초록 ▼

An arrangement for multicasting digital data to a user accessing an Internet connection is disclosed. The arrangement entails placing streaming digital data content that is to be multicast in IP protocol to generate streaming IP digital data. The streaming IP digital data is uplinked from a transmis

An arrangement for multicasting digital data to a user accessing an Internet connection is disclosed. The arrangement entails placing streaming digital data content that is to be multicast in IP protocol to generate streaming IP digital data. The streaming IP digital data is uplinked from a transmission site to a satellite and downlinked to one or more remote Internet gateways via a communications path that is substantially separate from the Internet backbone. A plurality of separate satellite receiver systems, which may be located at separate remote Internet gateways, are adapted to receive IP streaming content via downlink carrier from the satellite and provide the streaming IP content to an Internet gateway without providing substantial TCP confirmation of delivery. At a remote Internet gateway, the streaming IP digital data content is multicast for delivery as a one-way data stream to at least one receiving Internet user's apparatus connected to but distant from the remote Internet gateway.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An IP content distribution system of a type useable to distribute streaming IP content to Internet users, the distribution system, comprising:A. a satellite uplink; B. a head-end providing streaming IP content to the satellite uplink according to a broadcasting schedule, said satellite uplink pro

1. An IP content distribution system of a type useable to distribute streaming IP content to Internet users, the distribution system, comprising:A. a satellite uplink; B. a head-end providing streaming IP content to the satellite uplink according to a broadcasting schedule, said satellite uplink providing at least one uplink carrier carrying the streaming IP content to an extraterrestrial satellite that broadcasts the streaming IP content over at least one downlink carrier; C. a plurality of downlink carrier satellite receiver systems located at a plurality of corresponding separate Internet gateways, said satellite receiver systems receiving the streaming IP content on a downlink carrier of the extraterrestrial satellite and providing said streaming IP content to said plurality of Internet gateways generally according to the broadcasting schedule, wherein the streaming IP content is forwarded, generally according the broadcasting schedule, to a plurality of Internet users communicating with said separate Internet gateways.