Systems for distributing content data over a computer network and method of arranging nodes for distribution of data over a computer network
First Claim
1. A distribution network for the distribution of content data from a server node to user nodes, wherein said user nodes are connected to said server and each other in cascaded relationship, wherein,(a) at least one of said user nodes is a repeater node connected directly to said server node, wherein said repeater node retransmits content data received by said repeater node to a second user node which is a child node of said repeater node, said second user node being docked to said repeater node for the purpose of receiving content data from said repeater node;
- (b) wherein each repeater node has the ability to provide connection address instructions to a connection requesting user nodes attempting to dock with it, said connection address instructions comprising a connection address list from a recommended parent node back to said server node;
(c) wherein said recommended parent node has apparent available capacity to transmit content data to said connection requesting user node and is at least as close to said repeater node as any other user node docked to the repeater node having apparent available capacity to transmit content data to said connection requesting user node;
(d) wherein each repeater node includes a descendant database indicating (i) which child nodes, if any, at a point in time, are docked with it so as to receive content data from said repeater node, and (ii) which user nodes, if any, at said point in time, are purportedly docked with each of said child nodes, said descendant database containing utility ratings for each child node in said descendant database; and
(e) wherein each repeater node is able to use said descendant database to create a primary recommended parent list and a secondary recommended parent list, said secondary recommended parent list containing all child nodes of said repeater node having sufficient bandwidth available to support another child node, but are fully occupied, and at least one of its child nodes is incapable of retransmitting content data to another child node, wherein said child nodes which are closest to said repeater are placed at the top of the secondary recommended parent list, and those nodes which are in the same level are ranked such that the nodes with the highest utility rating are listed first.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is a system for distributing content data over a computer network and a method of arranging receiver nodes in a computer network such that the capacity of the server is effectively multiplied many times over, and may even be increased exponentially. The invention takes advantage of the excess capacity many receiver nodes possess, and uses them as repeaters. The distribution system includes nodes having databases which indicate their ancestors and descendants so that reconfiguration of the distribution network may be accomplished without burdening the systems primary server. The invention includes a process for configuring a computer information distribution network having a primary server node and user nodes docked in a cascaded relationship, and reconfiguring the network in the event that a user node departs from it. The process includes the steps of providing a new user node (or connection requesting user node) with a connection address list of nodes within the network, having the new user node (or connection requesting user node) go to the node at the top of the connection address list, determine whether that node is still part of the distribution network, and connect thereto if it is, and if it is not, to go to the next node on the connection address list. When a user node departs from the distribution network, a propagation signal is transmitted to the nodes below it in the network, causing them to move up in the network in a predetermined order.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A distribution network for the distribution of content data from a server node to user nodes, wherein said user nodes are connected to said server and each other in cascaded relationship, wherein,
(a) at least one of said user nodes is a repeater node connected directly to said server node, wherein said repeater node retransmits content data received by said repeater node to a second user node which is a child node of said repeater node, said second user node being docked to said repeater node for the purpose of receiving content data from said repeater node; -
(b) wherein each repeater node has the ability to provide connection address instructions to a connection requesting user nodes attempting to dock with it, said connection address instructions comprising a connection address list from a recommended parent node back to said server node; (c) wherein said recommended parent node has apparent available capacity to transmit content data to said connection requesting user node and is at least as close to said repeater node as any other user node docked to the repeater node having apparent available capacity to transmit content data to said connection requesting user node; (d) wherein each repeater node includes a descendant database indicating (i) which child nodes, if any, at a point in time, are docked with it so as to receive content data from said repeater node, and (ii) which user nodes, if any, at said point in time, are purportedly docked with each of said child nodes, said descendant database containing utility ratings for each child node in said descendant database; and (e) wherein each repeater node is able to use said descendant database to create a primary recommended parent list and a secondary recommended parent list, said secondary recommended parent list containing all child nodes of said repeater node having sufficient bandwidth available to support another child node, but are fully occupied, and at least one of its child nodes is incapable of retransmitting content data to another child node, wherein said child nodes which are closest to said repeater are placed at the top of the secondary recommended parent list, and those nodes which are in the same level are ranked such that the nodes with the highest utility rating are listed first. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A distribution network for the distribution of content data comprising:
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a server node; a plurality of user nodes wherein the server node and the plurality of user nodes are connected to each other in cascaded relationship, wherein at least one of the plurality of user nodes is a repeater node connected directly to the server node, wherein the repeater node retransmits content data received by the repeater node to a second one of the plurality of user nodes which is a child node of the repeater node, the second one of the plurality of user nodes being docked to the repeater node for the purpose of receiving content data from the repeater node, wherein each repeater node has the ability to provide connection address instructions to any of the plurality of user nodes which attempt to dock with it, and wherein the connection address instructions comprise a connection address list from a recommended parent node back to the server node wherein the recommended parent node has sufficient bandwidth to transmit content data to the user node attempting to dock with the repeater node and is at least as close to the repeater node as any other user node docked to the repeater node having sufficient bandwidth to transmit content data to the user node; (f) wherein each repeater node includes a descendant database indicating (i) which child nodes, if any, at a point in time, are docked with it so as to receive content data from said repeater node, and (ii) which user nodes, if any, at said point in time, are purportedly docked with each of said child nodes, said descendant database containing utility ratings for each child node in said descendant database; and (g) wherein each repeater node is able to use said descendant database to create a primary recommended parent list and a secondary recommended parent list, said secondary recommended parent list containing all child nodes of said repeater node having sufficient bandwidth available to support another child node, but are fully occupied, and at least one of its child nodes is incapable of retransmitting content data to another child node, wherein said child nodes which are closest to said repeater are placed at the top of the secondary recommended parent list, and those nodes which are in the same level are ranked such that the nodes with the highest utility rating are listed first.
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Specification