Patent ID: 7411901

Claim:
A network switch for transmitting streaming data to a plurality of destinations, each of the destinations having a separate streaming connection to the network switch, the network switch comprising: a receiver to receive a unicast stream at a desired rate; a circular buffer having a first threshold and a second threshold to buffer the unicast stream and to split the unicast stream into multiple unicast streams; a timer to determine a transmission rate based in part on a desired rate, an average bit rate for each connection, and a maximum segment size (MSS) for each connection, the transmission rate regulating transmission of the multiple unicast streams to multiple client destinations; a stream-processing module in communication with the timer and the buffer, the stream-processing module to generate a data pointer to a next segment of streaming data in the buffer for each of the destinations, monitor utilization of the buffer relative to the first and second thresholds for each connection, and send timing signals to the timer; and wherein the timer further to increase the transmission rate for a particular connection if buffer utilization for that connection falls below the first threshold, and to reduce the transmission rate for a particular connection if buffer utilization for that connection exceeds the second threshold.