Duplicating switch for streaming data units to a terminal using different communication protocols

• US 8,224,991 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• 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 H
• Application Number:
  US13/173,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/231, 709/232, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/213, 370/395.52, 370/238, 370/428, 370/230.1, 370/352, 370/230
• 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 computer-implemented method for streaming electronic data to one or more user terminals, comprising:

receiving a request from a first user terminal for a stream of electronic data;

decoding, with a processor, the stream of electronic data from a first communications protocol;

duplicating the decoded stream of electronic data;

encoding, with a processor, the duplicated stream of electronic data using a second communications protocol; and

sending the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing the decoded stream of electronic data at a duplicating device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising storing header information in association with the decoded stream of electronic data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising storing a checksum describing content contained within the decoded stream of electronic data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a second user terminal for the stream of electronic data;

associating a first pointer with the request from the first user terminal and a first portion of the decoded stream of electronic data; and

associating a second pointer with the request from the second user terminal and a second portion of the decoded stream of electronic data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising tracking which portions of the encoded stream of electronic data have been sent to the first user terminal.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a pause message from the first user terminal; and

pausing the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal in response to the pause message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a resume message from the first user terminal; and

resuming the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal in response to the resume message.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user is resumed beginning at a point indicated in the pause message.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user is resumed beginning at a point indicated in the resume message.

11. A computer-based system for streaming electronic data to one or more user terminals, comprising at least one processor and at least one storage medium storing a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions being executable by the at least one processor for:

receiving a request from a first user terminal for a stream of electronic data;

decoding the stream of electronic data from a first communications protocol;

duplicating the decoded stream of electronic data;

encoding the duplicated stream of electronic data using a second communications protocol; and

sending the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for storing the decoded stream of electronic data at a duplicating device.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for storing header information in association with the decoded stream of electronic data.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for storing a checksum describing content contained within the decoded stream of electronic data.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for:

receiving a request from a second user terminal for the stream of electronic data;

associating a first pointer with the request from the first user terminal and a first portion of the decoded stream of electronic data; and

associating a second pointer with the request from the second user terminal and a second portion of the decoded stream of electronic data.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for tracking which portions of the encoded stream of electronic data have been sent to the first user terminal.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for:

receiving a pause message from the first user terminal; and

pausing the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal in response to the pause message.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor for:

receiving a resume message from the first user terminal; and

resuming the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user terminal in response to the resume message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user is resumed beginning at a point indicated in the pause message.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the sending of the encoded stream of electronic data to the first user is resumed beginning at a point indicated in the resume message.