Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-27
2002-08-27
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C709S216000, C709S239000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06442598
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to systems and methods for delivering Web related information over a broadcast medium. This invention further relates to computer devices and software used to implement aspects of the systems and methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Public networks, and most notably the Internet, are emerging as a primary conduit for communications, entertainment, and business services. The Internet is a network formed by the cooperative interconnection of computing networks, including local and wide area networks. It interconnects computers from around the world with existing and even incompatible technologies by employing common protocols that smoothly integrate the individual and diverse components.
The Internet has recently been popularized by the overwhelming and rapid success of the World Wide Web (WWW or Web). The Web links together various topics in a complex, non-sequential web of associations which permit a user to browse from one topic to another, regardless of the presented order of topics. The Web is rapidly evolving as a standard for distributing, finding, and accessing information of any type. A “Web browser” is an application that executes on the user's computer to navigate the Web. The Web browser allows a user to retrieve and render hypermedia content from the WWW, including text, sound, images, video, and other data.
The amazing growth rate in the demand for data over the Internet is partly due to an increasing audience. The World Wide Web has crossed the threshold that makes it affordable and interesting to a much larger audience. There is information available on a very wide variety of topics, and tools exist to help people find and view the information cost effectively. Another factor fueling the Internet growth is the increasing data demands per individual user. There is a trend for web sites to evolve from using pure text to richer media, such as pictures, sound, and video. Adding these richer media is popular because they present information more clearly, thereby enhancing a site's impact and popularity.
Unfortunately, a problem facing the continued growth and acceptance of the Internet is that conventional methods for accessing the Web do not scale well to meet the rapid growth in demand. The quality of service for the Web is intuitively measured by the user as the amount of time between requesting a Web page and being able to view it. Internet users have been conditioned through their experiences with television and standalone multimedia applications to expect instantaneous results on demand. Users are accustomed to changing the channel and instantaneously viewing the video content for that channel on the screen. The Internet is unable, however, to deliver data instantaneously. For the most part, the Internet has significant latency problems that reduce fairly routine Web browsing exercises to protracted lessons in patience.
The basic dilemma is that the quality of service degrades as more people try to use the Web. More unsettling is the corollary that service for popular Web sites is typically much worse than service for unpopular sites. At the root of the service problem is the inability to serve Web data rapidly as a result of too little bandwidth in the distribution network. “Bandwidth” is the amount of data that can be moved through a particular network segment at any one time. The Internet is a conglomerate of different technologies with different associated bandwidths. Distribution over the Internet is usually constrained by the segment with the lowest available bandwidth.
Consider the Internet system
20
shown in FIG.
1
. The Internet system
20
includes a Web server
22
that stores and serves data over the Internet
24
to regional point of presence (POP) operators or independent service providers (ISPs), as represented by ISP
26
. The ISP
26
provides connectivity to the Internet
24
to many users, as represented by subscriber computers
28
,
30
, and
32
.
The ISP
26
is connected to the Internet
24
via a network connection
34
. In this example illustration, the network connection
34
is a “T1” connection. “T1” is a unit of bandwidth having a base throughput speed of approximately 1.5 Mbps (Megabits per second). Another common high bandwidth connection is a T
3
connection, which has a base throughput speed of approximately 44.7 Mbps. For purposes of explaining the state of the technology and the practical problems of delivering content over the Internet, it is sufficient to understand that there is also a limited bandwidth connection between the Web server
22
and the Internet
24
.
The subscriber computers
28
,
30
, and
32
are connected to their host ISP
26
via home entry lines, such as telephone or cable lines, and compatible modems. As examples of commercially available technology, subscriber computer
28
is connected to ISP
26
over a 14.4K connection
36
, which consists of a standard telephone line and a V.32bis modem, to enable a maximum data rate of 14.4 Kbps (Kilobits per second). Subscriber computer
30
is connected to the ISP
26
with a 28.8K connection
38
(telephone line and V.34 modem) which supports a data rate of 28.8 Kbps. Subscriber computer
32
is connected to the ISP
26
with an ISDN connection
40
, which is a special type of telephone line that facilitates data flow in the range of 128-132 Kbps. Table 1 summarizes connection technologies that are available today.
TABLE 1
Connection Technologies and Throughput
Connection Type
Base Speed (Kbps)
V.32bis modem
14.4
V.34 modem
28.8
56K Leased Line
56
ISDN BRI (1 channel)
56-64
ISDN BRI (2 channels)
128-132
Frame Relay
56-1,544
Fractional T1
256-1,280
ISDN PRI
1,544
Full T1 (24 channels)
1,544
ADSL
2,000-6,000
Cable Modem
27,000
T3
44,736
With a T
1
connection to the primary distribution network
24
, the ISP
26
can facilitate a maximum data flow of approximately 1.5 Mbps. This bandwidth is available to serve all of the subscribers of the ISP. When subscriber computer
28
is connected and downloading data files, it requires a 14.4 Kbps slice of the 1.5 Mbps bandwidth. Subscriber computers
30
and
32
consume 28.8 Kbps and 128 Kbps slices, respectively, of the available bandwidth.
The ISP
26
can accommodate simultaneous requests from a number of subscribers. As more subscribers utilize the ISP services, however, there is less available bandwidth to satisfy the subscriber requests. If too many requests are received, the ISP
26
becomes overburdened and may not be able to adequately service the requests in a timely manner, causing frustration to the subscribers. If latency problems persist, the ISP can purchase more bandwidth by adding additional capacity (e.g., upgrading to a T
3
connection or adding more T
1
connections). Unfortunately, adding more bandwidth may not be economically wise for the ISP. The load placed on the ISP typically fluctuates throughout different times of the day. Adding expensive bandwidth to more readily service short duration high-demand times may not be profitable if the present capacity adequately services the subscriber traffic during most of the day.
The latency problems are perhaps most pronounced when working with video. There are few things more frustrating to a user than trying to download video over the Internet. The problem is that video requires large bandwidth in comparison to text files, graphics, and pictures. Additionally, unlike still images or text files, video is presented as moving images that are played continuously without interruption. Video typically requires a 1.2 Mbps for real-time streaming data. This 1.2 Mbps throughput requirement consumes nearly all of a T
1
bandwidth (1.5 Mbps). Accordingly, when multiple subscribers are coupled to the ISP and one subscriber requests a video file, there is generally not enough capacity to stream the video in real-time from the Web server
22
over the Internet
24
to the requesting subscriber. Instead, the video file is typically delivered in its entirety and only then played on the subs
Feinleib David
Moran Brian K.
Sargent James Randal
Witty Carl R.
Wright Anne
Lee & Hayes PLLC
Maung Zarni
Microsoft Corporation
LandOfFree
System and method for delivering web content over a... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System and method for delivering web content over a..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System and method for delivering web content over a... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2908056