Abstract: A content distribution network, including: a content server that stores a set of content items; a plurality of gateways for storing and serving content requests to a subset of the content items, the plurality of gateways being grouped into a plurality of classes of gateways; and a plurality of class trackers corresponding to the plurality of classes; wherein each class tracker manages a placement of content items and an assignment of content requests for its class of gateways; wherein the plurality of class trackers exchange congestion signals among themselves; wherein, for each content item, each class tracker determines a fraction of gateways in its class of gateways that store the content item and a rate of content requests that are forwarded to the content server or other class trackers, based on requests for the content item entering its class and the congestion signals received from other class trackers.

Abstract: A solution for peer-assisted distribution of video content over a broadband network is disclosed. A video file is segmented into segments and segmentation metadata is generated. The segments are converted to media stream segments with counter/timestamp consistency. The video file and the segmentation metadata are injected into a peer-assisted video delivery system. The segmentation metadata are then used for initializing download of offsets of the video file that are required for generating segments of the video file at a client.

Abstract: A content distribution network, including: a content server that stores a set of content items; a plurality of gateways for storing and serving content requests to a subset of the content items, the plurality of gateways being grouped into a plurality of classes of gateways; and a plurality of class trackers corresponding to the plurality of classes; wherein each class tracker manages a placement of content items and an assignment of content requests for its class of gateways; wherein the plurality of class trackers exchange congestion signals among themselves; wherein, for each content item, each class tracker determines a fraction of gateways in its class of gateways that store the content item and a rate of content requests that are forwarded to the content server or other class trackers, based on requests for the content item entering its class and the congestion signals received from other class trackers.

Abstract: Method of recommendation of an item to a user, said method comprising: transmitting a recommendation request from a requesting terminal to a first server, said request containing a user profile; distorting the user profile by the first server to obtain a distorted user profile; transmitting by the first server to a second server the distorted user profile; computing by the second server a recommendation result comprising at least one item on the basis of the distorted user profile and of an anonymous rating data previously provided by the first server to the second server; and transmitting the recommendation result from the second server to the first server and then to the requesting terminal.

Abstract: A method is intended for verifying storage of contents into communication equipments connected to at least one communication network.

Abstract: Method for constructing a circuit between a first terminal and a second terminal in an anonymity network, said circuit comprising a plurality of consecutive paths, each path linking two adjacent nodes of the network, wherein the paths of the circuit link nodes selected from the k-closest nodes to the first terminal, where k is a determined positive integer.

Abstract: A solution for peer-assisted distribution of video content over a broadband network is disclosed. A video file is segmented into segments and segmentation metadata is generated. The segments are converted to media stream segments with counter/timestamp consistency. The video file and the segmentation metadata are injected into a peer-assisted video delivery system. The segmentation metadata are then used for initializing download of offsets of the video file that are required for generating segments of the video file at a client.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for tracking and positioning content within a domain including a plurality of devices that provide content data to users. The apparatus and associated method include a communication interface that receives requests for content from respective ones of the plurality of devices. An optimization processor analyzes all requests for each piece of content, and determines at least one of an actual request rate and a target request rate for each piece of content and, in response to the determination of the actual and target request rates, instructs individual devices of the plurality of devices to store respective pieces of content in a memory.

Abstract: A method is intended for verifying storage of contents into communication equipments connected to at least one communication network.

Abstract: A method is intended for generating confirmations of data transfers between communication equipments connected to a communication network. This method consists, when an application running in a first communication equipment wants to transfer data packets to at least one second communication equipment, i) in transmitting a request, comprising communication identifiers of the first and second communication equipments and requesting a data transfer control, to first and second auxiliary communication equipments acting as interfaces between the communication network and the first and second communication equipments, respectively, and ii) in storing auxiliary data representative of these data packets transferred through the first and second auxiliary communication equipments, these stored auxiliary data constituting proofs of transmission of the data packets by the first communication equipment and of reception of at least some of these data packets by the second communication equipment.

Abstract: A method is intended for controlling dissemination of content data in a peer-to-peer mode between peers connected to different communication networks. This method comprises the steps of: i) building, for each peer, a first peer set comprising active peers that are primary connected neighbours close to this peer in terms of network cost and a second peer set comprising active peers that are secondary connected neighbours of this peer, chosen at random irrespectively of network cost, and ii) dynamically determining into each peer a capacity of content data it is ready to receive from peers of the second peer set, taking into account its current capacity to receive content data from peers of the first peer set, in order to optimize the peer-to-peer dissemination of the content data.