System and method for interacting with users over a communications network

• US 7,228,349 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NovaCloud Licensing LLC
• Original Assignee: GoldPocket Interactive, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Smith, Drake, Barone, Samuel T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollack; Melvin H.
• Application Number:
  US09/944,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709223-226, 709/234, 709/235, 709/241, 714/6, 348/211.3, 725/95, 725/96, 370232-238
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system and method for efficiently and quickly handling content and transaction requests from various users at respective end terminals. According to embodiments of the invention, plural servers are provided at the web site to randomly receive requests from users over a communications network, such as the Internet. Each server contains a memory, such as a cache or disk storage process, that contains a copy of all data contained on every other server. When a request comes in to one of the servers, in addition to processing the request, that server broadcasts data corresponding to the request to the other servers, which are programmed to store the same request data in their respective local memories. Such broadcasts may be preferably carried out over a back-end, private network.

Claims

1. A system for interacting with end user terminals over a first communications network, the system comprising:

a plurality of servers coupled to receive communication from the end user terminals over the first communications network;

an interface disposed between the plurality of servers and end user terminals, the interface being operative to receive requests from the end user terminals and to distribute the requests to the plurality of servers;

a second communication network coupled to provide communication between the servers in the plurality of servers;

a first computer program segment resident at a first one of the plurality of servers, wherein said program;

receives a first request from an end user terminal,

processes the first request, and

broadcasts data regarding the first request to a second one of the plurality of servers,

a second computer program segment resident in the second one of the plurality of servers, wherein said second program;

stores the data regarding the first request broadcast from the first one of the plurality of servers in a local memory,

receives a second request from the end user terminal,

retrieves from the local memory the data regarding the first request for processing the second request; and

processes the second request based on the retrieved data,

wherein, the first and second ones of the plurality of servers respectively receiving the first and second requests are selected based on a selection mechanism, the selection mechanism being configured to substantially evenly distribute request processing burdens amongst the plurality of servers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first program segment broadcasts data over the second communication network to the second program segment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second communications network comprises an Ethernet network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second communications network comprises a gigabit Ethernet network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the end user terminals comprise ITV receivers, and wherein the requests from the end user terminals are requests from the ITV receivers to retrieve and transmit interactive content to the ITV receivers.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a database for permanent storage of the data relating to processed requests.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the database is coupled to the second communications network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface disposed between the plurality of servers and end user terminals further includes means for routing incoming requests to the respective servers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for routing comprises the Domain Name Server function of the Internet.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for routing comprises a load balancing system (LBS).

11. The system of claim 2, further including a process coupled to the second communications network, wherein the process is programmed to monitor the network for instances of specific transactions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the process comprises a threshold monitoring process coupled to a content encoder, wherein the threshold monitoring process is programmed to process data transmitted over the second communications network, determine that a threshold has been exceeded, and to transmit a corresponding notification to the content encoder.

13. The system of claim 12, further including a frame relay line connected to the threshold monitoring process and the content encoder to transmit information there between.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the process comprises a transaction processing process.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection mechanism randomly selects the one of the plurality of servers.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection mechanism is a round robin selection mechanism.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein each server maintains all data needed for handling a request.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the data regarding the first request is registration data for a user of the end user terminal.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the data regarding the first request is transaction data transmitted by a user of the end user terminal.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the first of the plural servers is programmed to concurrently broadcast the data regarding the first request to a plurality of the plural servers.

15. A method of interacting with user terminals over a communications network comprising:

receiving a first request from a user terminal;

allocating the first request to a first server selected according to a selection mechanism, the selection mechanism being configured to substantially evenly distribute request processing burdens amongst the plurality of servers;

processing the first request at the first server;

transmitting data relating to the first request to at least a second server;

storing the data in a local memory of the second server;

receiving a second request from the user terminal;

allocating the second request to a second server selected according to the selection mechanism;

retrieving by the second server from the local memory the data relating to the first request for processing the second request; and

processing the second request by the second server based on the retrieved data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting data is performed over a private network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting data is performed in a LBS.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the LBS, which transmits data, distributes requests to the plurality of servers.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein allocating the request uses a round robin allocation to distribute the load over the plurality of servers.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein forwarding the request further comprises performing a load analysis to distribute the incoming requests over the plurality of servers.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein processing the request comprises retrieving and transmitting interactive content to an interactive television receiver.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising monitoring the data relating to the request at each server.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

detecting a threshold from the monitored data;

providing an indication of detection of the threshold to a content encoder;

encoding the indication of detection of the threshold; and

providing the encoded indication of reaching the threshold to at least one ITV receiver.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein detecting a data threshold comprises detecting a certain number of users.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein encoding the indication of detecting the threshold comprises placing an indication of detecting the threshold within a video signal to be provided to an ITV receiver.

26. A system for interacting with end user terminals over a communications network, the system comprising:

plural servers adapted for communication with the respective terminals over the communications network, wherein the servers are connected for communication with the other respective servers;

an interface connected to the respective servers and operative to receive requests from the user terminals and to route the requests to the respective servers; and

wherein a first of the plural servers is programmed to receive a first request from a particular end user terminal, process the first request, and broadcast data regarding the first request to a second one of the plural servers, and wherein the second one of the plural servers is programmed to store the broadcast data in a local memory, receive a second request from the end user terminal, retrieve from the local memory the data regarding the first request for processing the second request, and process the second request based on the retrieved data, and wherein the first and second ones of the plurality of servers respectively receiving the first and second requests are selected based on a selection mechanism, the selection mechanism being configured to substantially evenly distribute request processing burdens amongst the plurality of servers.

27. The system of claim 26, further including a back-end network connected to each of the servers, and wherein the servers are programmed to broadcast the data over the back-end network.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the terminals comprise ITV receivers, and wherein the servers are responsive to requests from the ITV receivers to retrieve and transmit interactive content to the terminals.

29. The system of claim 26, further including a database for storage of the data relating to processed requests.

30. The system of claim 26, further including a plurality of processes connected to the back-end network, wherein each process is programmed to monitor the network for certain data and to process the appropriate data.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein one of the processes comprises a threshold monitoring process connected to a content encoder, wherein the threshold monitoring process is programmed to process data transmitted over the back-end network, determine that a threshold has been exceeded, and to transmit corresponding data to the content encoder.