Patent ID: 7933294

Claim:
An audiovisual communication system including a communication network that uses the IP protocol and has a plurality of TCP connections to carry audiovisual signal data packets between a sender and a receiver, wherein audiovisual signals are scalable-coded by the sender into a set of scalable layers according to a scalable coding structure for transmission over the plurality of TCP connections, and wherein portions of the scalable layers data are designated as key frames, the system comprising: a Scheduling Inverse Multiplexer (S-IMUX) coupled to the plurality of TCP connections at the sender, wherein the S-IMUX is configured to schedule transmission of individual scalable-coded data packets over the plurality of TCP connections; a Feedback Multiplexer (F-MUX) coupled to the plurality of TCP connections at the receiver, wherein the F-MUX is configured to reassemble individual scalable-coded data packets received over different TCP connections in a single packet stream for decoding; wherein the S-IMUX is configured to perform the steps of: (a) transmitting a key frame over a particular open TCP connection, wherein the key frame is a picture or audio frame for which delivery is necessary in order to ensure an uninterrupted visual experience of media presentation at the receiver; and (b) if receipt of the key frame over the particular open TCP connection is not acknowledged within a pre-determined time period ‘T’, transmitting the unacknowledged key frame over another open TCP connection, wherein an open TCP connection is a TCP connection that is currently not waiting for an acknowledgement of the receipt of a previous transmission on the TCP connection.