Patent ID: 8239909

Claim:
A method of securing resources for a video and audio stream in a system wherein a delivery server delivers video and audio streams to terminals, said method comprising: predicting a video and audio stream that is to be selected for reception after a video and audio stream that is being received by a terminal or after a video and audio stream that has been selected for reception by said terminal; securing resources necessary for delivering the predicted video and audio stream, in addition to securing resources necessary for the video and audio stream that is being received by said terminal or that has been selected for reception by said terminal, in advance before a user of said terminal selects the next video and audio stream; and delivering the predicted video and audio stream to said terminal when it coincides with a video and audio stream that is selected at a next zapping, wherein said predicting a video and audio stream and said securing said resources in advance before a user of the terminal selects the next video and audio stream include: receiving a request to secure a band necessary for a video and audio stream that the user of said terminal has desired to view; accepting the request and responsively recording a given video and audio stream; determining whether or not the video and audio stream that the user of said terminal has desired to view coincides with the given video and audio stream that was recorded when the request was accepted; when the result of said determination shows consistency in that the video and audio stream that the user of said terminal has desired to view does coincide with the given video and audio stream that was recorded when the request was accepted, transmitting a request to release, within the band for the predicted stream that was secured at the previous prediction, a band for a stream that the user did not desire to view at this time, a request to release a band that is currently used by said terminal for reception of a video and audio stream, and a request to secure a band necessary for a video and audio stream that is predicted to be zapped next, that is, for a new predicted video and audio stream; and when the result of said determination shows inconsistency in that the video and audio stream that the user of said terminal has desired to view does not coincide with the given video and audio stream that was recorded when the request was accepted, transmitting a request to release the band for the predicted stream that was secured at the previous prediction, a request to release the band that is currently used by said terminal for reception of a video and audio stream, a request to secure a band necessary for the video and audio stream that the user has desired to view, and a request to secure a band necessary for a video and audio stream that is predicted to be zapped next, that is, for a new predicted video and audio stream.