Unicast/multicast architecture

• US 20040042479A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Epstein, Steve, Tsuria, Yossi
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for providing content to users including a multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users and a unicast sub-system providing content to individual users. The multicast sub-system being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to the community and the unicast sub-system being operative to provide on demand to a user, content which has not been previously pushed to the user.

Claims

1. A system for providing content to users comprising:

a multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users; and

a unicast sub-system providing content to individual users,

said multicast sub-system being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community, and

said unicast sub-system being operative to provide on demand to a user, content which has not been previously pushed to said user.

11. A system according to any of claims 1-10 and also comprising a plurality of satellites having at least one of the following functionalities:

broadcast, multicast and unicast.

12. A system according to any of claims 1-10 and comprising at least one of cable, networks, digital terrestrial networks, microwave networks, cellular networks and DSL networks, having at least one of the following functionalities:

broadcast, multicast and unicast

13. A system according to any of claims 1-12 and comprising PSTN facilities providing unicast functionality.

14. A system according to any of claims 1-13 and wherein unicast functionality is provided by facilities which also simultaneously provide broadcast and multicast functionalities.

15. A system according to any of claims 1-14 and wherein broadcast includes transmission of content to all users within a geographical footprint of a broadcast, including transmission of content in a pay access regime.

16. A system according to any of claims 1-15 and wherein multicast includes transmission of content to all users within a community having a predefined common interest, within a geographical footprint of a broadcast.

17. A system according to any of claims 1-16 and wherein unicast includes transmission of content to an individual user based on a request from that user.

18. A system according to any of claims 1-17 and wherein at least one coordinating facility coordinates unicast functionality with at least one of broadcast and multicast functionalities, thereby to enable efficient and effective use of available resources in terms of transmission facilities and bandwidth.

19. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality provides at least one of the following functionalities:

shifting between unicasting and multicasting;

bandwidth allocation within multicast communities; and

bandwidth allocation between unicast, multicast and a priori broadcast or multicast content.

20. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to determine what content is sent in what manner at what time via which facilities to which users.

21. A system according to any of claims 18-20 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to create new multicast communities in response to an increase in common user interests and requests.

22. A system according to any of claims 18-21 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to eliminate multicast communities in response to a decrease in common user interests and requests.

23. A system according to any of claims 1-21 and wherein as a community grows, the amount of bandwidth allocated to that community increases.

24. A system according to any of claims 1-23 and wherein as a community decreases in size, the amount of bandwidth allocated to the community decreases.

25. A system according to any of claims 1-23 and wherein there is defined a minimum multicast threshold which is a relative threshold determined by relative demands for various available content.

26. A system according to any of claims 1-25 and wherein the system provides a guaranteed minimum level of unicast service to the extent required and wherein bandwidth remaining from the provision of the guaranteed minimum level of unicast service is employed for multicast, the same broadcast network providing both unicast and multicast.

27. A system according to any of claims 1-26 and wherein bandwidth not required for contractual unicast service is allocated to multicast, thereby reducing demand for contractual unicast service and thus, over time, decreasing latency and providing enhanced service to customers.

28. A system according to any of claims 1-27 and wherein bandwidth not required for contractual unicast service is allocated not only to multicast but also to better unicast service, in accordance with latency considerations.

29. A system according to any of claims 1-9 and 11-28 and wherein available bandwidth is allocated with the highest priority being given to a-priori content and the next highest priority being given to unicast the remaining bandwidth being employed for multicast.

30. A system according to claim 29 and wherein said remaining bandwidth is allocated among communities based at least partially on relative community size.

2. A system for providing content to user comprising:

a multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users and being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community; and

a bandwidth allocator operative to allocate bandwidth used by said multicast sub-system among said plurality of user communities.

3. A system for providing content to users comprising:

at least one multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users;

at least one unicast sub-system providing content to individual users; and

a bandwidth allocator operative to allocate bandwidth among said at least one multicast sub-system and said at least one unicast sub-system.

4. A system for providing content to users comprising:

a multicast sub-system providing content to multiple users and being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community based on at least a-priori determinations and current demand; and

a bandwidth allocator operative to allocate bandwidth used by said multicast sub-system among at least content based on a-priori determinations and content based on current demand.

5. A system for providing content to users comprising:

multi cast means for providing content to multiple users;

.and

unicast means for providing content to individual users,

said multicast means being operative to push each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community, and

said unicast means being operative to provide on demand to a user, content which has not been previously pushed to said user.

6. A system for providing content to user comprising:

multicast means providing content to multiple users and being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community; and

bandwidth allocator means operative to allocate bandwidth used by said multicast means among said plurality of user communities.

7. A system for providing content to users comprising:

at least one multicast means for providing content to multiple users;

at least one unicast means for providing content to individual users; and

bandwidth allocator means operative to allocate bandwidth among said at least one multicast means and said at least one unicast means.

8. A system for providing content to users comprising:

multicast means for providing content to multiple users and being operative to push to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community based on at least a priori determinations and current demand; and

a bandwidth allocator operative to allocate bandwidth used by said multicast means among at least content based on a priori determinations and content based on current demand.

9. A system for providing unicast and multicast content to users and including bandwidth allocation means for providing a guaranteed minimum level of unicast service to the extent required and wherein bandwidth remaining from the provision of the guaranteed minimum level of unicast service is employed for multicast, the same broadcast network providing both unicast and multicast.

10. A system for providing unicast and multicast content to users and including bandwidth allocation means for allocating highest priority to a-priori content and next highest priority to unicast and for allocating remaining bandwidth to multicast.

31. A method for providing content to users comprising:

multicasting content to multiple users; and

unicasting content to individual users.

said multicasting including pushing to each of a plurality of user communities, content relating to said community, and

said unicasting including provide on demand to user, content which has not been previously pushed to said user.

37. A method according to any of claims 31-36 and including broadcast of content to all users within a geographical footprint of a broadcast, including transmission of content in a pay access regime.

38. A method according to any of claims 31-37 and wherein multicasting includes transmission of content to all users within a community having a predefined common interest, within a geographical footprint of a broadcast.

39. A method according to any of claims 31-38 and wherein unicasting includes transmission of content to an individual user based on a request from that user.

40. A method according to any of claims 31-39 and wherein at least one coordinating facility coordinates unicast functionality with at least one of broadcast and multicast functionalities, thereby to enable efficient and effective use of available resources in terms of transmission facilities and bandwidth.

41. A method according to claim 40 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality provides at least one of the following functionalities:

shifting between unicasting and multicasting;

bandwidth allocation within multicast communities; and

bandwidth allocation between unicast, multicast and a priori broadcast or multicast content.

42. A method according to claim 40 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to what content is sent in what manner at what time facilities to which users.

43. A method according to any of claims 40-42 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to create new multicast communities in response to an increase in common user interests and requests.

44. A method according to any of claims 40-43 and wherein said at least one coordinating functionality is operative to eliminate multicast communities in response to a decrease in common user interests and requests.

45. A method according to any of claims 31-44 and wherein as a community grows, the amount of bandwidth allocated to that community increases.

46. A method according to any of claims 31-45 and wherein as a community decreases in size, the amount of bandwidth allocated to that community decreases.

47. A method according to any of claims 31-46 and including providing a guaranteed minimum level of unicast service to the extent required and wherein bandwidth remaining from the provision of the guaranteed minimum level of unicast service is employed for multicast, the same broadcast network providing both unicast and multicast.

48. A method according to any of claims 31-47 and wherein bandwidth not required for contractual unicast service is allocated to multicast, thereby reducing demand for contractual unicast service and thus, over time, decreasing latency and providing enhanced service to customers.

49. A method according to any of claims 31-48 and wherein bandwidth not required for contractual unicast service is allocated not only to multicast but also to better unicast service, in accordance with latency considerations.

50. A method according to any of claims 31-34 and 37-49 and wherein available bandwidth is allocated with the highest priority being given to a-priori content and the next highest priority being given to unicast, the remaining bandwidth employed being for multicast.

51. A method according to claim 50 and wherein said remaining bandwidth is allocated among communities based at least partially on relative community size.

32. A method for providing content to user comprising:

multicasting content to multiple users by pushing content relating to individual communities; and

allocating bandwidth among said individual communities.

33. A method for providing content to users comprising:

multicasting content to multiple users;

unicasting content to individual users; and

allocating bandwidth between said multicasting and said unicasting.

34. A method for providing content to users comprising:

multicasting content to multiple users by pushing to each of a plurality or user communities, content relating to said community based on at least a priori determinations and current demand; and

allocating bandwidth among at least content based on a priori determinations and content based on current demand.

35. A method for providing unicast and multicast content to users and including bandwidth allocation wherein bandwidth remaining from the provision of the guaranteed minimum level of unicast service is employed for multicast, the same broadcast network providing both unicast and multicast.

36. A method for providing unicast and multicast content to users and including bandwidth allocation, allocating highest priority to a-priori content and next higher priority to unicast and for allocating remaining bandwidth to multicast.