Patent EP0625856A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0625856A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Video on demand network
Assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
•
Filing: 1993-05-19
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2013-05-19
Abstract
Abstract A video on demand network (VODN) is proposed which transmits video signals (VS) to user stations (US11, .., US2N) pursuant to the receipt of control signals (CS) issued by these user stations. In order to optimize the retrieval costs, this video on demand network maintains a large video library in a central video server (CS) and stores locally popular video signals in a plurality of local distributed video servers (DS1/2) from which the latter video signals are transmitted to the user stations. The video signals provided by the local distributed servers are updated from the central server based upon the changing popularity of the video signals. The present invention proposes in particular to store the video signals in the local distributed servers in random access read/write memories (HDA), e.g. electronic RAMs and magnetic or optical disks, from which the video signals can flexibly be supplied on-line to the user stations and to store the video signals in the central server in sequential access memories, e.g. Digital Audio Tapes (DAT) and CD-ROMs (CDR), providing cheap mass storage.
Inventors
- 👤 Willem Jules Antoine Verbiest
- 👤 Bart Frans Voeten
- 👤 Christophe Daniel Ghislain Vermeulen
- 👤 Frank Octaaf Van Der Putten
- 👤 Frank Cyriel Michel Defoort
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 23:07
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/27; H04N21/274; H04N21/2747; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17336; H04N7/17345; H04N7/17354
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
Video on demand network (VODN) for transmitting video signals (VS) to user stations (US11, .., US2N) and including at least one central video server (CS) storing a first plurality of video signals, and a plurality of distributed video servers (DS1/2) each storing a second plurality of video signals and transmitting video signals of said second plurality to said user stations pursuant to the receipt of control signals (CS) issued by said user stations, said central server transmitting video signals of said first plurality to said distributed video servers in order to adapt said second pluralities based on said control signals, characterized in that said distributed video servers (DS1/2) store said second pluralities on random access read/write memories (HDA).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
69 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said video signals (VS) is stored in said random access memories (HDA) as a plurality of data packets (DP), and that said random access memories are electronically coupled to input ports of a broadband switch (BBS3/5) whose output ports are in turn coupled to said user stations (US11, .., US2N) and said central server (CS).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
91 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 2, characterized in that predetermined ones of said data packets (DP) include timing information (TI) relating to required packet transmission rates of video signals (VS) of which they form a part, that said data packets are retrieved from said random access memories (HDA) independent from said required transmission rates, and that said distributed servers (DS1/2) also include pace control means queueing said data packets under control of said timing information in order to transmit said video signals at said required packet transmission rates.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 3, characterized in that said timing information (TI) contained in one of said data packets (DP) indicates the required transmission rate of subsequent data packets of a same video signal (VS).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 3, characterized in that each of said data packets (DP) includes timing information (TI) relating to a required transmission time of a next data packet in a same video signal (VS), and that said pace control means compares for each said next data packet said timing information with an internal clock signal and starts transmission of said next data packet in function of the result of said comparison.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said distributed servers (DS1/2) also includes control means (DSC) which controls the retrieval of data packets (DP) from said random access memories (HDA) based on the receipt of said control signals (CS) and which also associates routing control information indicative of one of said user stations (US11, .., US2N) to each of said data packets.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
99 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 2, characterized in that said central server (CS) includes a number of read modules (DRA, CRA) smaller than a number of off-line memories (DAT, CDR) on which said first plurality of video signals is stored as a plurality of said data packets and transfer means (DR, CR) for transferring a requested one of said off-line memories to one of said read modules, and that said read modules are electronically coupled to input ports of a second broadband switch (BBS1) whose output ports are in turn coupled to said distributed servers (DS1/2).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claims 3 and 7, characterized in that said central server (CS) includes means to transmit video signals (VS) of said first plurality to said distributed servers (DS1/2) with the purpose of adapting said second pluralities therein at a rate faster than said required transmission rates of said video signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claims 2 and 7, characterized in that said distributed servers (DS1/2) and said central server (CS) are intercoupled via a broadband backbone network (BBN), said first mentioned broadband switch (BBS3/5) being an access switch whose output ports are coupled to a broadband access network (AN1/2), and that said distributed server transmits said video signals in a format compatible with said broadband access network.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
Video on demand network (VODN) according to claim 9, characterized in that said network (VODN) further includes a central control center (CCC) for determining the contents of said second pluralities based on statistics derived from said control signals (CS) by said distributed servers (DS1/2) and that said central control center controls said central and distributed servers accordingly.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
GB2248322A
Cited
EP0529864A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.