Patent ID: 7113998
Filing Date: 2006-09-26
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system for transmitting data in a data stream to grouped recipients, comprising: a server, for receiving users' requests for transmission of user requested data in a data flow for reception by a plurality of users; said server for transmitting a plurality of data transmissions, each of the plurality of data transmissions transmits the user requested data at one respective point of transmission location that is different than other data transmissions within the plurality of data transmissions; said server for defining a plurality of groups, wherein each group in the plurality of groups is assigned to receive a respective data transmission within the plurality of data transmissions, the respective data transmission corresponding to a respective point of transmission location within the user requested data; said server, independent of said user requests for data and while preserving the impression to individual users requesting data that each is being immediately served with requested data, for arranging a plurality of users into each of a respective group within the plurality of groups; and said server, responsive to the arrangement of the users in said plurality of groups, for transmitting the plurality of data transmissions to each user according to each user's assigned group so that each of the plurality of users assigned to a particular group receives data from the same location within the user requested data; and wherein the server is further for realigning a first user within the plurality of users from a first group within the plurality of groups, the first group corresponding to users receiving user requested data at a first location in the user requested data, to a second group, the second group corresponding to users receiving user requested data at a second location in the user requested data, so as to cause the first user to receive the same data as a second user previously assigned to the second group; the second location being selected by the server, independent of said user requests for data, to change the location in the data from which the respective user is receiving the user requested data to any location in the user requested data other than the first location in the user requested data; said server has a data communications interface for the transmitting of the plurality of data transmissions, wherein the data communications interface comprises a plurality of ports with each of said plurality of groups associated with a respective port, wherein each respective port transmits the respective data transmission corresponding to its connected group wherein each user assigned to a respective group is connected to the respective port for that respective group; and said server, realigning said first user to said second group by reconnecting said first user to another of said respective ports.