Patent ID: 9578077
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method of distributing data content in a live streaming peer-to-peer (P2P) network comprising a plurality of peers and a streaming source periodically producing segments representing the data content to be distributed, wherein a group of the peers are assigned to download the data content from the streaming source and to distribute the downloaded data content to remaining peers in the P2P network, the method comprising the steps of: making repeated requests, from a first peer in the group to the streaming source, for a current segment produced by the streaming source, the requests being made at a rate higher than a rate with which the segments are produced by the streaming source; determining, by the first peer, whether the first peer is first in the group to download the current segment from the streaming source, wherein the first peer determines that it is first in the group to download the current segment upon receiving the current segment from the streaming source and determines that it is not first in the group to download the current segment upon receiving an announcement from a second peer in the group that the second peer has downloaded the current segment from the steaming source; and if the first peer is first in the group to download the current segment from the steaming source, announcing, by the first peer, that the current segment has been downloaded, wherein other peers in the group can download the current segment from the first peer; else if the first peer is not first in the group to download the current segment from the streaming source, downloading the current segment from the second peer in the group from which the announcement was received.