Video on demand service system for performing automatic expanding processing of data and title information

• US 6,170,006 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Namba, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/122,658
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/714, 348/10, 348/12, 415/4.2, 415/4.1, 345/327, 345/328, 209/217-219, 714/111, 714/114, 714/147, 714/148
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A video server is interconnected through a LAN and the like to other video servers, allowing data transmission/reception among the video servers. Users are connected through a network to a server managing portion. The server managing portion receives access from the users to make an instruction to the video server. An access amount managing portion manages an access amount of the video server to determine whether to perform expanding processing of a VOD service. When the expanding processing is to be performed, a data copy processing portion checks an amount in the other video server, and copies data to the other video servers as required. Then, the server managing portion distributes access processing.

It is thus possible to improve expandability of the VOD service as to data and the like to which a large amount of access is made in the video server, allowing the availability of a comfortable VOD service system to the users.

Claims

1. A video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and providing data stored in video servers for the user terminals, said system comprising:

a plurality of said video servers and a plurality of said user terminals connected through a network;

each of said video servers comprising;

managing means for managing an amount of the access from said user terminals;

determining means by dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks said video server;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other of said video servers which has space for an other access when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers.

5. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining means and said copying means transmit notification of a request for copy permission of the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers, and further receives a response of copy permission or prohibition to the notification from the at least one other of said video servers to determine whether it is possible to copy the specific data.

7. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determining means and said copying means does not copy the specific data when the response to the notification does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the notification of the request for copy permission.

2. A video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and providing data stored in video servers for the user terminals, said system comprising:

a plurality of said video servers and a plurality of said user terminals connected through a network;

each of said video servers comprising;

managing means for managing an amount of the access from said user terminals;

determining means for dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks said video server;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other of said video servers which has space for an other access according to the size of the space from large to small when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers.

6. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said determining means and said copying means transmit notification of a request for copy permission of the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers, and further receives a response of copy permission or prohibition to the notification from the at least one other of said video servers to determine whether it is possible to copy the specific data.

8. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said determining means and said copying means does not copy the specific data when the response to the notification does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the notification of the request for copy permission.

3. A video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and providing data stored in video servers for the user terminals, said system comprising:

a plurality of said video servers and a plurality of said user terminals connected through a network;

each of said video servers comprising;

managing means for managing an amount of the access from said user terminals;

determining means for dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access said overworks said video server;

monitoring means for monitoring an amount of an other access which is currently managed by an other of said managing means;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other of said video servers which has space for an other access, in accordance with the amount of the other access which is currently monitored by said monitoring means, when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers.

4. A video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and providing data stored in video servers for the user terminals, said system comprising:

a plurality of said video servers and a plurality of said user terminals connected through server managing means by a network,

said server managing means comprising managing means for instructing at least one of said video servers relating to an access received from said user terminals and managing an amount of all the access of said video servers;

each of said video servers comprising;

determining means for dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks said video server;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other of said video servers which has space for an other access, in accordance with the amount of the other access which is currently managed by said server managing means, when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount;

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access processing for the specific data to the at least one other of said video servers.

9. A video server for use in a video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and then providing corresponding data to the user terminals, said video server comprising:

managing means for managing an amount of the access from the user terminals;

determining means for dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks said video server;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other video server which has space for an other access when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other video server.

11. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said determining means and said copying means transmit notification of a request for copy permission of the specific data to the at least one other of said video server, and further receives a response of copy permission or prohibition to the notification from the at least one other of said video server to determine whether it is possible to copy the specific data.

13. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said determining means and said copying means does not copy the specific data when the response to the notification does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the notification of the request for copy permission.

10. A video server for use in a video on demand service system for receiving access from user terminals and then providing corresponding data to the user terminals, said video server comprising:

managing means for managing an amount of the access from the user terminals;

determining means for dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing means exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks said video server;

copying means for copying specific data to at least one other video server which has space for an other access according to the size of the space from large to small when said determining means determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing means for distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to at least one other of said video servers.

12. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said determining means and said copying means transmit notification of a request for copy permission of the specific data to the at least one other of said video server, and further receives a response of copy permission or prohibition to the notification from the at least one other of said video server to determine whether it is possible to copy the specific data.

14. A video on demand service system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said determining means and said copying means does not copy the specific data when the response to the notification does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the notification of the request for copy permission.

15. A data processing method in a video on demand service system in which a plurality of video servers and a plurality of user terminals are connected through a network, the system for receiving access from the user terminals and then providing data stored in the video server for the user terminals, said method comprising:

managing an amount of the access from the user terminals;

dynamically determining whether or not the amount of the access currently managed by said managing exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks the video server;

making a request for copy permission of specific data to at least one other video server when it is determined in said managing that the amount of the access exceeds a predetermined amount;

copying the specific data to at least one other video server which has space for an other access when said determining determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

distributing a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other video server.

16. A data processing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said copying does not copy the specific data when the response to the request does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the request for the copy permission.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for use with a video on demand service system in which a plurality of video servers and a plurality of user terminals are connected through a network, the system for receiving access from the user terminals and then providing data stored in the video server for the user terminals, said computer program comprising:

computer readable program code means for causing the video on demand system to manage an amount of access from the user terminals;

computer readable program code means for causing the video on demand system to dynamically determine whether or not the amount of the access currently managed exceeds a predetermined amount which is less than an amount of access which overworks the video server;

computer readable program code means for causing the video on demand system to make a request for copy permission of specific data to at least one other video server when it is determined in the managing that the amount of the access exceeds a predetermined amount;

computer readable program code means for causing the video on demand system to copy the specific data to at least one other video server which has space for an other access when the determining determines that the amount of the access exceeds the predetermined amount; and

computer readable program code means for causing the video on demand system to distribute a processing of currently receiving/subsequently receiving access for the specific data to the at least one other video server.

18. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein the copying does not copy the specific data when the response to the request does not arrive after a lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of the request for the copy permission.