Patent · US Expired

Media information distribution services system and method

US5864537A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
5References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 20, 1996
Grant dateJan 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 20, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2012/5638
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A media information distribution service system, such as a video-on-demand service system, is disclosed which, even if the capacity of a line is small and the number of lines connected to a media server, such as a video server, has to be increased accordingly, permits an uneconomical increase in the number of line circuits in the media server to be checked. In the system, a subscriber group that a distributor accommodates can be associated with a plurality of distributor-side paths on a distributor-side line. Each of the distributor-side paths is connected to a respective one of server-side paths on separate server-side lines connecting the media server and an exchange. In sending media information to a subscriber group, an in-server path control unit installed in the media server is permitted to select a free one out of server-side paths on server-side lines allocated for that subscriber group and activates a line interface corresponding to the free server-side path.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.