Enhanced integrated data delivery system

Abstract

A data delivery system comprises a server connected to data sources and adapted to transmit data to a user, a first link from the server adapted to transmit data to the user via a first delivery path, a second link from the server adapted to transmit data via a second delivery path to the user, the second delivery path having a broader bandwidth that the first delivery path; and transmission control routines. For each data entity to be transmitted to the user, the transmission control routines select either the first path or the second path for transmission, based on size of the data entity and preprogrammed criteria. The delivery system may have queues for satellite transmission, including a queue for such as data entities to provide a video stream, wherein entities must be sent at a minimum rate to avoid interruption of a video presentation. In one aspect, control routines of the invention divide non-video entities into portions small enough to avoid interruption of the video stream, and cause the divided portions to be sent interleaved with the video entities.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A data delivery system, comprising: 
 a server connected to data sources and adapted to transmit data to a user;    a first link from the server adapted to transmit data to the user via a first delivery path;    a second link from the server adapted to transmit data via a second delivery path to the user, the second delivery path having a broader bandwidth that the first delivery path; and    transmission control routines;    wherein, for each data entity to be transmitted to the user, the transmission control routines select either the first path or the second path for transmission, based on size of the data entity and preprogrammed criteria.    
     
     
         2 . The data delivery system of    claim 1    wherein the first path is a land-based path, and the second path is a satellite transmission path.  
     
     
         3 . The data delivery system of    claim 2    wherein queues fare maintained for data entities to be sent by the satellite path, and wherein the transmission control routines negotiate with queue control routines regarding queue capacity and queue use level as a part of the transmission path selection.  
     
     
         4 . The data delivery system of    claim 2    wherein the transmission control routines encrypt data entities before transmission, and provide an encryption key for transmission to the user.  
     
     
         5 . The data delivery system of    claim 2    wherein the transmission control routines are adapted, upon failure of one of the land-based and satellite delivery paths, to route all data entities by the remaining path.  
     
     
         6 . The data delivery system of    claim 2    wherein the transmission control routines are adapted to divide a data entity selected for satellite transmission into multiple smaller data entities before transmission.  
     
     
         7 . The data delivery system of    claim 6    wherein the transmission control routines, upon dividing a larger data entity into smaller data entities, prepares and transmits a division key to the user, the division key adapted for re-assembling the multiple entities back into the larger entity.  
     
     
         8 . A broadband data transmission system comprising: 
 a high priority queue reserved for data entities requiring that data entities be sent in a successive fashion at or above a minimum rate;    a lower priority data entity queue; and    control routines adapted for dividing large data entities in the lower priority queue into multiple smaller data entities of a size that may be transmitted interspersed with data entities from the high priority queue without causing the rate of transmission of the high priority entities to fall below the minimum rate.    
     
     
         9 . The broadband data transmission system of    claim 7    wherein the transmission system comprises a satellite transmission system.  
     
     
         10 . The broadband data transmission system of    claim 8    wherein, upon dividing a large data entity into multiple smaller data entities for transmission, the control routines prepare a division key for transmission to a user, the division key adapted to aid in reassembling the multiple data entities back into the undivided larger data entity.  
     
     
         11 . A method for transmitting data from a server to a user, wherein the server is adapted to transmit either by a first path or by a second path, the second path having a broader bandwidth than the first path, comprising steps of: 
 (a) calculating a probable transmission time by the second path and by the first path;    (b) comparing the calculated transmission times; and    (c) selecting a path for transmission based on the comparison.    
     
     
         12 . The method of    claim 11    further comprising a step for encrypting data entities before transmission, and sending a decryption key to the user.  
     
     
         13 . In a broadband data transmission system having a high priority queue reserved for first data entities requiring that the first data entities be sent in a successive fashion at or above a minimum rate, a method for transmitting a second data entity comprising steps of: 
 (a) dividing the second data entity into multiple portions, each portion small enough to ensure that it may be transmitted interspersed with first data entities without violating the minimum rate for the first data entities; and    (b) transmitting the divided portions of the second data entity interspersed with transmission of first data entities.    
     
     
         14 . The method of    claim 13    further comprising a step for preparing a division key with information about the facts of division of the second entity, and a step for causing the division key to be transmitted to a user.