Incasting for downloading files on distributed networks

• US 20020078461A1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patrict Oscar Boykin
• Original Assignee: Patrict Oscar Boykin
• Inventors: Boykin, Patrict Oscar
• Application Number:
  US09/737,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 distributed network includes a plurality of hosts and a shared communication channel. Each host has a storage device. Each host may act as a client and a server. A file is divided into a plurality of segments. Each segment is transmitted to the storage devices of several of said hosts and stored in said storage device of said host. Each host is coupled to the shared communication channel. A host acting as a client requests that the hosts act as servers and collectively send all of the segments to the requesting client so that the requesting client can gather the segments together in order for the segments to self-assemble and generate a single copy of the file. At least one host has a global list with entries. Each entry contains all the necessary information about the file.

Claims

1. A distributed network comprising:

a. a plurality of hosts each of which has a storage device and each of which may act as a client and a server;

b. a file which is divided into a plurality of segments wherein each segment is transmitted to said storage devices of several of said hosts and stored in said storage device of said host;

c. a shared communication channel to which each of said hosts is coupled whereby one of said host acting as a client requests that said hosts acting as servers and collectively send all of said segments to said requesting client so that said requesting client can gather said segments together in order for said segments to self-assemble and generate a single copy of said file.

2. A distributed network according to claim 1 wherein at least one host has a global list with entries each of which contains all the necessary information about said file.