Duplicating switch for streaming data units to a terminal

• US 7,694,013 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weigand, Gilbert G., Raduchel, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/754,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/231, 709/232, 709/217, 709/219, 709/238, 709/245, 370/395.52, 370/238
• US Class Current: 709/238
• 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: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64 Addressing network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611

Abstract

Streaming to a terminal by using a duplicating switch to receive a stream of data units, using the duplicating switch to store content from the stream, using the duplicating switch to generate a second stream that incorporates the content that was stored and address information corresponding to more than one terminal whose addressing information was not part of the first stream, and using the duplicating switch to make the second stream of data units available to two or more terminals.

Claims

1. A method of streaming data units to a user terminal at a duplicating switch, the method comprising:

receiving a stream of content, wherein the stream comprises at least one network layer data unit having a payload portion and an address portion;

using the duplicating switch to store the stream of content;

receiving a request from a user terminal for the content of the stored stream, wherein the request includes address information of the user terminal; and

in response to the received request, using the duplicating switch to duplicate the stored stream of content by;

duplicating the stored stream of content;

replacing an address portion in at least one data unit comprising the duplicated stream with the address information of the user terminal;

forwarding the duplicated stream to the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using the duplicating switch to store content includes storing content that is temporally related to the data units that are being generated.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein using the duplicating switch to store content includes storing more than one instance of the same portion of content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein using the duplicating switch to store content includes storing additional instances of the stream as demand for the content increases.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein using the duplicating switch to store content includes storing content and associated header information.

6. A duplicating switch comprising:

means for receiving a stream of content, wherein the stream comprises at least one network layer data unit having a payload portion and an address portion;

means for using the duplicating switch to store the stream of content;

means for receiving a request from a user terminal for the content of the stored stream, wherein the request includes address information of the user terminal; and

means for using the duplicating switch to duplicate the stored stream in response to the received request by;

duplicating the stored stream of content;

replacing an address portion in at least one data unit comprising the duplicated stream with the address information of the user terminal;

forwarding the duplicated stream to the user terminal.

7. The duplicating switch of claim 6 wherein means for storing content includes means for storing content that is temporally related to the data units that are being generated.

8. The duplicating switch of claim 6 wherein means for storing content includes means for storing more than one instance of the same portion of content.

9. The duplicating switch of claim 8 wherein means for storing content includes means for storing additional instances of the stream as demand for the content increases.

10. The duplicating switch of claim 6 wherein means for storing content includes means for storing content and associated header information.

11. A duplicating switch comprising:

a first communications interface structured and arranged to receive a stream of content, wherein the stream comprises at least one network layer data unit having a payload portion and an address portion;

a storage processor structured and arranged to store the stream of content;

a second communications interface structured and arranged to receive a request from a user terminal for the content of the stored stream, wherein the request includes address information of the user terminal; and

a duplicating processor structured and arranged to duplicate the stored stream in response to the received request by;

duplicating the stored stream of content;

replacing an address portion in at least one data unit comprising the duplicated stream with the address information of the user terminal;

forwarding the duplicated stream to the user terminal.

12. The duplicating switch of claim 11 wherein the storage processor is structured and arranged to store content that is temporally related to the data units that are being generated.

13. The duplicating switch of claim 11 wherein storage processor is structured and arranged to store more than one instance of the same portion of content.

14. The duplicating switch of claim 13 wherein the storage processor is structured and arranged to store additional instances of the stream as demand for the content increases.

15. The duplicating switch of claim 11 wherein the storage processor is structured and arranged to store content and associated header information.

16. The duplicating switch of claim 11 wherein the second communications interface is structured and arranged to make at least one of the duplicated stream available in response to receiving a request from a terminal.

17. A method of streaming data units to a user terminal at a duplicating switch, the method comprising:

receiving a stream of content, wherein the stream comprises at least one network layer data unit having a payload portion and an address portion;

using the duplicating switch to store the stream of content;

receiving a request from a user terminal for the content of the stored stream, wherein the request includes address information of the user terminal; and

in response to the received request, using the duplicating switch to duplicate the stored stream of content by selectively duplicating and forwarding content over the network layer in the IP protocol stack, the duplication comprising;

duplicating the stored stream of content;

replacing an address portion in at least one data unit comprising the duplicated stream with the address information of the user terminal;

forwarding the duplicated stream to the user terminal using the IP protocol.

18. A duplicating switch comprising:

a first communications interface structured and arranged to receive a stream of content, wherein the stream comprises at least one network layer data unit having a payload portion and an address portion;

a storage processor structured and arranged to store the stream of content;

a second communications interface structured and arranged to receive a request from a user terminal for the content of the stored stream, wherein the request includes address information of the user terminal; and

a duplicating processor structured and arranged to duplicate the stored stream of content by selectively duplicating and forwarding content over the network layer in the IP protocol stack, the duplication comprising;

duplicating the stored stream of content;

replacing an address portion in at least one data unit comprising the duplicated stream with the address information of the user terminal;

forwarding the duplicated stream to the user terminal using the IP protocol.