Method and apparatus for managing delivery of stream data

• US 20070165639A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hirose, Tomonori, Tajima, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast

Abstract

This invention is to cope with users requesting the delivery of stream data, flexibly. In this invention, a user terminal requesting the delivery of the stream data is used as a node in a delivery tree whose root is a delivery source device connected to a camera, and relays the stream data to a lower stage. This delivery tree is managed by a delivery management server. Then, it executes: receiving a delivery request of specific stream data; identifying an apparatus whose number of stages from the root of the delivery tree is the least and having a remaining relay resource with reference to a delivery management database storing the number of stages from the root of the delivery tree, data representing a remaining relay resource and access destination data for each of apparatuses including a root device of the delivery tree and terminals as nodes in the delivery tree; and reading out the access destination data of the identified apparatus from the delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as request destination data of the specific stream data to the delivery requesting terminal.

Claims

1. A method for managing delivery of stream data, comprising:

receiving a delivery request for delivery of specific stream data from a delivery requesting terminal;

identifying an apparatus whose number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data is the least and having a remaining relay resource with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from said root of said delivery tree, data representing a remaining relay resource and access destination data for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

reading out said access destination data of the identified apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as request destination data of said specific stream data to said delivery requesting terminal; and

updating said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered to said delivery requesting terminal.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said updating comprises:

registering data concerning said delivery requesting terminal into said delivery management database; and

updating said data representing said remaining relay resource of the identified apparatus in said delivery management database.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said data concerning said delivery requesting terminal comprises:

a value calculated by incrementing said number of stages of the identified apparatus by one, as said stage number of said delivery requesting terminal,

a permissible number of delivery destinations and a number of delivering destinations of said delivery requesting terminal, as said data representing said remaining relay resource of said delivery requesting terminal;

an IP address and a port number of said delivery requesting terminal, as said access destination data of said delivery requesting terminal, and

identification information of the identified apparatus, as delivery source data of said delivery requesting terminal.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said permissible number of delivery destinations is a value designated by said delivery requesting terminal or a value identified by a computer executing said method.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said delivery requesting terminal comprises:

a function to receive said stream data and display said stream data on a display device; and

a function to relay said stream data according to a request from another terminal.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said IP address and said port number of said delivery requesting terminal are included in said delivery request.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said delivery management database further stores identification information of a delivery source apparatus for each terminal, and said method further comprises:

receiving a delivery stop request from a specific terminal as a node in said delivery tree of said specific stream data;

detecting a first apparatus whose delivery source apparatus is said specific terminal with reference to said delivery management database;

upon the detection of said first apparatus, searching said delivery management database while assuming a state where said specific terminal does not belong to said delivery tree to identify a second apparatus whose number of stages is the least and having a remaining relay resource;

reading out access destination data of said second apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as new request destination data of said specific stream data to said first apparatus; and

updating said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered from said second apparatus to said first apparatus.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting a delivery stop allowance notice to said specific terminal.

9. A method for managing delivery of stream data, comprising:

receiving a delivery stop request from a specific terminal as a node in a delivery tree of specific stream data;

detecting a first apparatus whose delivery source apparatus is said specific terminal with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data, data representing a remaining relay resource, access destination data and identification information of a delivery source apparatus for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

upon the detection of said first apparatus, searching said delivery management database while assuming a state where said specific terminal does not belong to said delivery tree, to identify a second apparatus whose number of stages is the least and having a remaining relay resource;

reading out access destination data of said second apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as new request destination data of said specific stream data to said first apparatus; and

updating said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered from said second apparatus to said first apparatus.

10. A program embodied on a medium, for managing delivery of stream data, said program comprising:

receiving a delivery request for a delivery of specific stream data from a delivery requesting terminal;

identifying an apparatus whose number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data is the least and having a remaining relay resource with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from said root of said delivery tree, data representing a remaining relay resource and access destination data for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

reading out said access destination data of the identified apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as request destination data of said specific stream data to said delivery requesting terminal; and

updating said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered to said delivery requesting terminal.

11. A program embodied on a medium, for managing delivery of stream data, said program comprising:

receiving a delivery stop request from a specific terminal as a node in a delivery tree of specific stream data;

detecting a first apparatus whose delivery source apparatus is said specific terminal with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data, data representing a remaining relay resource, access destination data and identification information of a delivery source apparatus for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

upon the detection of said first apparatus, searching said delivery management database while assuming a state where said specific terminal does not belong to said delivery tree, to identify a second apparatus whose number of stages is the least and having a remaining relay resource;

reading out access destination data of said second apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmitting the read access destination data as new request destination data of said specific stream data to said first apparatus; and

updating said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered from said second apparatus to said first apparatus.

12. An apparatus for managing delivery of stream data, comprising:

a unit that receives a delivery request for delivery of specific stream data from a delivery requesting terminal;

a unit that identifies an apparatus whose number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data is the least and having a remaining relay resource with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from said root of said delivery tree, data representing a remaining relay resource and access destination data for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

a unit that reads out said access destination data of the identified apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmits the read access destination data as request destination data of said specific stream data to said delivery requesting terminal; and

a unit that updates said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered to said delivery requesting terminal.

13. An apparatus for managing delivery of stream data, comprising:

a unit that receives a delivery stop request from a specific terminal as a node in a delivery tree of specific stream data;

a unit that detects a first apparatus whose delivery source apparatus is said specific terminal with reference to a delivery management database storing a number of stages from a root of a delivery tree of said specific stream data, data representing a remaining relay resource, access destination data and identification information of a delivery source apparatus for each of apparatuses including a root device of said delivery tree and terminals as nodes in said delivery tree;

a unit that searches, upon the detection of said first apparatus, said delivery management database while assuming a state where said specific terminal does not belong to said delivery tree, to identify a second apparatus whose number of stages is the least and having a remaining relay resource;

a unit that reads out access destination data of said second apparatus from said delivery management database, and transmits the read access destination data as new request destination data of said specific stream data to said first apparatus; and

a unit that updates said delivery management database so as to reflect a state where said specific stream data is being delivered from said second apparatus to said first apparatus.