Patent ID: 8219635

Claim:
A method for transporting and using data in a distributed environment, the method comprising: on a remote computer system, segmenting a media content into (i) a header portion, wherein the header portion is a first segment of the media content, and (ii) a remaining portion having a plurality of n segments with n being an integer, wherein each of the plurality of n segments includes decimated data blocks from data pertaining to the remaining portion of the media content so that each of the plurality of n segments includes a different set of data blocks, each set of data blocks comprising every n-th data block of the decimated data blocks; on the remote computer system, transmitting at least the header portion of the media content to each of a plurality of devices, wherein each of the plurality of n segments is transmitted to at least one of the plurality of devices, to enable any of the plurality of devices to initiate instant playback of the media content using: (i) the header portion, and (ii) each of the plurality of n segments of the remaining portion as provided concurrently, at least in part, by two or more other devices in the plurality of devices; on a first device of the plurality of devices, in response to an order being received for the media content, initiating playback of the media content using a locally cached data segment that corresponds to the header portion; on the remote computer system, providing source information to the first device that identifies a set of devices in the plurality of devices that are to provide at least some of the plurality of n segments to the first device; on the first device, concurrently with initiating playback of the media content using the locally cached data segment, establishing a communication session with the set of devices, using the source information provided by the remote computer system, in order to retrieve at least some of the plurality of n segments of the remaining portion of the media content; on the first device, receiving at least some of the plurality of n segments from the set of devices concurrently with playing back the media content using at least the header portion; and on the first device, playing back the media content using the plurality of n segments, in succession, once the playback using the locally cached data segment is complete.