Method and apparatus for selectively retrieving information from a source computer using a terrestrial or satellite interface
First Claim
1. A system for retrieving data from a source computer coupled to a network, comprising:
- a requesting terminal;
a low-speed path linking the requesting terminal with the network;
a high-speed path linking the requesting terminal with the network; and
selection means for selecting one of the low-speed path and the high speed path for transmission of data from the source computer to the requesting terminal,wherein the requesting terminal includes application software for generating a data request packet for transmission from the requesting terminal to the source computer,wherein the selection means comprises a driver for receiving the data request packet from the application software and modifying the request packet to specify one of the low-speed path and the high-speed path for transmission of data from the source computer, andwherein the request packet is an IP packet including a destination address and a source address and the driver specifies the low-speed path by changing the source address to correspond to the low-speed path.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A requesting terminal includes an interface that allows a user to select whether data downloaded from a network (such as the Internet) is transmitted to the requesting terminal via a high-speed link, such as a satellite link, or a lower speed link, such as a terrestrial link. Preferably, the terrestrial link (which may comprise a conventional dial-up Internet connection) is a two-way link, wherein the requesting terminal transmits data requests to the network via the terrestrial link. The data requests generated by the requesting terminal are modified to designate whether the requested data should be downloaded from the network via the terrestrial link or the satellite link. The terrestrial link may also be automatically selected for certain applications.
476 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A system for retrieving data from a source computer coupled to a network, comprising:
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a requesting terminal; a low-speed path linking the requesting terminal with the network; a high-speed path linking the requesting terminal with the network; and selection means for selecting one of the low-speed path and the high speed path for transmission of data from the source computer to the requesting terminal, wherein the requesting terminal includes application software for generating a data request packet for transmission from the requesting terminal to the source computer, wherein the selection means comprises a driver for receiving the data request packet from the application software and modifying the request packet to specify one of the low-speed path and the high-speed path for transmission of data from the source computer, and wherein the request packet is an IP packet including a destination address and a source address and the driver specifies the low-speed path by changing the source address to correspond to the low-speed path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A system for retrieving data from a source computer coupled to a network, comprising:
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a requesting terminal for requesting data to be retrieved from the source computer, wherein the requesting terminal includes a terrestrial interface coupled to the network; a satellite interface capable of receiving data transmitted via a satellite link, wherein the satellite link includes a gate coupled to the network, and means for designating that the requested date be transmitted from the source computer to the requesting terminal through one of the terrestrial interface and the satellite interface, wherein the requesting terminal transmits a request packet to the source computer through the terrestrial interface, wherein the designating means comprises a driver that modifies the request packet to specify one of the terrestrial interface and the satellite interface, and wherein the driver specifies the terrestrial interface by changing the source address of the request packet to the terrestrial interface. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification