System for pseudo-interactive internet access

• US 6,965,913 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Virtel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Virtel Corporation
• Inventors: Levitan, Gutman
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ DAPLE, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US09/829,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/202, 709/229, 709/231, 725/91, 725/93, 725/95, 725/46, 725/47, 725/61, 725/87
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts

Abstract

The invention is an Internet access system reducing Internet traffic and delays in content presentation. It puts together interactivity of the Internet and congestion-free content delivery inherent in broadcast radio and television. An access server located at a broadcast center receives clients requests for Internet objects (web pages, music files etc.) via a two-way medium, downloads from the Internet a single copy of that object no matter how many clients have requested the object and then retransmits the copy in a broadcast manner so that all clients requested the same object could download it simultaneously. The system provides a repeated transmission of objects in high demand to reduce interaction between Internet clients and access server while operating in two modes of content delivery: an immediate delivery on request and a planned delivery according to a schedule. In both modes users receive Internet content of their choice at the time of their choice.

Claims

1. An Internet access system reducing Internet traffic and delays in content delivery comprising:

two-way addressable communication means for transmitting data between devices connected to the means by directing data to addresses assigned to the devices;

a broadcast multichannel medium for transmitting data in a broadcast manner;

a multichannel data transmitter provided at a transmission center and coupled to the broadcast multichannel medium;

a broadcast server located at the transmission center and coupled to said two-way addressable communication means for receiving requests for Internet objects from Internet clients and connected to the Internet via a network interface for downloading the requested objects from web servers located anywhere in the world and further coupled to said multichannel data transmitter for transmitting the downloaded Internet objects in a broadcast manner in order that Internet clients that requested the same object could download the object simultaneously;

said broadcast server operative for maintaining a server selection list of Internet objects requested by Internet clients and counting a number of clients that requested each object;

downloading only one copy of each object of the server selection list from its origin web server no matter how many clients have requested that object, thereby reducing Internet traffic;

selecting channels of said multichannel data transmitter for broadcast transmission of downloaded objects and maintaining a broadcast schedule specifying a transmission channel for each object to be transmitted;

transmitting the broadcast schedule on a channel known to Internet clients;

transmitting each Internet object on the channel specified for that object in the broadcast schedule;

retaining Internet objects requested by more than one client and repeatedly transmitting the objects with time intervals small enough so not to be considered as delays in content delivery;

continuing the transmission during a period of time determined for each object proportionally to the number of clients that requested the object in order that other clients whose users will request the object during that period of time could download the object without sending a request to the broadcast server, thereby further reducing Internet traffic and reducing delays in content delivery;

at recipient side, a multichannel data receiver coupled to said broadcast multichannel medium for receiving data transmitted by said multichannel data transmitter;

an Internet client coupled to the multichannel data receiver so to be able to switch channels of the receiver and obtain data transmitted on different channels, and further coupled to said two-way addressable communication means for sending requests to said broadcast server;

said Internet client being operative for obtaining a user request for an Internet object;

receiving said broadcast schedule over a channel of said multichannel data receiver;

identifying a channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of the Internet object requested by the user if the object is included in the broadcast schedule;

sending a request to the broadcast server only if the object requested by the user is not included in the broadcast schedule, thereby reducing interaction with the broadcast server, and waiting until the object will be included in the broadcast schedule;

switching said multichannel data receiver to the channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of the Internet object requested by the user;

downloading the object from that channel; and

presenting the object to the user.

2. An Internet access system reducing Internet traffic and delays in content presentation comprising:

two-way addressable communication means for transmitting data between devices connected to the means by directing data to addresses assigned to the devices;

a broadcast multichannel medium for transmitting data in a broadcast manner;

a multichannel data transmitter provided at a transmission center and coupled to the broadcast multichannel medium;

a broadcast server located at the transmission center and coupled to said two-way addressable communication means for receiving requests for Internet objects from Internet clients and connected to the Internet via a network interface for downloading the requested objects from Internet servers located anywhere in the world and further coupled to said multichannel data transmitter for transmitting the downloaded objects in a broadcast manner so that Internet clients that requested the same object could download the object simultaneously;

said broadcast server operative for maintaining a server selection list of Internet objects requested by Internet clients and counting a number of clients that requested each object;

scheduling objects of the server selection list for broadcast transmission so to transmit objects requested by more than one client repeatedly during a period of time determined for each object proportionally to the number of clients that requested the object in order that other clients whose users will request the object during that period of time could download the object without sending a request to the broadcast server;

maintaining a broadcast schedule specifying a transmission time and a transmission channel for each object to be transmitted;

transmitting the broadcast schedule via a channel known to Internet clients;

downloading each Internet object included in the broadcast schedule from its origin web server before the time of scheduled broadcast transmission of that object;

limiting the download to only one copy of the object no matter how many clients have requested that object, thereby reducing Internet traffic;

transmitting only one copy of each Internet object at the time and on the channel specified for that object in the broadcast schedule;

at recipient side, a multichannel data receiver coupled to said broadcast multichannel medium for receiving data transmitted by said multichannel data transmitter;

an Internet client coupled to the multichannel data receiver so to be able to switch channels of the receiver and obtain data transmitted on different channels, and further coupled to said two-way addressable communication means for sending requests to said broadcast server;

said Internet client being operative for obtaining and storing a user'"'"'s selection list of Internet objects;

receiving said broadcast schedule over a channel of said multichannel data receiver;

for each Internet object of the user'"'"'s selection list, which is included in the broadcast schedule, identifying a time and a channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of that object;

sending a request to the broadcast server only for those objects of the user'"'"'s selection list, which are not included in the broadcast schedule, thereby reducing interaction with the broadcast server;

at a time specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of an Internet object of the user'"'"'s selection list, switching said multichannel data receiver to the channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of that object;

downloading the object from that channel and, if necessary, replacing an old version of the object by a new one;

storing the object; and

instantly presenting the stored object to the user at a time selected by the user, thereby reducing delays in content presentation.