System, method and apparatus for distributing Video-On-Demand (VOD)
First Claim
1. A Video-On-Demand (VOD) system, comprising:
- a server having video content;
a resource management controller coupled to the server via a network connection;
at least one host client device coupled to the resource management controller via a network connection; and
at least one requesting client device coupled to the resource management controller via a network connection and coupled to the host client device via a network connection, wherein, in response to the requesting client device requesting video content, the resource management controller is configured to instruct at least one of the server and the host client device to transmit to the requesting client device at least a portion of the requested video content, wherein the transmission of the requested video content to the requesting client device from at least one of the server and the host client device is based on the amount of traffic at the server and at the host client device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system (20), method (60) and apparatus (28) for distributing Video-On-Demand (VOD) content to one or more client devices (28). The system (20) has a more distributed network architecture compared to conventional VOD system architectures, which allows VOD content to be delivered to the client devices (28) more efficiently. The system (20) includes a resource management controller (24) coupled to one or more content servers (22) and coupled to a plurality of client devices (28) via a distributed network link (32). The resource management controller (24) controls the delivery of VOD content to a requesting client device (28) from the one or more servers (22) and/or one or more client devices (28) configured as host client devices. Client devices (28) configured as host client devices can not only request video content from servers and other client devices, but also can transmit video content stored therein to other client devices.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A Video-On-Demand (VOD) system, comprising:
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a server having video content;
a resource management controller coupled to the server via a network connection;
at least one host client device coupled to the resource management controller via a network connection; and
at least one requesting client device coupled to the resource management controller via a network connection and coupled to the host client device via a network connection, wherein, in response to the requesting client device requesting video content, the resource management controller is configured to instruct at least one of the server and the host client device to transmit to the requesting client device at least a portion of the requested video content, wherein the transmission of the requested video content to the requesting client device from at least one of the server and the host client device is based on the amount of traffic at the server and at the host client device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium for delivering Video On-Demand (VOD) content to at least one first client device, wherein the first client device is coupled to a resource management controller and coupled to at least one second client device, wherein the resource management controller is coupled to at least one server containing VOD content, the program comprising:
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instructions for transmitting at least a portion of the requested VOD content by at least one of the server and the second client device to the first client device in such a manner that the first client device receives the requested VOD content, wherein the transmitting instructions are based on the amount of traffic at the server and at the second client device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A Video On-Demand (VOD) client device, comprising:
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an input interface for receiving VOD content from at least one source coupled to the client device;
a processing unit coupled to the input interface for processing VOD content received by the client device; and
a storage unit coupled to the processing unit for storing video content received by the client device, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive VOD content from at least one server and from at least one other VOD client device, and wherein the processing unit is configured to transmit VOD content to at least one other VOD client device and to at least one end-user display device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification