Patents by Inventor Muriel Médard

Muriel Médard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9998406
    Abstract: Techniques for performing finite memory network coding in an arbitrary network limit an amount of memory that is provided within a node of the network for the performance of network coding operations during data relay operations. When a new data packet is received by a node, the data stored within the limited amount of memory may be updated by linearly combining the new packet with the stored data. In some implementations, different storage buffers may be provided within a node for the performance of network coding operations and decoding operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Bernhard Haeupler, Muriel Medard
  • Patent number: 9923714
    Abstract: Described herein is a method and system for hierarchical wireless video with network coding which limits encryption operations to a critical set of network coding coefficients in combination with multi-resolution video coding. Such a method and system achieves hierarchical fidelity levels, robustness against wireless packet loss and efficient security by exploiting the algebraic structure of network coding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Universidade Do Porto, Telefonica, S.A.
    Inventors: Luisa Lima, Steluta Gheorghiu, Joao Barros, Muriel Medard, Alberto Lopez Toledo, Joao Vilela
  • Publication number: 20180046815
    Abstract: Secrecy scheme systems and associated methods using list source codes for enabling secure communications in communications networks are provided herein. Additionally, improved information-theoretic metrics for characterizing and optimizing said secrecy scheme systems and associated methods are provided herein. One method of secure communication comprises receiving a data file at a first location, encoding the data file using a list source code to generate an encoded file, encrypting a select portion of the data file using a key to generate an encrypted file, and transmitting the encoded file and the encrypted file to an end user at a destination location, wherein the encoded file cannot be decoded at the destination location until the encrypted file has been received and decrypted by the end user, wherein the end user possesses the key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Flavio du Pin Calmon, Muriel Medard, Linda M. Zeger, Mark M. Christiansen, Kenneth R. Duffy
  • Patent number: 9877265
    Abstract: A coding approach for a robust and flexible network communication protocol is described. By using coding, it is possible to eliminate the need to track packet identities, and hence, it is possible to reduce coordination overhead associated with many conventional protocols. The method and system described herein takes advantage of multiple paths, interfaces, mediums, servers, and storage locations available in a network. The proposed protocol allows quick response to congestion by load balancing over different network resources. The method also enables soft vertical hand-overs across heterogeneous networks. In one embodiment, a media file is divided into chunks and transmitted using a transport protocol tailored to meet delay requirements of media streaming applications. Also described are different coding strategies for chunk delivery based upon an urgency level of each chunk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Minji Kim, Muriel Medard, Ali Parandehgheibi
  • Publication number: 20170300479
    Abstract: Multi-resolution encoded files are stored on a plurality of disk drives using systematic network coded storage. In some embodiments, the stored files are used to provide video streaming services for users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Ulric J. Ferner, Tong Wang
  • Patent number: 9762957
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for utilizing network coding for multi-resolution multicast is presented. A network source partitions source content into a base layer and one or more refinement layers. The network source receives a respective one or more push-back messages from one or more network destination receivers, the push-back messages identifying the one or more refinement layers suited for each one of the one or more network destination receivers. The network source computes a network code involving the base layer and the one or more refinement layers for at least one of the one or more network destination receivers, and transmits the network code to the one or more network destination receivers in accordance with the push-back messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Inventors: Daniel Lucani, Minji Kim, Fang Zhao, Xiaomeng Shi, Muriel Medard, Marie-Jose Montpetit
  • Publication number: 20170237652
    Abstract: Techniques, devices, systems, and protocols are disclosed herein that relate to data transfer between communication nodes via multiple heterogeneous paths. In various embodiments, network coding may be used to improve data flow and reliability in a multiple path scenario. Transmission control protocol (TCP) may also be used within different paths to further enhance data transfer reliability. In some embodiments, multiple levels of network coding may be provided within a transmitter in a multiple path scenario, with one level being applied across all paths and another being applied within individual paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Flavio du Pin Calmon, Jason M. Cloud, Muriel Médard, Weifei Zeng
  • Publication number: 20170222753
    Abstract: Efficient and reliable transmission of information from sparse sources over wireless channels in wireless signal networks (WSNs). WSN nodes employ an “integrated signal representation-to-modulation” scheme to describe a sparse signal acquired from a sensor so as to ensure robustness against channel errors across a wide range of signal to noise (SNR) values in a rateless fashion. In one example, sparse signal samples are linearly transformed such that the total number of bits representing the sparse signal is reduced. The linearly-transformed signal samples are directly mapped to a modulation constellation to provide a succession of modulation symbols. A carrier wave is modulated in phase and/or frequency according to the succession of the modulation symbols to generate an encoded carrier wave representing the sparse analog signal. In one aspect, an order of the modulation constellation is based on the precision (e.g., number of bits) of each of the linearly-transformed signal samples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Georgios Angelopoulos, Muriel Medard, Anantha Chandrakasan
  • Patent number: 9680928
    Abstract: A method and computer program product for providing a random linear coding approach to distributed data storage is presented. A file is broken into a plurality of pieces. For every peer (peer means storage-location with limited storage space), the number of coded-pieces the peer can store is determined. Each of the coded-piece is determined by taking random linear combination of all the pieces of the entire file. The associate code-vector is stored for every coded-piece. The file is retrieved by collecting code-vectors and the coded-pieces from the peers and viewing the collected code-vectors as a matrix. When a dimension of the matrix is equal to the number of pieces of the file, the file is recovered using the collection of code vectors in the matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Supratim Deb, Ralf Koetter
  • Patent number: 9607003
    Abstract: Multi-resolution encoded files are stored on a plurality of disk drives using systematic network coded storage. In some embodiments, the stored files are used to provide video streaming services for users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Ulric J. Ferner, Tong Wang
  • Publication number: 20170054526
    Abstract: Provided is a method for correcting errors in a data transmission network, comprising: transmitting a plurality of uncoded information packets across a network path; transmitting a plurality of coded packets for recovering information packets lost in transmission across said network path, the coded packets being temporally interspersed among said uncoded information packets, wherein the coded packets are encoded based on information packets transmitted prior to a previously transmitted coded packet; and determining the interspersion of the coded packets according to a packet loss rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Andres Garcia SAAVEDRA, Mohammad KARZAND, Douglas LEITH, Muriel MEDARD
  • Patent number: 9559831
    Abstract: Network coding and multiple packet reception (MPR) are used together to improve message dissemination speed in a wireless network using half duplex communication. In at least one embodiment, MPR is used to initially distribute data packets from a number of source nodes in the network to the other nodes of the network. Network coding techniques may then be used to perform backfilling within the network to supply data packets to the source nodes that were originally missed due to the half duplex constraint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Linda M. Zeger, Muriel Medard, Arman Rezaee
  • Patent number: 9544126
    Abstract: Network coding and multiple packet reception (MPR) are used together in a wireless network. In at least one implementation, a novel medium access control (MAC) protocol is provided that enhances throughput in a wireless mesh network that uses network coding and MPR by providing fairness to information flows, rather than fairness to individual nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Linda M. Zeger, Jason M. Cloud, Muriel Medard
  • Patent number: 9537759
    Abstract: Techniques, devices, systems, and protocols are disclosed herein that relate to data transfer between communication nodes via multiple heterogeneous paths. In various embodiments, network coding may be used to improve data flow and reliability in a multiple path scenario. Transmission control protocol (TCP) may also be used within different paths to further enhance data transfer reliability. In some embodiments, multiple levels of network coding may be provided within a transmitter in a multiple path scenario, with one level being applied across ail paths and another being applied within individual paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Flavio du Pin Calmon, Jason M. Cloud, Muriel Medard, Weifei Zeng
  • Publication number: 20160302134
    Abstract: A coding approach for a robust and flexible network communication protocol is described. By using coding, it is possible to eliminate the need to track packet identities, and hence, it is possible to reduce coordination overhead associated with many conventional protocols. The method and system described herein takes advantage of multiple paths, interfaces, mediums, servers, and storage locations available in a network. The proposed protocol allows quick response to congestion by load balancing over different network resources. The method also enables soft vertical hand-overs across heterogeneous networks. In one embodiment, a media file is divided into chunks and transmitted using a transport protocol tailored to meet delay requirements of media streaming applications. Also described are different coding strategies for chunk delivery based upon an urgency level of each chunk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Minji Kim, Muriel Medard, Ali Parandehgheibi
  • Publication number: 20160239606
    Abstract: Computerized analysis methods and systems to implement the computerized analysis methods are disclosed herein. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining an unknown characteristic of a sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Catherine M. Grgicak, Desmond S. Lun, Muriel Medard, Harish Swaminathan
  • Patent number: 9369541
    Abstract: Distributed content caching is implemented in an efficient, low cost manner within a content delivery network (CDN). In various embodiments, content is identified for caching at a number of gateway devices within a CDN by minimizing a cost function associated with content delivery in the network. The cost function may take into consideration costs of delivering content to users from gateway devices as well as costs associated with delivering content to users from centralized locations of a CDN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Flavio du Pin Calmon, Weifei Zeng
  • Patent number: 9369255
    Abstract: Message dissemination speed is increased during multicast operations in a network by intelligently selecting one or more feedback time slots for use by destination nodes. In at least one implementation, a feedback time slot is selected based upon probabilities that a plurality of data packets will be successfully distributed to a plurality of destination nodes by various future time slots. These probabilities may be estimated based on, for example, packet erasure probabilities in the network. In some implementations, only destination nodes that have not yet successfully received a plurality of data packets are permitted to transmit feedback during feedback time slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Linda M. Zeger, Arman Rezaee
  • Patent number: 9361936
    Abstract: Data blocks to be stored on a disk-based data storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, etc.) are coded together to form a plurality of linearly independent network coded blocks. The network coded blocks are then stored on the data storage device. Coded seeking may then be used to retrieve the original data blocks from the data storage device in a time-efficient manner. A read request may be sent to the data storage device requesting an innovative coded packet associated with the original data blocks. In response to the read request, the data storage device may read an innovative coded packet from the disk that is closest to current position of a read element of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Muriel Medard, Ulric J. Ferner
  • Publication number: 20160157127
    Abstract: In a transmitting device, packets are generated that include both preambles and postambles under some network conditions and packets are generated that include only a preamble or a postamble under other network conditions. Both the preamble and the postamble of the packets may include information that can be used by a receiver device in receipt of a packet to determine that a packet has arrived. The information within the preamble and the postamble may also, in some cases, be used to aid in decoding the packet. In some implementations, preambles and postambles are used that follow a format similar to the long and/or short preambles specified in the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Linda M. Zeger, Muriel Medard, Amanda Randles