Patent ID: 9197690
Filing Date: 2015-11-24
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system for transmitting multimedia content, the system comprises: a storage server operable to receive multimedia content from a first end user device associated with a first end user, the multimedia content being intended for distribution to one or more other end users; a switched broadcast server comprising at least one processor and memory and configured to initiate a unicast session with a second end-user device associated with the one or more other end users over a selected dedicated channel of a plurality of dedicated channels, the switched broadcast server being further operable to generate a first unique service identifier upon initiation of the unicast session with the second end-user device, and to transmit to the second end-user device over the selected dedicated channel the first unique service identifier for the second end user device that identifies the second end user device and the unicast session, the user of the second end-user device being able to transmit the first unique service identifier to the first end user device to enable the first end user device to instruct the switched broadcast server to forward the stored multimedia content to the second end user device; and an interface configured to receive a content transmission command from the first end user device, the content transmission command comprising the first unique service identifier for the second end user device, and is provided by the first end user via the first end user device to enable the switched broadcast server to retrieve the multimedia content and share the multimedia content over the unicast session established by the second end user device in an ad hoc manner; wherein the system is further configured to transmit a content multimedia stream that comprises the stored multimedia content from the first end user device to the second end-user device in response to the content transmission command.