Method and system for fault tolerant media streaming over the internet
US7296082B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 9, 2003 |
| Grant date | Nov 13, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 9, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L65/80
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A replication process to provide fault tolerance for a streaming signal in a computer network. In one embodiment, the original or source signal is sent to several splitters which, in turn, each make copies of the signal and send the copies into a second layer of devices, which are referred to as “concentrators.” A given concentrator receives as input one or more copies of the source signal. In a preferred embodiment, a given concentrator receives two copies of the source signal from at least two different splitters. The concentrators process the incoming streaming signal copies, for example, by merging them into a single or composite copy of the original source signal according to a given processing algorithm. The output of a given concentrator may then be fed into a splitter, with the process then being repeated if desired to make an arbitrary large number of copies of the signal. At the end of the replication process, the output of a splitter or a concentrator is fed directly or indirectly to an end user. The replication process is fault-tolerant, and thus the end user's signal is not interrupted regardless of signal or equipment problems within the distribution mechanism.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.