Patent US2724334A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6154744A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for optimized storage and retrieval of data on a distributed computer network
Assignee: Akamai Technologies Inc
•
Filing: 1998-12-17
•
Granted: 2000-11-28
•
Expires: 2018-12-17
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for the optimized storage and retrieval of video data at distributed sites calls for the deployment of "Smart Mirror" sites throughout a network, each of which maintains a copy of certain data managed by the system. Every user is assigned to a specific delivery site based on an analysis of network performance with respect to each of the available delivery sites. Generalized network performance data is collected and stored to facilitate the selection of additional delivery sites and to ensure the preservation of improved performance in comparison to traditional networks.
Inventors
- 👤 Brian Kenner
- 👤 Arnold Karush
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 22:19
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/50; H04L41/508; H04L41/509; G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/27; G06F16/70; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/958; H04L41/08; H04L41/085; H04L41/0853; H04L41/0856; H04L41/5003; H04L41/5009; H04L43/00; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1001; H04L67/1004; H04L67/1008; H04L67/101; H04L67/1021; H04L67/1095; H04L67/50; H04L67/56; H04L67/568; H04L67/60; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04N; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/21; H04N21/218; H04N21/2181; H04N21/222; H04N21/23; H04N21/231; H04N21/23106; H04N21/23109; H04N21/238; H04N21/2385; H04N21/24; H04N21/2402; H04N21/25; H04N21/254; H04N21/2543; H04N21/258; H04N21/25808; H04N21/25841; H04N21/27; H04N21/274; H04N21/2743; H04N21/2747; H04N21/40; H04N21/43; H04N21/433; H04N21/4331; H04N21/442; H04N21/44209; H04N21/44245; H04N21/45; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/47; H04N21/478; H04N21/4782; H04N21/60; H04N21/61; H04N21/6106; H04N21/6125; H04N21/65; H04N21/654; H04N21/6543; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17336; H04L41/22; H04L43/08; H04L43/0823; H04L43/0852; H04L43/0876; H04L43/0888; H04L43/10; H04L63/00; H04L63/04; H04L63/0428; H04L67/10015; H04L67/1012; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/912; Y10S707/913; Y10S707/914; Y10S707/916; Y10S707/917; Y10S707/918; Y10S707/919; Y10S707/953; Y10S707/959; Y10S707/964; Y10S707/966
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 62
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
A system for selecting a preferred delivery site from which to receive a file, the preferred delivery site being one of a plurality of delivery sites located on a distributed network, at least one of the delivery sites storing at least one copy of the file, comprising: at least one content provider connected to the network, the content provider storing at least one file; a user terminal connected to the network; and a network traffic testing apparatus connected to the user terminal for selecting the preferred delivery site from the plurality of delivery sites, wherein the file is downloaded from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
108 words
A system for selecting a preferred delivery site from which to receive a file, the preferred delivery site being one of a plurality of delivery sites located on a distributed network, at least one of the delivery sites storing at least one copy of the file, comprising: at least one content provider connected to the network, the content provider storing at least one file; a user terminal connected to the network; and a network traffic testing apparatus connected to the user terminal for selecting the preferred delivery site from the plurality of delivery sites, wherein the file is downloaded from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the file is a graphics file.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the file is a text file.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the file is a video file.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the file is an audio file.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network testing apparatus comprises a first software program for testing the network and selecting the preferred delivery site from all delivery sites connected to the network.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising a downloading apparatus connected to the user terminal, the downloading apparatus including a second software program capable of downloading the file from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system as recited in claim 7, further comprising one or more domain name service (DNS) servers connected to the network, wherein the DNS servers translate the domain names of the delivery sites to their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the DNS servers are connected in a hierarchy.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a database connected to the network, said database having a list of available delivery sites.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the network testing apparatus analyzes the network and selects the preferred delivery site from the list of delivery sites maintained by the database.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Ping tests to determine the round trip travel time between the user terminal and one or more delivery sites.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Trace-route tests.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Reverse Trace-route tests.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Dynamic Trace-route tests.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Throughput tests.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Throughput variation tests.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus calculates the Error Rates between one or more delivery sites and the user terminal.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus conducts one or more Packet Fragmentation tests to determine if transmission from a delivery site is subject to fragmentation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus calculates the transmission capacity of one or more delivery sites.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus calculates the average load of one or more delivery sites.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the network testing apparatus creates a prioritized list of preferred delivery sites based on the network analysis.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system as recited in claim 22, further comprising: means for routing traffic towards underutilized regions of the network based on the network analysis results, thereby decreasing the time to download the file.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the nesting testing apparatus comprises a configuration utility file that downloads a delivery site file, the delivery site file including a list of available delivery sites and a list of network tests to be run.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a graphical interface displaying the location of the user terminal and the locations of each delivery site tested.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the graphical interface displays the geographic and electronic distance of the delivery sites from the user terminal.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the user terminal and the delivery sites are displayed on a monitor as "blips" superimposed over a map of the pertinent geographical region.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system as recited in claim 27, further comprising: means for encrypting the files prior to storing in the delivery sites; and means for decrypting the files when they are downloaded from the delivery site.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for selecting a preferred delivery site from which to receive a file, the preferred delivery site being one of a plurality of delivery sites located on a distributed network, at least one of the delivery sites storing at least one copy of the file, the method comprising the steps of: connecting at least one content provider to the network, said content provider storing at least one file; connecting a user terminal to the network; testing the network using a network traffic testing apparatus connected to the user terminal; selecting the preferred delivery site from the plurality of delivery sites based on the results of the test; and downloading the file from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for selecting a preferred delivery site from which to receive a file, the preferred delivery site being one of a plurality of delivery sites located on a distributed network, at least one of the delivery sites storing at least one copy of the file, the method comprising the steps of: connecting at least one content provider to the network, said content provider storing at least one file; connecting a user terminal to the network; testing the network using a network traffic testing apparatus connected to the user terminal; selecting the preferred delivery site from the plurality of delivery sites based on the results of the test; and downloading the file from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the file is a graphics file.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the file is a video file.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the file is an audio file.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the file is a text file.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the network testing apparatus comprises a first software program for testing the network and selecting the preferred delivery site from all delivery sites connected to the network.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method as recited in claim 34, further comprising the step of connecting a downloading apparatus to the user terminal, the downloading apparatus including a second software program capable of downloading the file from the preferred delivery site to the user terminal.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method as recited in claim 35, further comprising the steps of connecting one or more domain name service (DNS) servers to the network; and translating the domain names of the delivery sites to their respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the DNS servers are connected in a hierarchy.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as recited in claim 29, further comprising the step of connecting a database to the network, wherein the database includes a list of available delivery sites.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as recited in claim 38, further comprising the step of selecting the preferred delivery site from the list of delivery sites maintained by the database.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method as recited in claim 39, further comprising the steps of: analyzing the network using the network testing apparatus; and selecting the preferred delivery site from the list of delivery sites maintained by the database based on the results of the network analysis.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as recited in claim 40, further comprising the step of creating a prioritized list of preferred delivery sites based on the network analysis.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as recited in claim 41, further comprising the step of routing traffic towards underutilized regions of the network based on the network analysis results, thereby decreasing the time to download the file.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method as recited in claim 42, further comprising the step of downloading a delivery site file using a configuration utility file, the delivery site file including a list of available delivery sites and a list of network tests to be run.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 43, further comprising the step of displaying the location of the user terminal and the locations of each delivery site by a graphical interface.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of displaying the geographic and electronic distance of the delivery sites from the user terminal by the graphical interface.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as recited in claim 45 further comprising the step of displaying the user terminal and the delivery sites as "blips" superimposed over a map of the pertinent geographical region.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as recited in claim 46, further comprising the steps of: selecting a subset of delivery sites from the list; and running at least one test for each of the delivery sites in the subset.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as recited in claim 47, wherein the test is selected from a plurality of tests.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 48, further comprising the step of weighting the results of the network analysis test.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as recited in claim 49, wherein the weighting steps utilize weights specified in the list of delivery sites.
Claim 53
Independent Claim
58 words
A method for downloading a file from a delivery site, comprising the steps of: determining whether the file is mirrored on one or more delivery sites; if the file is mirrored, identifying at least one preferred delivery site according to the results of at least one network traffic test; and downloading the file from the preferred delivery site.
Claim 54
Independent Claim
58 words
A method for downloading a file from a delivery site, comprising the steps of: determining whether the file is mirrored on one or more delivery sites; if the file is mirrored, identifying at least one preferred delivery site according to the results of at least one network traffic test; and downloading the file from the preferred delivery site.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method as recited in claim 51, further comprising the step of repeating the identifying and downloading steps until downloading is successful.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method as recited in claim 52, further comprising the step of downloading the file from a content provider if the repeated downloading steps are unsuccessful.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 51, wherein the file is a graphics file.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 51, wherein the file is a text file.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 51, wherein the file is a video file.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 51, wherein the file is an audio file.
Claim 61
Independent Claim
71 words
A method for locating and maintaining a network of delivery sites for the optimized storage and retrieval of files, comprising the steps of: receiving network traffic test results from a plurality of users; storing the test results in a database; processing the test results; determining network performance at various locations on the network; and distributing the delivery sites and the graphics files throughout the network according to the determined network performance.
Claim 62
Independent Claim
71 words
A method for locating and maintaining a network of delivery sites for the optimized storage and retrieval of files, comprising the steps of: receiving network traffic test results from a plurality of users; storing the test results in a database; processing the test results; determining network performance at various locations on the network; and distributing the delivery sites and the graphics files throughout the network according to the determined network performance.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-11-28 | 2004-05-29 | 2004-11-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-11-28 | 2008-05-29 | 2008-11-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-11-28 | 2012-05-29 | 2012-11-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |