Patent ID: 7747748

Claim:
A method of bandwidth allocation for delivery of stored digital content from at least one server device to at least one client device by way of a network, the method comprising the steps of: prescribing a control variable which represents a target flow rate from the server device to each client device of a stored digital content having a fixed duration; prescribing a maximum allowed flow rate from the server device to each client device, wherein the maximum allowed flow rate is set equal to a minimum allowed flow rate, and wherein the minimum allowed flow rate is a non-increasing function of time obtained by dividing the digital content not yet delivered by remaining playtime, which ensures that all required content will be available to each client when needed; determining time-varying constraints on the flow rate of the content; determining a cost function of the control variables for all clients; and prescribing bandwidth to all clients based upon the value of the control variables that maximize the cost function.