Moving-image streaming system

• US 7,441,040 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Asai, Arito
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joo; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/376,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/226, 709230-231, 709/235, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

Moving-image data is streamed to a large number of client computers even though line band of a streaming server is kept narrow. To achieve this, the address of a relay server closer to a client computer than is the streaming server is transmitted when the client computer issues the streaming server a connection request for moving-image data. The client computer then sends this relay server a request to transmit the moving-image data. When this occurs, the address of another relay server even closer to the client computer than is the first-mentioned relay server is transmitted to the client computer. Since this other relay server is closest to the client computer, moving-image data is streamed from this relay server to the client computer.

Claims

1. A moving-image streaming system comprising a streaming server and a plurality of relay servers, wherein:

said streaming server includes;

a first determination device responsive to a request from a client computer for determining whether said plurality of relay servers includes a relay server between said streaming server and said client computer, and having a path from said relay server to said streaming server that is shorter than a path from said streaming server to said client computer;

a first transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that said relay server is non-existent; and

a second transmitting device for transmitting an address of said relay server to said client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that said relay server exists;

said relay server includes;

a receiving device for receiving the moving-image data streamed from said streaming server in response to a request of the streaming moving-image data, and waiting for a connection request from another device;

a second determination device responsive to the request from said client computer for determining whether another relay server, between said relay server and said client computer, has a path from said another relay server to said relay server that is shorter than a path from said relay server to said client computer;

a third transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said requesting client computer in response to a determination by said second determination device that said another relay server is non-existent; and

a fourth transmitting device for transmitting an address of said another relay server to said requesting client computer in response to a determination by said second determination device that said another relay server exists.

2. A relay server comprising:

a transmission request device for requesting a transmission of streaming moving-image data from a streaming server;

a receiving device for receiving the moving-image data streamed from said streaming server in response to the request for the streaming moving-image data, and waiting for a connection request from another device;

a determination device responsive to a request from a client computer for determining whether another relay server, between said relay server and said client computer, has a path from said another relay server to said relay server that is shorter than a path from said relay server to the client computer;

a first transmitting device for streaming moving-image data to said requesting client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that said another relay server is non-existent; and

a second transmitting device for transmitting an address of said another relay server to said requesting client computer in response to a determination by said determination device that said another relay server exists.