Patent ID: 6757283
Filing Date: 2004-06-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A push network comprising:means for copying information held in a packet sent from an information providing terminal and for generating a plurality of packets with the same information; means for distributing the plurality of packets thereby generated to a plurality of user terminals; means within said information proving terminal for adding to a packet a content identifier; wherein the information provided by said information providing terminal is assigned a unique content identifier or both the content identifier and the category identifier for identifying the category to which the content of the packet belongs; wherein the distributing means comprises means for deciding, in accordance with the content identifier, whether or not to distribute that packet to a given user terminal; wherein the decision means includes: a table, provided in correspondence with a destination, in which content identifier related information has been registered; and means for passing a packet if the content identifier added to that packet matches the content identifier related information registered in the table; wherein the decision means comprises means which, if no packet having the same content identifier as that of passed packets arrives within a fixed time interval after the final packet has passed, deletes from the table the information relating to that content identifier; and wherein the information providing terminal comprises means for transmitting, within the aforementioned fixed time interval, a dummy packet to which a prescribed content identifier has been added.