Moving-image streaming system

• US 20030177256A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Asai, Arito
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

Moving-image data is streamed to a large number of client computers even though line band of a streaming server is kept narrow. To achieve this, the address of a relay server closer to a client computer than is the streaming server is transmitted when the client computer issues the streaming server a connection request for moving-image data. The client computer then sends this relay server a request to transmit the moving-image data. When this occurs, the address of another relay server even closer to the client computer than is the first-mentioned relay server is transmitted to the client computer. Since this other relay server is closest to the client computer, moving-image data is streamed from this relay server to the client computer.

Claims

1. A moving-image streaming system comprising a streaming server and a plurality of relay servers, wherein:

said streaming server includes;

a determination device responsive to a request from a client computer for determining whether said plurality of relay servers includes a first relay server having a path from itself to said client computer that is shorter than a path from said streaming server to said client computer;

a first transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that the first relay server is non-existent; and

a second transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said first relay server in response to a determination by said determination device that said first relay server exists; and

each of said plurality of relay servers includes a third transmitting device for streaming moving-image data, which has been streamed from said second transmitting device of said streaming server, to said client computer or to another relay server exclusive of said first relay server in accordance with length of the path to said client computer.

2. A relay server comprising:

a receiving device for receiving streaming moving-image data;

a detecting device for detecting a relay server having a path shorter than a path to a client computer that has requested streaming of moving-image data; and

a transmitting device for streaming the moving-image data, which has been received by said receiving device, to the relay server detected by said detecting device.

3. A streaming server comprising:

a determination device responsive to a request from a client computer for determining whether a plurality of relay servers includes a first relay server having a path from itself to said client computer that is shorter than a path from said streaming server to said client computer;

a first transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that the first relay server is non-existent; and

a second transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said first relay server in response to a determination by said determination device that said first relay server exists.