Ip multicast service over a broadcast channel
First Claim
1. A method of providing an Internet Protocol multicast service wherein multicast data is transmitted through multicast routers (8) to user stations (9) over a digital broadcast channel together with digital broadcast signals, at least if a request (18) has been received from a user station (9) for the multicast data, characterised in that the transmission of said multicast data (22) by said multicast routers is conditional upon the reception of said request (18) for said multicast data at said multicast routers from a plurality of said user stations (9).
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for providing an Internet Protocol multicast service wherein multicast data is transmitted through multicast routers (8) to user stations (9) over a digital broadcast channel (especially DVB-T) together with digital broadcast signals, at least if a request has been received from a user station (9) for the multicast data,. The transmission of the multicast data by a multicast router is conditional upon the reception of a request for said multicast data from that multicast router by a plurality of the user stations (9). The number of requests from the user stations (9) has to be greater than a threshold number, which is a function of the available bandwidth for multicast transmission over the broadcast channel. Information concerning the requests for the multicast data by the user stations (9) is unavailable to the other user stations (9).
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A method of providing an Internet Protocol multicast service wherein multicast data is transmitted through multicast routers (8) to user stations (9) over a digital broadcast channel together with digital broadcast signals, at least if a request (18) has been received from a user station (9) for the multicast data,
characterised in that the transmission of said multicast data (22) by said multicast routers is conditional upon the reception of said request (18) for said multicast data at said multicast routers from a plurality of said user stations (9).
Specification