System for selectively routing data via either a network that supports Internet protocol or via satellite transmission network based on size of the data

• US 6,385,647 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Heneghan, Jack, Howser, Jim, Garrity, Marty, Willis, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,052
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/230, 709/231, 709/235, 709/237, 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 714/748
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Data files, video and audio data, telephone calls, and other multimedia information is multicast through a hybrid network which includes orbiting satellites and the Internet. The multimedia information is multicast to a receiving facility via an orbiting satellite or the Internet. If the status of the transmission indicates that the transmission was unsuccessful, the receiving computer will transmit a failure status to the source, and the source will transmit the multimedia information to the receiving computer, thus providing reliable data delivery. The multicast data is received by a receiving facility and the data is transmitted via industry standard non-proprietary mechanisms utilizing Internet Protocol to each of the destination computers that are members of the multicast group.

Claims

1. A method for media communication over a network supporting an Internet Protocol from a source computer to one or more destinations through a receiving facility, comprising:

receiving data from a source computer destined for one or more destinations;

selectively routing the data via either a network that supports Internet Protocol or via a satellite transmission network based on a size of the data;

in response to routing the data via the satellite transmission network, multicasting the data from the source computer via a satellite utilizing an Internet Protocol to facilitate routing;

receiving the data at the receiving facility;

transmitting the data from the receiving facility to each of the destinations via the network that supports Internet Protocol; and

receiving the data at the one or more destinations with Internet Protocol addresses attached via the network that supports Internet Protocol.

2. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, including the step of transmitting the status of the source computer transmission from the receiving facility to the source computer and if the status indicates transmission failure then transmitting the data and destination addresses from the source computer to the receiving facility.

3. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein multicasting is implemented through TCP/IP.

4. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, including the step of encoding and encrypting the data for security.

5. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the data is stream data.

6. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the data is file data.

7. A method for media communication over a network as recited in claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective routing includes:

selectively routing the data via either the network that supports Internet Protocol or the satellite transmission network based on the size of the data and a distance between the source computer and the one or more destinations.

9. A computer system that facilitates data communication to one or more destinations, comprising:

a satellite transmission network;

a network that supports Internet Protocol;

a source computer for selectively multicasting data to one or more destinations via either the satellite transmission network or the network that supports Internet Protocol based on a distance between the source computer and the one or more destinations;

a receiving facility that receives the data from the satellite transmission network and the network that supports Internet Protocol and that transmits the data to each of the one or more destinations via the network that supports the Internet Protocol.

10. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein the receiving facility transmits to the source computer the status of the transmission from the source computer and if the status indicates transmission failure, then the source computer transmits the data and destination addresses to the receiving facility.

11. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein multicasting is implemented utilizing TCP/IP.

12. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein the data is encoded and encrypted.

13. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein the data is stream data.

14. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein the data is file data.

15. A computer system for media communication over a network as recited in claim 9, wherein the communication link between the source and the receiving facility includes the Internet.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the source computer is configured to selectively multicast the data via either the satellite transmission network or the network that supports Internet Protocol based on the distance between the source computer and the one or more destinations and a size of the data.

17. A system for multicast transmission of data, comprising:

a satellite transmission network;

an internet;

a first router for selectively routing data from a source and addressed to one or more destinations via either the satellite transmission network or the internet based on a distance between the source and the one or more destinations; and

a second router for receiving the data from either the satellite transmission network or the internet and routing the data to one or more of the one or more destinations.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the satellite transmission network, comprises:

a conditional access device for receiving the data from the content insertion;

a multiplexer;

a satellite; and

an integrated receiver decoder.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a content insertion for receiving data from one or more content sources and routing the data to the first router.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first router is configured to selectively route the data via either the satellite transmission network or the internet based on the distance between the source and the one or more destinations and a size of the data.

21. A system that facilitates data communication to one or more destinations, comprising:

a satellite transmission network;

a network that supports Internet Protocol;

a source computer for multicasting messages to one or more destinations via either the satellite transmission network, or the network that supports Internet Protocol, based on a size of each of the messages; and

a receiving facility that receives the data from the satellite transmission network and the network that supports Internet Protocol and that transmits the messages to each of the one or more destinations via the network that supports the Internet Protocol.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the multicasting of messages to one or more destinations via either the satellite transmission network, or the network that supports Internet Protocol, is further based on a distance between the source computer and each of the one or more destinations.