Method of intermediating multicasting signal for multicasting embodiment

• US 7,580,978 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EGC & C Limited
• Original Assignee: EGC & C Limited
• Inventors: Park, Hyun-Je, Kim, Yong-Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Barqadle; Yasin M
• Application Number:
  US10/674,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/390, 370/392, 370/431, 370/486, 370/487, 709/245, 709/278
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13242 Broadcast, diffusion, multicast, point-to-multipoint (1 : N)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1329 Asynchronous transfer mode, ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13298 Local loop systems, access network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet

Abstract

The invention relates to a multicasting relay method to secure a significantly increased number of simultaneous multicasting connectors under an identical network environment (B-RAS, NAS or the like) with no addition of service device under a modem environment utilizing xDSL and PSTN and a recording medium readably by a computer recorded with programs, the method comprising the steps of: prompting a contents providing server to induce the first xDSL connector terminal to an xDSL server (B-RAS) (step 1); broadcasting a multicasting broadcasting data to the xDSL connector server in real time (step 2); discriminating whether a relevant xDSL ser§ice device supports the multicasting (step 3); broadcasting the multicasting broadcasting data to the first xDSL connector terminal in real time and prompting the xDSL service device to receive the broadcasting data at a multicasting address (step 4); and relaying multicasting data to the second xDSL connector terminal from the xDSL service device of the relevant xDSL server (step 5).

Claims

1. A method of receiving a desired content by a user terminal, the method comprising:

connecting, by a user terminal, to a content providing server via a DSL network connected to the Internet, wherein the DSL network comprises a local DSL device, which links between the Internet and the user terminal;

requesting, by the user terminal, a desired content from the content providing server;

in reply to requesting, receiving, by the user terminal, a command from the content providing server for directing the user terminal to a multicast box that is configured to relay data for the desired content from the content providing server to the user terminal, wherein the multicast box is not for providing the user terminal with an Internet connection;

subsequent to receiving the command, communicating, by the user terminal, with the multicast box according to the command from the content providing server;

receiving, by the user terminal, a command from the multicast box to communicate with the local DSL device to obtain information for use in determining whether the local DSL device supports multicasting;

in reply to the command from the multicast box, communicating with the local DSL device, by the user terminal, to receive a response from the local DSL device for use in determining whether the local DSL device supports multicasting; and

receiving, by the user terminal, the data from the multicast box;

if the local DSL device supports multicasting, transmitting the data received from the multicast box to a multicasting address of the local DSL device to enable the local DSL device to multicast the data to other user terminals connected to the local DSL device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal downloads a computer program configured to enable the user terminal to communicate with the content providing server and the multicast box so as to receive the data from the multicast box.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein downloading occurs when the user terminal requests the desired content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein upon requesting the content providing server determines whether there is a multicast box available to service the user terminal and transmit data for the desired content if determined that the multicast box is available to service the user terminal.

5. A method of receiving a desired content by a user terminal, the method comprising:

connecting. by a user terminal, to a content providing server via a DSL network connected to the Internet, wherein the DSL network comprises a local DSL device, which links between the Internet and the user terminal;

requesting, by the user terminal, a desired content from the content providing server;

in reply to requesting, receiving, by the user terminal, a command from the content providing server for directing the user terminal to a multicast box that is configured to relay data for the desired content from the content providing server to the user terminal, wherein the multicast box is not for providing the user terminal with an Internet connection; and

subsequent to receiving the command, communicating, by the user terminal, with the multicast box to determine whether the local DSL device supports multicasting,

wherein if the local DSL device supports multicasting, the user terminal receives the data from the local DSL device, wherein if the local DSL device does not support multicasting, the user terminal receives the data from the multicast box via one-on-one connection.

6. A method of receiving a desired content by a user terminal, the method comprising:

connecting, by a user terminal, to a content providing server via a DSL network connected to the Internet, wherein the DSL network comprises a local DSL device, which links between the Internet and the user terminal;

requesting, by the user terminal, a desired content to the content providing server;

in reply to requesting, receiving, by the user terminal, a command from the content providing server for directing the user terminal to a multicast box that is configured to relay data for the desired content from the content providing server to the user terminal, wherein the multicast box is not for providing the user terminal with an Internet connection;

subsequent to receiving the command, communicating, by the user terminal, with the multicast box according to the command from the content providing server;

in response to communicating, determining, by the user terminal, whether the data is available for multicasting at the local DSL device; and

wherein if the data is available for multicasting at the local DSL device, the user terminal receives the data from the local DSL device, wherein if the data is not available form multicasting at the local DSL device, the user terminal receives the data from the multicast box via one-on-one connection.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the user terminal, a command from the multicast box to communicate with the local DSL device so as to obtain information for use in determining whether the local DSL device supports multicasting;

in reply to the command from the multicast box, communicating with the local DSL device, by the user terminal, to receive a response from the local DSL device for use in determining whether the local DSL device supports multicasting.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the user terminal downloads from the content providing server a computer program configured to enable the user terminal to communicate with the content providing server and the multicast box so as to receive the data from the multicast box.

9. A method of relaying data from a content providing server to a terminal connected to a DSL network, the method comprising:

providing a multicast box configured to relay data from a content providing server to user terminals, wherein the multicast box is not for providing the user terminals with an Internet connection;

receiving, by the multicast box, data for a content from a content providing server, wherein the data is for a content selected by a first user terminal via a local DSL device linking between the Internet and the first user terminal;

subsequent to receiving the data, communicating, by the multicast box, with the first user terminal to determine whether a local DSL device supports multicasting; and

transmitting, by the multicast box, the data to the first user terminal,

wherein if the local DSL device supports multicasting, the data is transmitted via a multicasting address of the local DSL device,

wherein if the local DSL device does not support multicasting, the data is transmitted via one-on-one connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data is available at the multicasting address for a second user terminal connected to the Internet via the local DSL device.

11. A method of relaying data from a content providing server to a terminal connected to a DSL network, the method comprising:

providing a multicast box configured to relay data from a content providing server to user terminals, wherein the multicast box is not for providing the user terminals with an Internet connection;

receiving, by the multicast box, data for a content from a content providing server, wherein the data is for a content selected by a first user terminal via a local DSL device linking between the Internet and the first user terminal;

subsequent to receiving the data, communicating, by the multicast box, with the first user terminal to verify whether the local DSL device supports multicasting;

receiving, by the multicast box, information indicative of whether the local DSL device supports multicasting;

transmitting, by the multicast box, the data to the first user terminal;

communicating, by the multicast box, with a second user terminal when the second user terminal is directed to a multicasting address of the multicast box upon the second user terminal'"'"'s requesting of the content to the content providing server; and

directing, by the multicast box, the second user terminal to the local DSL device if the local DSL device supports multicasting and further if the data is available for multicasting at a multicasting address of the local DSL device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if the local DSL device supports multicasting, wherein the data is further transmitted from the first user terminal to a multicasting address of the local DSL device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein communicating with the first user terminal comprises sending to the first user terminal a command to determine whether the local DSL device supports multicasting.