Patent ID: 8646016

Claim:
A system comprising: a content source configured to receive a request for content from a first set-top box, transmit the requested content to the first set-top box, wherein the transmission of the requested content is initiated in response to the request received from the first set-top box, receive another request for the requested content from a second set-top box while the requested content is being transmitted to the first set-top box, identify, in response to the another request for the requested content from the second set-top box, a closest shared router in terms of network topology to the first set-top box and the second set-top box, instruct, subsequent to receiving the another request for the requested content and during the transmission of the requested content to the first set-top box, the closest shared router to duplicate a remaining portion of the requested content not yet transmitted to the first set-top box and transmit only the remaining portion of the requested content to both the first and second set-top boxes simultaneously, the remaining portion of the requested content being transmitted to both the first and second set-top boxes starting at a content boundary in the requested content, and transmit a second portion of the requested content to the second set-top box via the closest shared router after completing transmission of the remaining portion of the requested content to both the first and second set-top boxes, the second portion of the requested content corresponding to a portion of the requested content before the content boundary in the requested content that is transmitted to the first set-top box before the another request is received from the second set-top box.