Multiple multicasting of multimedia streams

Patent 6728775 Issued on April 27, 2004. Estimated Expiration Date:

May 13, 2017. 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

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Inventor

Chaddha, Navin

Assignee

Microsoft Corporation

Application

No. 08855246 filed on 05/13/1997

US Classes:

709/231, Computer-to-computer data streaming709/229, Network resources access controlling709/232Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating

Examiners

Primary: Najjar, Saleh

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Lee & Hayes, PLLC

International Class

G06F 1516

Abstract

A method of interactively providing a number of client computers with a dynamically selectable and scalable range of multimedia data over a diverse computer network including local area networks (LANs) wide area networks (WANs) such as the internet. Multimedia data is provided by a server to the client computers includes a base layer and one or more enhancement layers. Enhancement layers can be spatial and/or temporal in nature. Depending on the implementation, the server may also provide information about the multimedia data to the client computers. The server splits the multimedia data for streaming via multiple multicast group (MMG) addresses. Information about the portion of the multimedia data carried by each MMG is broadcasted to the client computers. Armed with the information about the multimedia data, client computers can intelligently join and leave MMGs as needed. In some embodiments, the client computers provide feedback about the usage and/or need for the multimedia data, enabling the server to right-size, e.g., grow and/or prune, the multimedia data for network efficiency. With right sizing, the content of the base layer may be increased or decreased with the corresponding growing and pruning of the enhancement layers. Enhancement layers may also be grown and/or pruned independently of the base layer, i.e., without a corresponding change in the base layer.

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