Patent ID: 8087056

Claim:
A method of effectively operating a Content-On-Demand (COD) system, comprising: a first step of receiving requests for content from one or more COD clients; a second step of, if the requested content exists in a COD server, determining whether the requested content is content for one-to-one transmission or content for one-to-N transmission; a third step of, if the content requested from the COD server is content for one-to-one transmission, setting up a session between the COD server and one of the COD clients by providing access information for one-to-one transmission from the COD server to the corresponding COD client, transmitting the requested content to the corresponding COD client from the COD server in a one-to-one transmission manner, and then terminating the session between the COD server and the corresponding COD client when the transmission is completed; and a fourth step of, if the content requested from the COD server is content for one-to-N transmission, setting up sessions between the COD server and the respective COD clients by providing access information for one-to-N transmission from the COD server to the corresponding COD clients, transmitting the requested content to the corresponding COD clients from the COD server in a one-to-N transmission manner when a one-to-N transmission requirement is met, and then terminating the sessions between the COD server made the corresponding COD clients when the transmission is completed, wherein the one-to-N transmission requirement at the fourth step is determined to be met by counting a time taken for connection of a session between the COD server and a COD client that first requested the corresponding content, and comparing the counted time taken for connection of the session with a preset reference time, and determining that one-to-N transmission requirement is met if the time taken for the connection of the session is equal to or greater than the reference time; wherein the one-to-N transmission requirement is determined to be met if the time taken for the connection of the session is equal to or greater than the reference time; and the one-to-N transmission requirement is determined to be met by counting a number of COD clients that request the corresponding content, comparing an accumulated value of the counted number of the COD clients with a preset reference value, and, if the accumulated value is equal to or greater than the reference value, determining that the one-to-N transmission requirement is met, even though the time taken for the connection of the session is less than the reference time.