US 12,003,560 B2 · Content delivery—setting the unicast rate

Abstract

Described is a method of managing a network for delivering content in a hybrid unicast/multicast network, where content is requested by clients over unicast, but all or some of the content is delivered in part over multicast. Typically, a client requests content (in the form of segments) via a first proxy. The segments are delivered to the first proxy over multicast from a second proxy, before onward transmission to the requesting client over unicast. The segments are also cached at the first proxy, and can be transmitted over unicast to other clients requesting those segments. However, problems can arise if cached segments are transmitted to clients too quickly. In one solution, the first proxy measures the multicast rate of delivery of segments from the second proxy over multicast, and limits the transmission rate of those segments over unicast to requesting clients to no greater than the measured multicast delivery rate.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method of managing content delivery at a network element to a client device, wherein the content comprises a plurality of segments, said method comprising:

i) receiving one or more segments over multicast at a first network element, and caching the one or more segments at the first network element;
ii) determining a network bit rate at which the one or more segments is received;
iii) receiving unicast requests for segments from a client device at the first network element;
and
iv) transmitting the requested segments from the first network element to the client device over unicast at a network transmission rate no greater than the determined network bit rate.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Content delivery—setting the unicast rate

Life of this patent

Content delivery—setting the unicast rate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12