Patent ID: 7751317

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of transmitting data over a heterogeneous network in a cost-aware manner, the method comprising: receiving data to be transmitted configured as data blocks correspondingly associated with data indicative of deliver-by deadlines; receiving data indicating bandwidth capacity currently available over one or more heterogeneous transmission interfaces to the network for transmitting the data blocks; receiving transmission cost data correspondingly associated with the one or more heterogeneous interfaces of the network; based on the delivery-by deadlines, the available bandwidth capacity and the transmission costs, applying linear programming techniques to determine a cost-optimized transmission schedule that meets the deliver-by deadlines while minimizing transmission costs; and causing the data to be transmitted according to the cost-optimized transmission schedule, wherein the transmission schedule specifies an order of transmission of the data blocks as starting with a data block with an earliest deliver-by deadline and ending with a data block with a latest deadline, and wherein the transmission schedule further specifies an order of use of the one or more of the transmission interfaces available for data transmission as starting with a most aggressive transmission interface and ending with a least aggressive transmission interface.