Patent ID: 7512650

Claim:
An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) digital document delivery system, comprising: a customer premise equipment (CPE) unit configured to permit a customer to order and receive a content data stream; a buffer coupled to the customer premise equipment unit to store the content data stream before transmitting the content data stream to a customer; a server having digital documents stored thereon for delivery to the customer through a switched ATM network; means for controlling a data rate of the content data stream between the server and the buffer to ensure maintenance of a steady content data stream from the customer premise equipment unit to the customer during a loss of a physical layer between the server and the customer premise equipment unit, the means for controlling including a network control system coupled to the server and the customer premise equipment unit, wherein the customer premise equipment unit is configured to deliver the content data stream at a rate less than a normal rate when the physical layer is lost, and the network control system is configured for increasing the data rate of the content data stream to the customer premise equipment unit from the server for a period of time when the physical layer is restored, and a multiplexer coupled between the customer premise equipment unit and the network control system, the multiplexer including a signaling mechanism to alert at least one component that the physical layer is lost.