocols are considered, and they are TCP, UDP and
`RTP
`FIGS. 8A-B show examples of network protocols
`selected by the adaptive packetizer 252 under different
`conditions, with FIG. 8A for low-error rates and FIG. 8B for
`high-error rates. In one embodiment, the Selection again is
`done in an adaptive manner, with the choice made depending
`on the data type of the application and the transmission
`medium 154, For example, if the application is a piece of
`text and has to be accurate, then error rate has to be low. If
`the transmission medium has inherently high latency, then as
`shown in FIG. 8A, UDP is selected. On the other hand, if the
`application is a Video stream, then error rate can be high, but
`latency should be low because a viewer's enjoyment level
`drops if there are detectable gaps between frames. Based on
`FIG. 8B, RTP is selected.
`In one embodiment, the client can be ultra-thin. It only
`needs minimal computing power and memory capacity
`because the Server has already adapted or modified the
`application for the client. Such type of clients can be very
`low cost. An example of a ultra-thin client is a TV Set top
`box that is capable of handling powerful applications, Such
`as Streaming audio and Video, Java applets and ActiveX
`controls. Such a box may only require the computing power
`of a 16 MDZ 80386 microprocessor, with 1Mbyte memory,
`and with embedded software that can fit into 100 KBytes
`memory.
`FIGS. 9A-B illustrate an example of a decision tree of the
`present invention for a Web browsing application 400. As
`shown in FIG. 9A, if the appliance or the client is a
`television 402, then the appliance-specific transducer 150
`will select the Sub-transducers of a DocTV and an Inter
`netTV. The output from the appliance-specific transducer
`150 is further modified, as shown in FIG. 9B. For example,
`a part of the application is a piece of text, So the data type,
`404, is text, 406. Also, the transmission medium 154, or the
`connection 408, is wired LAN, 410, with bandwidth of 10
`mega bits per Second (Mbps). Further assume that the
`computing power, 412, of the appliance is low, Such as leSS
`than 10 million instructions per second (Mips). Then, fol
`lowing the decision tree, the adaptive-transmission trans
`ducer 152 will select RLE as the compression algorithm and
`UDP as the network protocol. After the modification, the
`output will be transmitted through the wired LAN to the
`appliance, which in this case is a television 402.
`Another embodiment of the invention includes a new type
`of network protocol. It is an application layer protocol