System and Method for Combining Pull and Push Modes

• US 20100011088A1
• Filed: 01/11/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Gautier, Eric, Lubbers, Willem, Gerard, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1809 Selective-repeat protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for downloading content using a combination of push and pull modes. In a communication system comprising a first terminal, at least a second terminal, and a content server, the invention concerns a method for downloading content comprising, at the level of the first terminal, the steps of downloading content either in a pull mode from the content server or at least the second terminal or in a push mode from the content server; and seamlessly switching between the modes for continuing downloading of the content.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. Method for downloading content in a communication system comprising a first terminal, at least a second terminal, and a content server, said method comprising, at the level of the first terminal, the steps of:

downloading content in a pull mode from said content server or at least said second terminal; and

continuing downloading said content in a push mode when said push mode starts at said content server.

16. Method, according to claim 10, comprising the step of:

receiving the pull content according to a peer-to-peer protocol; and

receiving a peer-to-peer meta-information file comprising information allowing switching to a push mode.

11. Method for downloading content in a communication system comprising a first terminal, at least a second terminal, and a content server, said method comprising, at the level of the first terminal, the steps of:

downloading content in a push mode from said content server; and

continuing downloading said content in a pull mode from said content server or at least said second terminal when said pull mode is available.

12. Method, according to claim 11, comprising the step of:

receiving the push content in a session delivery according to the FLUTE protocol; and

receiving information in a File Delivery Table, FDT, during the session delivery allowing to switch to a pull mode.

13. Method, according to claim 12, comprising the step of:

verifying the integrity of the FDT instance;

indicating to an indexing server whether the FDT instance has been successfully received or not; and

indicating to said indexing server whether the file associated with the FDT instance has been successfully received or not.

14. Method, according to claim 13, comprising, when detecting a corrupted FDT instance, the step of:

waiting for the end of the file delivery; and

performing a FDT instance reparation in a pull mode.

15. Method, according to claim 13, comprising, when detecting a corrupted complete FDT, the step of:

waiting for the end of the session delivery; and

performing a complete FDT reparation in a pull mode.

17. Terminal comprising:

means for downloading content in a push mode;

means for downloading content in pull mode; and

means for downloading content in a pull mode from said content server or at least said second terminal and continuing downloading said content in a push mode when said push mode is available at said content server.

18. Terminal comprising:

means for downloading content in a push mode;

means for downloading content in pull mode; and

means for downloading content in a push mode from said content server and continuing downloading said content in a pull mode from said content server or at least said second terminal when said pull mode is available.