Method and apparatus for transferring files to clients using a peer-to-peer file transfer model and a client-server transfer model

• US 7,945,689 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lin, Frank Li-De, Painter, Christopher, Hwang, Paul, Miller, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman; Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US11/726,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/227, 709/232, 709/242, 709/243, 709/219, 709/223, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for delivering a content file to a client over a packet-switched network. The method begins by determining a suitable throughput required to deliver the content file to the client. Next, the throughput available in a peer-to-peer network for delivering the content file to the client is determined. The required throughput is compared to the available throughput. If the available throughput is less than the required throughput, the available throughput is supplemented with additional throughput. The content is then delivered to the client over the packet-switched network using the available throughput of the peer-to-peer network and the additional throughput.

Claims

1. A method for delivering a content file to a client over a packet-switched network, comprising:

determining a suitable throughput required to deliver the content file to the client;

determining a throughput available in a peer-to-peer network for delivering the content file to the client, wherein the peer-to-peer network allows users to share content files directly with other users;

comparing the required throughput to the available throughput;

supplementing the available throughput with additional throughput if the available throughput is less than the required throughput, wherein the additional throughput is provided by a content delivery network that employs a client-server protocol, wherein said content delivery network is configured such that a central server sends an entire content file to each client that requests the content file, and wherein clients do not communicate with each other over the content delivery network; and

delivering the content to the client over the packet-switched network using the available throughput of the peer-to-peer network and additional throughput provided by the content delivery network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein further additional throughput is provided by a backup server that is employed as a peer in the peer-to-peer network on an as-needed basis.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the backup server is configured to function as a seed client.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein delivery of the content to the client further comprises delivering one portion of the content file over the peer-to-peer network and a remaining portion of the content file over the content delivery network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the peer-to-peer network operates in accordance with a file transfer protocol selected from the group consisting of BitTorrent, Kazaa, eDonkey, Gnutella, and Direct Connect.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the required throughput of the content file includes a determination of a delivery method to be employed in connection with the content file.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery method is selected from the group consisting of a streaming media method or a file downloading method.