US 2004/0172654 A1 · Channel merging method for VOD system

Abstract

A channel merging method for a VOD system, said method comprises the steps of: in response to requests from a plurality of clients for a video program, establishing a root channel (S1) and at least one sub-channel (S11), said root channel (S1) being established according to a request from a client that makes the earliest request, each of said sub-channels (S11) being established in response to a request from a client that makes a later request; and monitoring variation of the number of the clients that are using each of said established channels, and maintaining the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel is not zero, and closing the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel becomes zero.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A channel merging method for a VOD system, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

(1) in response to requests from a plurality of clients for a video program, establishing a root channel (S1) and at least one sub-channel (S11), said root channel (S1) being established according to a request from a client that makes an earliest request, each of said sub-channels (S11) being established corresponding to a request of a client that makes a later request;
(2) monitoring variation of a number of the clients that are using each established channel, and maintaining the established channel if the number of the clients using a monitored channel is not zero, and closing the established channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel becomes zero.

A channel merging apparatus for a VOD system, said channel merging apparatus is disposed in a video server in said VOD system or connected to the same operatively, said channel merging apparatus comprises:

a channel selecting unit for establishing a root channel (S1) and at least one sub-channel (S11) in response to requests from a plurality of clients for a video program, said root channel (S1) being established according to a request from a client that makes the earliest request, each of said sub-channels (S11) being established in response to a request from a client that makes a later request;
a channel control unit for monitoring variation of the number of the clients that are using each of said established channels, and maintaining the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel is not zero, and closing the channel if the number of the clients using the monitored channel becomes zero.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Channel merging method for VOD system

Life of this patent

Channel merging method for VOD system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20