Methods and apparatus for communicating information via a network
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a first information receiving apparatus having a first group address, a second information receiving apparatus having a second group address, and an information transmitting apparatus in communication with the first and second information receiving apparatus via a network, the information transmitting apparatus being arranged and constructed to (1) transmit via the network two or more blocks of data subdivided from a designated information together with the first group address for the first information receiving apparatus in response to receiving a request to transmit the designated information from the first information receiving apparatus, (2) transmit via the network one ore more blocks of data that have not yet been transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus with the first group address and the second group address for the second information receiving apparatus, in response to receiving a request to transmit the designated information from the second information receiving apparatus prior to transmitting all blocks of data, which contain the designated information, to the first information receiving apparatus, and (3) transmit via the network one or more blocks of data already transmitted to the first receiving apparatus with the second group address, wherein the first and second information receiving apparatus are further arranged and constructed to send the request to transmit the designated information to the information transmitting apparatus, receive blocks of data via the network, wherein the group address of the received blocks of data are identical to the respective group addresses, and store the received blocks of data in a storage device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In response to receiving a transmit request REQ1 from a first client apparatus (1), the server (11) transmits a group address INF1 to the first client apparatus (1). The server (11) first transmits the first block X1, which is selected from blocks X1 to X4 that were subdivided from the requested information with the group address, via the network (10). When the server (11) receives a transmit request REQ2 from a second client apparatus (2) after transmitting block X1 to the first client apparatus (1), the server (11) transmits a group address INF2 to the second client apparatus (2). Further, the server (11) transmits the second, third and fourth blocks (X2 to X4) with the group addresses INF1 and INF2 via the network (10). The transmission process is completed after the server (11) has transmitted the first block X1 with the group address INF2 via the network (10).
24 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a first information receiving apparatus having a first group address, a second information receiving apparatus having a second group address, and an information transmitting apparatus in communication with the first and second information receiving apparatus via a network, the information transmitting apparatus being arranged and constructed to (1) transmit via the network two or more blocks of data subdivided from a designated information together with the first group address for the first information receiving apparatus in response to receiving a request to transmit the designated information from the first information receiving apparatus, (2) transmit via the network one ore more blocks of data that have not yet been transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus with the first group address and the second group address for the second information receiving apparatus, in response to receiving a request to transmit the designated information from the second information receiving apparatus prior to transmitting all blocks of data, which contain the designated information, to the first information receiving apparatus, and (3) transmit via the network one or more blocks of data already transmitted to the first receiving apparatus with the second group address, wherein the first and second information receiving apparatus are further arranged and constructed to send the request to transmit the designated information to the information transmitting apparatus, receive blocks of data via the network, wherein the group address of the received blocks of data are identical to the respective group addresses, and store the received blocks of data in a storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21)
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19. A method for communicating information comprising:
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transmitting a request for designated information from a first information receiving apparatus to an information transmitting apparatus, transmitting the requested designated information from the information transmitting apparatus to the first information receiving apparatus in response to receiving the request to transmit the designated information, wherein the designated information is subdivided into blocks of data and the blocks of data are sequentially sent to the first information receiving apparatus, and wherein each block of data further includes a first group address corresponding to the first information receiving apparatus, transmitting another request for the designated information from a second information receiving apparatus to the information transmitting apparatus, transmitting blocks of data not yet transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus together with the first group address and a second group address corresponding to the second information receiving apparatus in response to receiving the transmit request from the second information receiving apparatus, wherein a middle block of data is first sent to the second information receiving apparatus prior to all blocks of data having been sent to the first information receiving apparatus, and transmitting blocks of data with only the second group address that were previously transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus, wherein less than all blocks of data are transmitted with only the second group address.
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22. An apparatus for communicating information comprising:
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means for transmitting a request for designated information from a first information receiving apparatus to an information transmitting apparatus, means for transmitting the requested designated information from the information transmitting apparatus to the first information receiving apparatus in response to receiving the request to transmit the designated information, wherein the designated information is subdivided into blocks of data and the blocks of data are sequentially sent to the first information receiving apparatus, and wherein each block of data further includes a first group address corresponding to the first information receiving apparatus, means for transmitting another request for the designated information from a second information receiving apparatus to the information transmitting apparatus, means for transmitting blocks of data not yet transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus together with the first group address and a second group address corresponding to the second information receiving apparatus in response to receiving the transmit request from the second information receiving apparatus, wherein a middle block of data is first sent to the second information receiving apparatus prior to all blocks of data having been sent to the first information receiving apparatus, and means for transmitting blocks of data with only the second group address that were previously transmitted to the first information receiving apparatus, wherein less than all blocks of data are transmitted with only the second group address. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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23. A method for communicating information over a network comprising:
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dividing data for distribution over said network into sequentially ordered X blocks;
receiving a first dispatch request seeking said data from a first client;
transmitting a first group address via said network to said first client;
sequentially transmitting each of said X blocks, commencing with a first block of said X blocks, to said first client;
receiving a second dispatch request seeking said data from a second client;
transmitting a second group address via said network to said second client;
sequentially transmitting all remaining blocks of said X blocks that have not yet been sent to said first client to said first client and said second client; and
starting with said first block, sequentially transmitting all of said X blocks which have not yet been sent to said second client.
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Specification