Patent ID: 7996545

Claim:
A computer system for delivering digital information over a network, the computer system having one or more memories, one or more central processing units, and one or more network connections, the system further comprising: a request receiving process configured to receive a request, from a client, for transmitting digital information, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint, the digital information having a number of packets; a transmit time process configured to determine the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed; a scheduler configured to schedule a transmit time for the digital information; an acceptance process configured to accept the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of constraints are satisfied, and a delivery status process which notifies the client if the plurality of constraints are not satisfied, wherein the acceptance process further comprises a transmission cost estimation process configured to estimate the cost of transmitting the digital information in accordance with the plurality of constraints; and for a case that the plurality of constraints are satisfied, transmitting the digital information at a first price, or else for a case that at least one of the plurality of constraints are not satisfied, negotiating with the client at least an acceptable price to transmit the digital information and transmitting the digital information at the negotiated price.