IP multicast management and service provision system and method
First Claim
1. A method for provisioning multicast streams in a tiered multicast address directory network that includes a primary tier having a multicast address directory and at least one tier lower than the primary tier in the tiered multicast address directory network having a headend that includes a multicast address directory and a multicast address querying device, the multicast address directories coupled to the at least one lower tier multicast address directory, the method comprising:
- producing, in the primary tier of the tiered multicast address directory network, multicast streams for distribution to the at least one lower tier of the tiered multicast address directory network;
producing, by the multicast address directory in the primary tier, descriptors for each of the multicast streams, wherein a multicast address system stores multicast stream information in the multicast stream descriptors and the multicast stream descriptors are stored at one or more tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network,wherein managing requests from the multicast address querying device in the tiered multicast address directory network comprises;
querying the multicast address directory in a tier of a requesting multicast address querying device for a multicast stream descriptor for a corresponding multicast stream for transmission to the requesting multicast address querying device if the multicast address directory in the respective tier includes the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream,else, querying a higher tier in the multicast address directory network for the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, via the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, wherein the descriptors in the higher tier are accessible to multicast address querying devices in a lower tier via a coupling of the multicast address directories, wherein the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream is transmitted from the multicast address directory in the higher tier to the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device for storing for subsequent requests,wherein a requesting multicast address querying device receives the multicast stream descriptor from the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device;
parsing, by the multicast address querying device, a received multicast stream descriptor to obtain at least one set of video stream information; and
provisioning, by the multicast address querying device, a multicast stream that corresponds to the received multicast stream descriptor using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the received multicast stream descriptor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system (10), method (90) and apparatus (14) are provided for provisioning a multicast stream, such as an IP multicast stream, in a network. The system includes a first tier (12), such as a national backbone, with a first Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory (34), and at least one second tier having a headend, such as a regional headend (14), with a second MCAD directory (36, 38). The system (10) includes a tiered MCAD directory network that allows the assignment of multicast addresses to multicast streams received from an upper tier MCAD directory. The tiered MCAD directory structure allows for requesting and storing stream descriptors and delivering stream descriptors on-demand to MCAD-enabled devices throughout the system. The system (10) also allows for stream provisioning maintenance and validation at lower tier headends via MCAD-enabled device queries or re-queries of upper tier MCAD directories.
22 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for provisioning multicast streams in a tiered multicast address directory network that includes a primary tier having a multicast address directory and at least one tier lower than the primary tier in the tiered multicast address directory network having a headend that includes a multicast address directory and a multicast address querying device, the multicast address directories coupled to the at least one lower tier multicast address directory, the method comprising:
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producing, in the primary tier of the tiered multicast address directory network, multicast streams for distribution to the at least one lower tier of the tiered multicast address directory network; producing, by the multicast address directory in the primary tier, descriptors for each of the multicast streams, wherein a multicast address system stores multicast stream information in the multicast stream descriptors and the multicast stream descriptors are stored at one or more tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network, wherein managing requests from the multicast address querying device in the tiered multicast address directory network comprises; querying the multicast address directory in a tier of a requesting multicast address querying device for a multicast stream descriptor for a corresponding multicast stream for transmission to the requesting multicast address querying device if the multicast address directory in the respective tier includes the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, else, querying a higher tier in the multicast address directory network for the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, via the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, wherein the descriptors in the higher tier are accessible to multicast address querying devices in a lower tier via a coupling of the multicast address directories, wherein the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream is transmitted from the multicast address directory in the higher tier to the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device for storing for subsequent requests, wherein a requesting multicast address querying device receives the multicast stream descriptor from the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device; parsing, by the multicast address querying device, a received multicast stream descriptor to obtain at least one set of video stream information; and provisioning, by the multicast address querying device, a multicast stream that corresponds to the received multicast stream descriptor using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the received multicast stream descriptor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A system for provisioning a multicast stream in a tiered multicast address directory network, comprising:
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a primary tier having a primary multicast address directory, wherein the primary tier produces at least one multicast video stream that has associated therewith a stream descriptor assigned to at least one set of video stream information, wherein the primary multicast address directory produces the associated stream descriptor for the at least one multicast video stream, wherein stream descriptors are stored at one or more tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network; and at least one tier lower than the primary tier in the tiered multicast address directory network having a headend that includes a multicast address directory and a multicast address querying device, wherein stream descriptors in a higher tier are accessible to multicast address querying devices in one or more lower tiers via a coupling of multicast address directories, the primary tier configured to distribute the at least one multicast video stream to the at least on lower tier of the tired multicast address directory network; wherein managing requests from the multicast address querying device in the tiered multicast address directory network comprises; querying the multicast address directory in a tier of a requesting multicast address querying device for a multicast stream descriptor for a corresponding multicast stream for transmission to the requesting multicast address querying device if the multicast address directory in the respective tier includes the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, else, querying a higher tier in the multicast address directory network for the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, via the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, wherein the descriptors in the higher tier are accessible to multicast address querying devices in a lower tier via a coupling of the multicast address directories, wherein the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream is transmitted from the multicast address directory in the higher tier to the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device for storing for subsequent requests, wherein a requesting multicast address querying device receives the multicast stream descriptor from the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, wherein the multicast address querying device parses the received multicast stream descriptor to obtain the at least one set of video stream information, and wherein the multicast address querying device provisions the at least one multicast video stream for the multicast address querying device using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the received multicast stream descriptor. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A method for provisioning multicast streams in a tiered multicast address directory network that includes a plurality of tiers, the plurality of tiers including a primary tier having a multicast address directory and at least one lower tier having a headend that includes a multicast address directory and a multicast address querying device, the multicast address directories coupled to the at least one lower tier multicast address directory, the method comprising:
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querying, from a multicast address querying device in one of the plurality of tiers, the multicast address directory in the respective tier for a multicast stream descriptor for a corresponding multicast stream for transmission to the requesting multicast address querying device; if the multicast address directory in the respective tier is unavailable in the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, querying at least one higher tier in the multicast address directory network for the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, via the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, and wherein, responsive to the query to the at least one higher tier, the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream is transmitted from the multicast address directory in the at least one higher tier to the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device for storing for subsequent requests, wherein the descriptors in respectively higher tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network are accessible to multicast address querying devices in the at least one of the lower tiers via a coupling of multicast address directories, wherein the primary tier of the tiered multicast address directory network produces multicast streams for distribution to at least one of the lower tiers of the tiered multicast address directory network, and the multicast address directory in the primary tier produces descriptors for each of the multicast streams, and wherein a multicast address system stores multicast stream information in multicast stream descriptors and multicast stream descriptors are stored at one or more tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network; receiving the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream from the multicast address directory in the tier of the multicast address querying device; parsing, by the multicast address querying device, the received multicast stream descriptor to obtain at least one set of video stream information; and provisioning, by the multicast address querying device, the multicast stream that corresponds to the received multicast stream descriptor using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the received multicast stream descriptor. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A multicast address querying device for provisioning multicast streams in a tiered multicast address directory network that includes a plurality of tiers, the plurality of tiers including a primary tier having a multicast address directory and at least one lower tier having a headend that includes a multicast address directory and a multicast address querying device, the multicast address directories coupled to the at least one lower tier multicast address directory, the multicast address querying device performing the following:
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querying, from a multicast address querying device in one of the plurality of tiers, the multicast address directory in the respective tier for a multicast stream descriptor for a corresponding multicast stream for transmission to the requesting multicast address querying device; if the multicast address directory in the respective tier is unavailable in the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, querying at least one higher tier in the multicast address directory network for the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream, via the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device, and wherein, responsive to the query to the at least one higher tier, the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream is transmitted from the multicast address directory in the at least one higher tier to the multicast address directory in the tier of the requesting multicast address querying device for storing for subsequent requests, wherein the descriptors in respectively higher tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network are accessible to multicast address querying devices in the at least one of the lower tiers via a coupling of multicast address directories, wherein the primary tier of the tiered multicast address directory network produces multicast streams for distribution to at least one of the lower tiers of the tiered multicast address directory network, and the multicast address directory in the primary tier produces descriptors for each of the multicast streams, and wherein a multicast address system stores multicast stream information in multicast stream descriptors and multicast stream descriptors are stored at one or more tiers in the tiered multicast address directory network; receiving the multicast stream descriptor for the corresponding multicast stream from the multicast address directory in the tier of the multicast address querying device; parsing, by the multicast address querying device, the received multicast stream descriptor to obtain at least one set of video stream information; and provisioning, by the multicast address querying device, the multicast stream that corresponds to the received multicast stream descriptor using the at least one set of video stream information parsed from the received multicast stream descriptor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification