Network video server system receiving requests from clients for specific formatted data through a default channel and establishing communication through separate control and data channels

Patent 5442749 Issued on August 15, 1995. Estimated Expiration Date:

July 9, 2013. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Application

No. 089420 filed on 07/09/1993

US Classes:

709/219, Accessing a remote server709/236, Computer-to-computer data framing711/147Shared memory area

Examiners

Primary: Lee, Thomas C.
Assistant: Kim, Sang

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman

Foreign Patent References

3921617A1 DE. 06/13/1989
0188828 NL 08/13/1985

International Classes

G06F 013/42
G06F 015/62
G06F 013/14

Abstract

A network video server apparatus and method for transferring video image data across a computer network serving multiple clients. The network server apparatus comprises two parts, a server and a client. The server is run on a computer system containing a video digitizer hardware. Running the server on this computer system makes it possible to distribute video images across an existing network linking several client computer systems. The client provides the user with a means of viewing the images generated by the server through the network, controlling the size and type of image to be sent by the server, controlling the underlying video digitizer hardware, and collecting statistics about the server/client performance. The client software is designed to appear to the users as if they were operating the client software locally. The server and client communicate with each other over two channels: one for control information and another for video data. Data transfer from a server to a client is asynchronous such that the server need not wait for a client to complete its receipt before servicing the next client.