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Abstract

A data delivery system facilitates broadcast delivery of computer data and other content from multiple content servers to multiple clients. The servers are connected to a broadcast center via a bi-directional data network, such as an ATM network or an Ethernet. The data is served over the data network from the content servers to the broadcast center where it is broadcast over a broadcast network (i.e., satellite, RF, microwave, etc.) to the clients. The clients are equipped to receive broadcast transmissions from the broadcast center. Due to the unidirectional broadcast link, the clients are unable to communicate with the servers to acknowledge receipt or pre-reserve bandwidth over the data network. The broadcast center performs this task on behalf of the clients. To assure delivery of the data from the servers over the data network to the broadcast center for retransmission, the content servers generate requests for reservation of bandwidth on the data network for an upcoming time period and submit the requests over the data network to the broadcast center prior to the time period. The broadcast network schedules reservations of the bandwidth for the upcoming time period and, when the time period arrives, reserves the bandwidth at the time the communication link between the server and the broadcast center is being established.

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First Claim