Methods in transmission of files in a data communication network

• US 6,968,388 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fileflow AS
• Original Assignee: Fileflow AS
• Inventors: Pedersen, Nils-Johan, Lervik, John Markus, Michelsen, Rolf, Leistad, Geirr I., Fuldseth, Arild
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/674,969
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/232, 709/247
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/188 the unit being a video data packet, e.g. a network abstraction layer [NAL] unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting

Abstract

In methods in the transmission in a data communications network of arbitrarily formatted files between a sender (1) which represents an information provider and one/or more receivers (8) which represent users, a network server (5) is used in the transmission, the transmission itself taking place substantially transparent to both sender (1) and receiver (8). Before the transmission, a file which shall be transmitted is compression-coded, whereafter it is transmitted packet-divided via the server (5) to the receiver (8). In the transmission an already compression-coded file is subjected to a processing specific for one or more users and/or one or more specific application either in the server (5) or in the receiver (8) or both, without any effects on the transmission as such. Software used for the processing can be stored either at the sender (1), server (5) or receiver (8) and possibly downloaded automatically to the processing location. The particular operational and decision steps in the method are preferably realized in consecutive and approximately simultaneous and/or interfoliated steps.

Claims

1. A method in the transmission in a data communications network, particularly Internet, of arbitrarily formatted files comprising one or more different data types, between a sender comprising a data-processing device connected to the data communications network, wherein the sender represents an information provider, and one or more receivers with respective data-processing devices connected with the data communications network, wherein each receiver represents a user, wherein the transmission takes place via a dedicated server provided in or assigned to the data communications network, wherein files which shall be transmitted are stored in a database at the sender or in a database accessible from the sender and which, for the transmission that substantially takes place transparently for both sender and receiver, are downloaded to the data-processing device of the sender, and wherein the method comprises processing a file specifically for one or more users with user specific application software for one or more user specific applications under determined conditions, a specific processing with the user specific application software taking place consecutively in a data processing device of the server during the transmission and/or consecutively in the data-processing device of the receiver as the file is received and/or in the data-processing device of the receiver after the file has been received;

and performing the specific processing with the user specific application software which is stored in one or more of the following;

the sender, the server or the receiver, and, as required, is transmitted before or in phase with the processing to an actual processing location.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

compression-coding the file which shall be transmitted with a proprietary data compression procedure or a general loss-free data compression procedure,

dividing the compression-coded file in packets,

transmitting the packet-divided compression-coded file to the dedicated server together with receiver addresses,

providing the packets with receiver address, and

transmitting the compression-coded file to one or more receivers according to the receiver addresses of the packets, as well as a further step, for

decoding the received file at the receiver according to the data compression procedure or procedures already used for the compression coding.

3. A method in transmission in a data communications network, particularly Internet, of arbitrarily formatted files comprising one or more different data types, between a sender comprising a data-processing device connected to the data communications network, wherein the sender represents an information provider, and one or more receivers with respective data-processing devices connected with the data communications network;

wherein each receiver represents a user, wherein transmission takes place via a dedicated server provided in or assigned to the data communications network, wherein files which shall be transmitted are stored in a database at the sender or in a database accessible from the sender and which for the transmission that substantially takes place transparently for both sender and receiver, are downloaded to the data-processing device of the sender, and wherein the method comprises;

compression-coding a file which shall be transmitted with a proprietary data compression procedure or a general loss-free data compression procedure,

dividing the compression-coded file in packets,

transmitting the packet-divided compression-coded file to the dedicated server together with receiver addresses,

providing the packets with receiver address, and

transmitting the compression-coded file to one or more receivers according to the receiver addresses of the packets, and as well as further step, for

decoding the received file at the receiver according to the data compression procedure or procedures already used for the compression coding, and

additionally processing the file specifically for one or more users with user specific application software for one or more user specific applications under determined conditions, a specific processing taking place with the user specific application software consecutively in a data-processing device of the server during the transmission and/or consecutively in the data-processing device of the receiver as the file is received and/or in the data-processing device of the receiver after the file has been received, and performing the specific processing with the user specific application software which is stored in one or more of the following;

the sender, the server or the receiver and which, as required, is transmitted before or in phase with the processing to an actual processing location.

4. A method according to claim 3,

wherein the sender simultaneously with the initialization of the transmission during or after the transmission to the server sending a message to the receiver with a resource address of the server and an access code of the server and receiving a confirmation from the server when the latter has received the file and a confirmation from the receiver when the latter has received the file and downloaded it to its data-processing device.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein an arbitrarily formatted file comprises one or more of the following data types, image data, alphanumeric data, graphic data and fonts, wherein using the proprietary data compression procedure for compressing image data, and using the general loss-free compression procedure substantially for compression of alphanumeric data, graphics data and fonts.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein storing software for data compression coding and decoding in the server and downloading said software automatically respectively to the data-processing device of the sender for coding the file when the transmission is initialized and to the data-processing device of the receiver for decoding the file when it is received.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the packet division taking place dependent on the data type, such that each packet comprises a determined data type.

8. A method according to claim 3, wherein the specific processing taking place in the server after a preceding decoding of the file in the server by of the software for the data compression coding, the software for the specific processing either being stored at the sender and/or at the receiver and being transmitted to the data-processing device of the server when the specific processing shall take place, or beforehand stored in the data-processing device of the server, and after the specific processing again compression-coding the file with software stored in the server for transmission to the receiver, the server on the basis of the receiver address checking whether processing conditions are present.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the processing conditions assigned to a determined receiver address being stored in the server together with software for the processing and being accessed by the server on the basis of the receiver address.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein performing the specific processing on one or more determined data types such that only packets comprising the determined data type are decoded before the processing and coded anew after the processing has terminated.

11. A method according to claim 3, wherein the decoding of the file at the receiver taking place consecutively as the file is received.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the specific processing taking place consecutively in the data-processing device of the receiver before and/or after the decoding of the file which is received, the software for the processing either being stored at the receiver and/or in the sender and/or in the server and being transmitted to the data-processing device of the receiver when processing shall take place or beforehand being stored in the data-processing device of the receiver.

13. A method according to claim 3, wherein storing the file as it is received in the data-processing device of the receiver, and then decoding the file by the receiver at a later suitably selected time.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the specific processing of the stored file taking place in the data-processing device of the receiver before and/or after the decoding of the file, the software for the processing either being stored at the sender and/or in the server and transmitted to the data-processing device of the receiver when processing shall take place or beforehand entered in the data-processing device of the receiver.

15. A method according to claim 3, wherein the dedicated server being implemented on a general network server at the sender.

16. A method according to claim 3, wherein user names, receiver addresses, files and the given processing conditions assigned to user names or receiver addresses temporarily or permanently are stored in a database provided in the server.