System and method for providing internet broadcasting data based on hierarchical structure

• US 7,047,306 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MIZI Research, Inc. (Aptiv PLC), EGC & C Limited
• Original Assignee: MIZI Research, Inc. (Aptiv PLC), EGC & Company Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Yong-Hwa, Hwang, Jun, Zee, Dae-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REILLY, SEAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/936,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709227-228, 709230-232, 709/223, 370/270
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor

Abstract

A system and method for providing Internet broadcasting data based on hierarchical structure, which can reduce a bottleneck problem due to data congestion. The method for providing Internet broadcasting data includes the steps of; a) if a connection request signal is received from a first terminal, determining whether a number of terminals connected to a server is smaller than a threshold value; b) if the number of the terminals connected to the server is smaller than the threshold value, transmitting broadcasting data to the first terminal; and c) if the number of the terminals connected to the server is not smaller than the threshold value, leading the first terminal to try to connect a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is one of the terminals connected to the server.

Claims

1. An Internet broadcasting method comprising:

providing an Internet broadcasting server configured to broadcast unicast data and multicast data;

providing a terminal having broadcasting receiving means to directly receive multicast data, and data treatment and display means connected to the broadcasting receiving means for receiving, processing, and displaying the multicast data from the broadcasting receiving means, and broadcasting repeating means to directly receive unicast data, transform the unicast data to multicast data and transmit the transformed multicast data to other terminals;

receiving by the broadcasting receiving means multicast data broadcast by the Internet broadcasting server for a first time period;

receiving, processing, and displaying, the multicast data from the broadcasting receiving means by the data treatment and display means;

failing to receive multicast data by the broadcasting receiving means for a predetermined second time period after the first time period and then directly connecting the broadcasting repeating means of the terminal to the Internet broadcasting server and receiving unicast data from the Internet broadcasting server, transforming the received unicast data into multicast data, and transmitting the transformed multicast data to other terminals connected to the terminal.

2. A computer readable recording media recorded with a program for executing the method defined in claim 1.