Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

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.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

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.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business over a network that: receives a request for transmitting digital information after a start time and before an end time, determines the time required to transmit the digital information based on the number of packets in the information and the network speed, schedules a transmit time for the digital information, and 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. Pricing of the transmission can be determined by the priority of transmission, whether the information is transmitted the first time or rescheduled, and whether the user receives an acknowledgment.

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.

Abstract: A computer dispatcher connected to one or more respective network buffers has stored file lists that identify one or more of the files in the database that are to be transmitted over networks connected to the respective network buffer. A scheduler(s) schedule one or more portions of one or more of the files to be written to the respective network buffers by defining transmission criteria about each of the files in the file list. These transmission criteria include a quantity to transmit criteria, defining a quantity of one or more of the portions of the respective file to transmit, and one or more release times. The release times define the time at which the respective portion is to be written to the network buffer. The system includes a dispatching process that determines an available space on one or more of the network buffers and a current system time.

Abstract: The invention is a broadband network monitoring system and method. The system has one or more RF carrier generators that generate one or more generator signals, called a reference signal, each of the generator signals having a generator signal frequency. One or more RF transient detectors sense a line signal on one or more broadband lines in the broadband network. Each line signal has one or more test signals applied by a remote RF carrier generator. Each test signal has a frequency equal to one of the reference signals. Each RF transient detector senses and compares the test signal and the reference signal in various ways to produce a transient indicator when the test signal and reference/generator signal are not the same. The transient indicator indicates that there may be a perturbation or some other problem in the respective broadband line. A controller is connected to each of the RF transient detectors and controls an RF switch and an analyzer.

Abstract: This invention is a broadband matrix switch system and method of operation. The broadband matrix switch has N number of broadband inputs, each of the broadband inputs having one or more broadband signals. The matrix switch has M number of broadband outputs. There are N number of splitters. Each of the splitters has a splitter input connected to one of the broadband inputs. Each of the splitters has M number of splitter outputs that produce the splitter output signal. There are N times M number of node switches. Each node switch is uniquely connected to one of the splitter outputs. The node switches have a control input that allows the node switch to pass the respective splitter output signal upon receiving a close command at the control input and to terminate the respective splitter output signal with an input impedance upon receiving an open command at the control input. There are M number of combiners. Each combiner has a combiner output connected to one of the broadband outputs.

Abstract: One or more novel switch controllers are used in a network of network devices to connect and disconnect to one another. The switch can be any general purpose computer that has one or more communication links that connect one or more outputs of the computer to one or more of the network devices. In the computer, the network is represented by a directed graph that has two or more nodes and one or more directional edges connecting one or more pairs of the nodes. Each node in the pair represents a device that is connected/disconnected (represented by the edge of the directed graph.) One or more commands are associated with each edge that is used to connect the network devices represented by the nodes that the edge connects.

Abstract: One or more servers and/or control functions that are connected to a network. One or more service providers provide information having content to the servers. The server/control function executes a process which parses the information content sent from the service provider onto two or more channels and then broadcasts those channels over the network to a plurality of client computers. The server process examines the information packets sent from the service provider to determine zero or more of the categories that describe a content of the information packet and labels the information packets with the channel identifier associated with the respective categories prior to sending the information packets over the network. The server can also run processes and broadcast commands to the clients that associate/disassociate channel identifiers with categories.

Abstract: A filter adaptor connects a computer to a network through a network connection. The network has a large plurality of broadcast type messages having a given protocol. Each of the broadcast messages has a destination field and a source field. The adaptor has a preference list of one or more fixed channels that the computer is capable of receiving. Each fixed channel has a channel identifier that is also listed in the preference list. Further, the filter adapter has a filtering process that monitors the source field and discards any message that does not have a source identifier in the source field that matches one of the channel identifiers on the preference list.

Abstract: The present invention is a switching system for a broadband network operating above five megahertz. The system connects to a first and second network through appropriate network connections. There are four components in the switching network. A first component with a first common connection, a first A branch, and a first B branch, the first common connection is connected to the first network terminal. A second component has a second common connector and a second A and B branch. The second common connector is connected to the second network terminal. The third component has a third A and B branch and one third common connector. The third A branch is connected to the first A branch. The third B branch is connected to the second B branch. The third common connector is connected to a first device terminal of a device. The fourth component has a fourth A and B branch and a fourth common connector. The fourth B branch is connected to the second B branch.