System and method for storing/caching, searching for, and accessing data

• US 8,937,967 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lightwaves Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lightwaves Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Melick, Bruce D., Snyder, David M., Baych, Leslie D., Probst, Gregory P., Kennedy, Philip T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert C
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOUD, HICHAM B
• Application Number:
  US14/016,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/437 Ring fault isolation or reconfiguration for SDH/SONET ring networks H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/66 involving data partitioning, i.e. separation of data into packets or partitions according to importance

Abstract

A system for persistently maintaining data using a network for data packets is provided. The system includes a transmission medium associated with the network, a plurality of switches operatively connected to the transmission medium. Each switch has an intelligent network controller adapted for delivering the data packets to a device operatively connected to the intelligent network controller in response to a request for the data packets from the device and further adapted for re-transmitting unexpired data packets over the network.

Claims

1. A system for persistently maintaining data using a network for data packets, comprising:

a transmission medium associated with the network;

a plurality of switches operatively connected to the transmission medium, each switch having an intelligent network controller for delivering the data packets to a device operatively connected to the intelligent network controller in response to a request for the data packets from the device and for determining if the data packets are unexpired based on an expiration property of the data packets and re-transmitting unexpired data packets over the network;

wherein the intelligent network controller of each of the plurality of switches being configured to route block input/output (I/O) operation requests from the device to the data packets on the network;

wherein the expiration property of the data packets specifies an amount of time the data packets are persistently maintained on the network sufficient to allow the data packets to be stored, accessed, and searched while reverberating on the system;

wherein the data packets encode a digital video signal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmission medium is a guided medium.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the re-transmitting the unexpired data packets is performed using radio frequency over the guided medium.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the radio frequency is ultra wideband radio frequency.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmission medium is a non-guided medium.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the re-transmitting the unexpired data packets is performed using radio frequency over the non-guided medium.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the radio frequency is ultra wideband radio frequency.

8. A system for persistently maintaining data using a network for data streams, comprising:

a transmission medium associated with the network;

a plurality of switches operatively connected to the transmission medium, each switch having an intelligent network controller for delivering at least one of the data streams to a device operatively connected to the intelligent network controller in response to a request for the at least one of the data streams from the device and for determining if the data streams are unexpired based on an expiration property of the data streams and re-transmitting unexpired data streams over the network;

wherein each of the plurality of switches being configured to buffer the data packets for a time period longer than time of transit between switches;

wherein the expiration property of the data stream is specified by a XML tag and specifies an amount of time the data streams are persistently maintained on the network sufficient to allow the data stream to be stored, accessed, and searched while reverberating on the system; and

wherein the intelligent network controller of each of the plurality of switches being configured to route block input/output (I/O) operation requests from the device to the data streams on the network;

wherein the data streams encode digital video signals.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the transmission medium is a guided medium.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the re-transmitting the unexpired data packets is performed using radio frequency over the guided medium.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the radio frequency is ultra wideband radio frequency.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the transmission medium is a non-guided medium.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the re-transmitting the unexpired data packets is performed using radio frequency over the non-guided medium.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the radio frequency is ultra wideband radio frequency.