Multicast system using client forwarding
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of adding a new client to a multicast group, the method comprising:
- receiving a request from the new client to subscribe to the multicast group, wherein the multicast group includes multiple primary clients, a primary client having an associated performance parameter indicating a bandwidth of the primary client, the bandwidth meeting or exceeding a pre-defined threshold bandwidth;
receiving a performance parameter associated with the new client, the performance parameter indicating the bandwidth of the new client;
determining whether the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, wherein the determination is based at least in part on the bandwidth of the new client, wherein the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client only if the bandwidth of the new client meets or exceeds the pre-defined threshold bandwidth;
if it is determined that the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to the secondary client, designating the new client as a primary client to be used to forward subsequently sent information, if any, to the secondary client; and
if it is determined that the new client is not to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, selecting an existing client to transmit information to the new client based on the network locations of the new client and the existing client and a comparison of a performance parameter of the existing client with performance parameters of other existing clients.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for multicasting information to a set of clients that includes transmitting the information to a primary client from a server and instructing the primary client to forward the information to a secondary client.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A method of adding a new client to a multicast group, the method comprising:
-
receiving a request from the new client to subscribe to the multicast group, wherein the multicast group includes multiple primary clients, a primary client having an associated performance parameter indicating a bandwidth of the primary client, the bandwidth meeting or exceeding a pre-defined threshold bandwidth; receiving a performance parameter associated with the new client, the performance parameter indicating the bandwidth of the new client; determining whether the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, wherein the determination is based at least in part on the bandwidth of the new client, wherein the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client only if the bandwidth of the new client meets or exceeds the pre-defined threshold bandwidth; if it is determined that the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to the secondary client, designating the new client as a primary client to be used to forward subsequently sent information, if any, to the secondary client; and if it is determined that the new client is not to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, selecting an existing client to transmit information to the new client based on the network locations of the new client and the existing client and a comparison of a performance parameter of the existing client with performance parameters of other existing clients. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method of subscribing to a multicast group, the method comprising:
-
sending a request to a server from a subscribing client to subscribe to the multicast group, wherein the multicast group includes multiple primary clients, a primary client having an associated performance parameter indicating a bandwidth of the primary client, the bandwidth meeting or exceeding a pre-defined threshold bandwidth; sending a performance parameter to the server from the subscribing client, the performance parameter indicating the bandwidth of the new client; if the server determines that the subscribing client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, receiving at the subscribing client data from the server, wherein the determination is based at least in part on the bandwidth of the new client, wherein the new client is to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client only if the bandwidth of the new client meets or exceeds the pre-defined threshold bandwidth; if the server determines that the subscribing client is not to be used as a primary client to forward multicast information to a secondary client, receiving at the subscribing client from the server an identifier of a transmitting client that will send data to the subscribing client; and receiving at the subscribing client the data from the transmitting client, wherein the determination is based at least in part on the performance parameter. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
Specification