Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-19
2001-06-26
Sheikh, Ayaz (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
C709S247000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253246
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data service system, data distribution unit, data terminal and data distribution method, suitably usable for a data service system for distributing digital data, for example.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, the video and audio data compression technology and the digital signal processing technology in the fields of broadcasting and communications have shown remarkable innovations. In these situations, it has been proposed to organize between a user and server a data communications system incorporating such advanced data compression and signal processing technology. Generally, the data communications system is called “video on demand (VOD)” or “music on demand (MOD)” system and is designed to serve a digital data to a user accessing to the system.
In conventional data communication systems, however, the server adopts a data transfer mode to the server's own convenience with no consideration to the user's convenience. Thus, when a large volume of data is served to the user from the system, the reception of the large volume of data will take much time at the user's side even if the served data may not be of a high quality.
In the MOD system, a data requested by the user is sent from the server and down-loaded into a hard disk at the user's side. In this case, the user demanding for a data service will select a desired one of the received data according to a music guidance such as a music data list or a guide to artists or musicians and music titles and contents, and download it. Once the user requests the server for distribution of the desired music data, however, since a high-grade, high-quality data is sent from the server to the user though the user does not want so high a quality for the data, much time will be taken until the user finally gets the data and the user will be charged a lot for the service. This is a problem of the conventional MOD system.
Also with the VOD system, the user cannot select a quality for a video data the user wants to have from the server. For instance, there is a case that the user employs a small-screen monitor to reproduce the served video data because the data may not be of a high quality. In this case, however, since the server does not give any consideration to the user's convenience, the high quality of the served data cannot be covered by the user's small-screen monitor. This is a problem of the conventional VOD system.
As briefly mentioned above, the conventional data communication system does not reflect the user's request for the data transfer mode. The data served to the user from the server is of a higher a quality than the user hopes, and the long time required for the data downloading will cause the data communications network to be congested when many users access the system. Thus, some of the data served from the system imposes a big fee and a long download time on the user. For these reasons, the users avoids downloading the served data into his player.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a data communications system and data communications method, and a data receiver and data receiving method applied to the data communications system and method, adapted to select a quality of a data which is to be served from a server to a user on demand.
The present invention also seeks to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art by providing a data communications system reflecting a data transfer mode and time that the user wants.
The above object can be achieved by providing a data distribution system comprising:
a data distribution unit for distributing a compressed data; and
a terminal unit which includes:
means for selectively requesting, by the user, the data distribution unit to serve a desired compressed data;
means for transmitting a send request signal for the desired compressed data selected by the selective requesting means; and
means for receiving the desired compressed data transmitted from the data distributor;
the data distribution system further comprising:
means for varying the volume of the compressed data transmitted from the data distribution unit according to the send request signal transmitted from the terminal unit.
The above object can also be achieved by providing a data distribution unit, comprising:
means for storing a plurality of data;
means for selectively retrieving a desired data from the data storing means according to a request from a terminal unit located in a remote place;
means for transmitting the desired data selected by the data retrieving means; and
means for controlling the volume of data transmitted from the transmitting means according to the type of the desired data to be transmitted.
Also the above object can be achieved by providing a terminal unit adapted to receive a compressed data transmitted at a predetermined compression rate from an information service center according to a request for the compressed data sent from the terminal unit, comprising:
means for selecting a desired compressed data and requesting the information service center to distribute the desired compressed data;
means for transmitting a send request signal for the desired data selected by the selecting means;
means for receiving the desired compressed data transmitted from a data distribution unit; and
means for expanding the compressed data received by the receiving means into a form corresponding to a compression mode employed for the data compression at the information service center.
The above object can also be achieved by providing a data distribution method for transmission of a compressed data between an information service center and a terminal unit, comprising the steps of:
selecting a desired compressed data and requesting the information service center to distribute the desired compressed data;
transmitting to the information service center a send request signal for the selected compressed data;
varying the volume of the compressed data transmitted from the information service center according to the send request signal transmitted from the terminal unit;
transmitting to the terminal unit the desired compressed data whose volume has been varied at the information service center; and
receiving, by the terminal unit, the desired compressed data transmitted from the information service center and whose volume has been varied there.
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Maioli Jay H.
Sheikh Ayaz
Sony Corporation
Winder Patrice
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