System and Method for Scheduling Digital Information Transmission and Retransmission on a Network During Time Slots

Abstract

The present invention is a computer system for delivering digital information over a network. A request receiving process receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time. The digital information has a number of packets. A transmit time process determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed. A scheduler schedules a transmit time for the digital information and an acceptance process accepts the digital information for transmission only if the time required to transmit is less than or equal to the difference between the transmit time and the end time.

1 . A computer system for delivering digital information over a network, the computer system having one or more memories, one or more central processing units, and one or more network connections, the system further comprising: 
 a request receiving process configured to receive a request for transmitting digital information, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint, the digital information having a number of packets;    a transmit time process configured to determine the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    a scheduler configured to schedule a transmit time for the digital information; and    an acceptance process configured to accept the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of transmission constraints are satisfied, the acceptance process further comprising a transmission cost estimation process configured to estimate the cost of transmitting the digital information in accordance with the plurality of constraints.    
   
   
       2 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the digital information is transmitted at a first price.  
   
   
       3 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the digital information is rejected for transmission if the delivery time constraints cannot be satisfied.  
   
   
       4 . A system, as in  claim 3 , where the scheduler reschedules a transmit time after the digital information is rejected.  
   
   
       5 . A system, as in  claim 3 , where the digital information is accepted for transmission at a second price.  
   
   
       6 . A system, as in  claim 3 , where the digital information is rescheduled by the scheduler and accepted for transmission at a second price after the information is rejected.  
   
   
       7 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the time required to transmit is dependent on any one or more of the following: network speed, time of day, and size of buffer.  
   
   
       8 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the digital information is accepted for transmission and is transmitted.  
   
   
       9 . A system, as in  claim 8 , that receives an acknowledgement of the transmission.  
   
   
       10 . A system, as in  claim 9 , that produces a bill on receipt of the acknowledgement.  
   
   
       11 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where one or more portions of the digital information are accepted for transmission and are transmitted.  
   
   
       12 . A system, as in  claim 11 , that receives an acknowledgement of the transmission of one or more of the portions.  
   
   
       13 . A system, as in  claim 12 , that produces a bill on receipt of the acknowledgement for one or more of the portions.  
   
   
       14 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the digital information is accepted for transmission and is transmitted but a negative acknowledgment is received.  
   
   
       15 . A system, as in  claim 14 , where a negative acknowledgment is any one or more of the following: a missing data, a damaged data, a partial data.  
   
   
       16 . A system, as in  claim 1 , where the digital information is accessed at a time after the acceptance process accepts the digital information but before the scheduled transmit time.  
   
   
       17 . A method for delivering digital information over a network comprising: 
 receiving a request for transmitting digital information having a number of packets, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint;    determining the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    scheduling a transmit time for the digital information;    estimating cost of transmission in dependence on the plurality of constraints; and    accepting the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of constraints can be satisfied.    
   
   
       18 . A computer system for delivering digital information over a network comprising: 
 means for receiving a request for transmitting digital information having a number of packets, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint;    means for determining the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    means for scheduling a transmit time for the digital information;    means for estimating cost of transmitting the digital information in accordance with the plurality of constraints; and    means for accepting the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of constraints can be satisfied.    
   
   
       19 . A computer program product for delivering digital information over a network having a program comprising the following steps: 
 receiving a request for transmitting digital information having a number of packets, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and cost of delivery constraint;    determining the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    scheduling a transmit time for the digital information;    estimating cost of transmission in accordance with the plurality of constraints; and    accepting the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of constraints can be satisfied.    
   
   
       20 . A computer system as in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of constraints further comprises an electronic packaging constraint indicating how the digital information should be electronically packaged.  
   
   
       21 . A computer system as in  claim 20 , wherein the electronic packaging constraint concerns encryption of the digital information.  
   
   
       22 . A computer system as in  claim 20 , wherein the electronic packaging constraint concerns generation of forward error correction codes for the digital information.  
   
   
       23 . A computer system as in  claim 20 , wherein the electronic packaging constraint concerns compression of the digital information.  
   
   
       24 . A computer system as in  claim 20 , where the acceptance process is further configured to accept the digital information for transmission if transformations required by the electronic packaging constraint can be performed while still satisfying the delivery time constraint.  
   
   
       25 . A computer system as in  claim 20 , where the acceptance process is further configured to accept the digital information for transmission if transformations required by the electronic packaging constraint can be performed while still satisfying the cost of delivery constraint.  
   
   
       26 . A computer system for delivering digital information over a network, the computer system comprising at least one memory, at least one central processing unit, and at least one network connection, the system further comprising: 
 a request receiving process configured to receive a request for transmitting digital information, the request specifying a plurality of constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint;    a transmit time process configured to determine the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    a scheduler configured to schedule a transmit time for the digital information;    a plurality of acceptance processes each configured to accept the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of transmission constraints are satisfied and to forward a message indicting that the digital information cannot be accepted if the plurality of transmission constraints cannot be satisfied, each of the plurality of acceptance processes further comprising a transmission cost estimation process configured to estimate the cost of transmitting the digital information in accordance with the plurality of constraints; and    a broker process configured to receive a message from at least one of the plurality of acceptance processes indicating that the at least one of the plurality of acceptance processes cannot transmit the digital information in accordance with the plurality of transmission constraints, the broker process further configured to forward the digital information to another one of the plurality of acceptance processes upon receipt of the message from the at least one of the plurality of acceptance processes.    
   
   
       27 . A computer system for delivering digital information over a network, the computer system having one or more memories, one or more central processing units, and one or more network connections, the system further comprising: 
 a request receiving process configured to receive a request from a client for transmitting digital information, the request specifying a plurality of transmission constraints comprising at least a delivery time constraint and a cost of delivery constraint, the digital information having a number of packets;    a transmit time process configured to determine the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets and a network speed;    a scheduler configured to schedule a transmit time for the digital information;    an acceptance process configured to accept the digital information for transmission only if the plurality of transmission constraints are satisfied, the acceptance process further comprising a transmission cost estimation process configured to estimate the cost of transmitting the digital information in accordance with the plurality of constraints; and    the request receiving process further comprising a negotiating process for facilitating negotiations between the acceptance process and a client submitting the request, and wherein the acceptance process is configured to negotiate with the client to reach acceptable transmission constraints, the acceptance process accepting the digital information for transmission only if acceptable transmission constraints are negotiated.