Patent ID: 7035258

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a sender of a multicast transmission to perform steps to provide repair data to a receiver of the multicast transmission, the steps comprising: receiving a negative acknowledgment from the receiver identifying a sequence number of a missing packet of the multicast transmission received by the receiver; transmitting a confirmation of receipt of the negative acknowledgment; setting a back-off time and a linger time based on a location of the sequence number within a transmit window maintained by the sender for retaining recently transmitted data of the multicast transmission for data repairs such that the response back-off time is shorter as the sequence number is closer to a trailing edge of the transmit window; sending repair data for the missing packet after expiration of the back-off time; and waiting for expiration of the linger time after sending the repair data for the missing packet and ignoring other negative acknowledgments for the missing packet received during the linger time.