Method and apparatus for streaming content via a network

• US 20020040479A1
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Published: 04/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Elliot Goldfarb, Eric Ehrman
• Original Assignee: David Elliot Goldfarb, Eric Ehrman
• Inventors: Ehrman, Eric, Goldfarb, David Elliot
• Application Number:
  US09/961,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20020040479A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A method for streaming content via a network to a receiver includes the steps of providing a plurality of streams to a plurality of different suppliers and receiving multiple streams from the different suppliers. The multiple streams together from the content.

Claims

1. A method for streaming content via a network to a receivers the method comprising:

receiving multiple streams, each generally from a different supplier, wherein said multiple streams together form said content.

2. A method according to claim 1 and wherein each said supplier has a narrower upload bandwidth than a download bandwidth of said receiver.

3. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said content is a videostream.

4. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said content is a movie.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein each stream is formed of a plurality of separately transmittable chunks.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein each cow is processed accord to one of the following processing methods:

encryption, demultiplexing and scrambling.

7. A method according to claim 2 and wherein said content is a videostream.

8. A method according to claim 2 and wherein said content is a movie.

9. A method according to claim 5 and also comprising recombining a set of chunks, one from at least one of said multiple streams, into a section of said content.

10. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising displaying said content stream and replacing at least one said supplier during said displaying.

12. A method for streaming content via a network to a receiver, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of streams to a plurality of different suppliers; and

receiving multiple streams, each generally from a different supplier, wherein said multiple streams together form said content.