Peter John Lude

US Patent:

20020184642, Dec 5, 2002

Filed:

Apr 23, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/131624

Inventors:

Peter Lude - San Francisco CA, US
Daniel Radke - Manhattan Beach CA, US
Noam Shendar - Mountain View CA, US
Michael Stauffer - Palo Alto CA, US

International Classification:

H04N007/173

US Classification:

725/105000

Abstract:

A method for digital data distribution or broadcasting that takes advantage of non-deterministic (or “opportunistic”) unused bandwidth in dynamically optimized broadband digital broadcast systems. Digital data files received from broadcasts are stored in mass storage devices for viewing at a later time at high speed, overcoming “last mile” narrow bandwidth issues. Instead of reserving a particular communications channel or data transfer spectrum, data is opportunistically “piggybacked” onto unrelated broadcasts, using otherwise unused bandwidth within existing broadcast channels or spectrums. The broadcast source does not target the digital files at specific identifiable users or broadcast contents based on their interactive requests. Data broadcasting in accordance with the present invention may be implemented to work with any medium which allows the delivery of large files in a one-to-many fashion (i.e., “broadband broadcast medium”), such as digital cable, digital broadcast satellite, terrestrial digital television, and computer networks that are broadcast-enabled and sufficiently broadband.