Patent ID: 6965913
Filing Date: 2005-11-15
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. An Internet access system reducing Internet traffic and delays in content delivery comprising: two-way addressable communication means for transmitting data between devices connected to the means by directing data to addresses assigned to the devices; a broadcast multichannel medium for transmitting data in a broadcast manner; a multichannel data transmitter provided at a transmission center and coupled to the broadcast multichannel medium; selecting channels of said multichannel data transmitter for broadcast transmission of downloaded objects and maintaining a broadcast schedule specifying a transmission channel for each object to be transmitted; transmitting the broadcast schedule on a channel known to Internet clients; transmitting each Internet object on the channel specified for that object in the broadcast schedule; retaining Internet objects requested by more than one client and repeatedly transmitting the objects with time intervals small enough so not to be considered as delays in content delivery; continuing the transmission during a period of time determined for each object proportionally to the number of clients that requested the object in order that other clients whose users will request the object during that period of time could download the object without sending a request to the broadcast server, thereby further reducing Internet traffic and reducing delays in content delivery; at recipient side, a multichannel data receiver coupled to said broadcast multichannel medium for receiving data transmitted by said multichannel data transmitter; an Internet client coupled to the multichannel data receiver so to be able to switch channels of the receiver and obtain data transmitted on different channels, and further coupled to said two-way addressable communication means for sending requests to said broadcast server; said Internet client being operative for obtaining a user request for an Internet object; receiving said broadcast schedule over a channel of said multichannel data receiver; identifying a channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of the Internet object requested by the user if the object is included in the broadcast schedule; sending a request to the broadcast server only if the object requested by the user is not included in the broadcast schedule, thereby reducing interaction with the broadcast server, and waiting until the object will be included in the broadcast schedule; switching said multichannel data receiver to the channel specified in the broadcast schedule for transmission of the Internet object requested by the user; downloading the object from that channel; and presenting the object to the user.