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US 5,854,894 AGranted
Multi-media services system
AssigneeInternational Computers Limited
InventorsRodney Peter Lancaster, Ian Lowrey, Paul Jason Rogers, Nigel Kenneth Sinfield
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AssigneeInternational Computers Limited
InventorsRodney Peter Lancaster, Ian Lowrey, Paul Jason Rogers, Nigel Kenneth Sinfield
Estimating the term…
A video-on-demand (VoD) system comprises at least one server and a number of subscriber units connected to the server by way of a network (e.g. an ATM network). The server comprises a processing unit, data storage means for storing video data, and service supply means for responding to requests from subscribers by dispatching sequences of video data from said storage means over the network to said subscribers. The service supply means comprises a video application running in user space in the processing unit, and a VoD kernel I/O driver (VKID) running in kernel space in the processing unit, for reading data from said data storage means and dispatching the data to said network, in response to commands from the video application. Because the VKID is a kernel level module, it can perform this transfer quickly and efficiently, without the overhead of copying the data to and from user space.
A multi-media services system comprising at least one server and a plurality of subscriber units connected to the server by way of a network, wherein the server comprises a processing unit, data storage means, and service supply means for responding to requests from subscribers by dispatching sequences of data from said storage means over the network to said subscribers, characterised in that said service supply means comprises a controlling application running in user space in the processing unit, and a pseudo device driver running in kernel space in the processing unit, for reading data from said data storage means and dispatching the data to said network, in response to commands from said controlling application, without copying the data to and from user space.
A server for use in a multi-media services system, the server comprising a processing unit, data storage means, and service supply means for responding to requests from subscribers by dispatching sequences of data from said storage means over a network to said subscribers, characterised in that said service supply means comprises a controlling application running in user space in the processing unit, and a pseudo device driver running in kernel space in the processing unit, for reading data from said data storage means and dispatching the data to said network, in response to commands from said controlling application, without copying the data to and from user space.
A video-on-demand system comprising at least one server and a plurality of subscriber units connected to the server by way of a network, wherein the server comprises a processing unit, data storage means for storing video data, and service supply means for responding to requests from subscribers by dispatching sequences of video data from said storage means over the network to said subscribers, characterised in that said service supply means comprises a controlling application running in user space in the processing unit, and a pseudo device driver running in kernel space in the processing unit, for reading data from said data storage means and dispatching the data to said network, in response to commands from said controlling application, without copying the data to and from user space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.