System for the management of multiple time-critical data streams

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A computer network system for storing and displaying video multimedia data clips, said system comprising:

a plurality of computers, each computer having at least one storage device coupled thereto for storing a portion of said multimedia data clips;

display means for displaying said video multimedia data clips;

a computer network;

interconnecting resources for connecting each of said plurality of computers to said computer network, said interconnecting resources comprising data buffers for storing the digital information in said video multimedia data clips;

client means in each of the plurality of computers for retrieving video multimedia data clips from the local storage device coupled thereto and for sending requests for said video multimedia data clips over the computer network to other of said plurality of computer;

server means in each of the plurality of computers responsive to requests from other of said plurality of computers for providing one of the video multimedia data clips over the computer network to another of said computers making said requests;

local management means in each of said plurality of computers for allocating said interconnecting resources and for refusing one of said requests to prevent said data buffers from becoming overloaded during display of one of said video multimedia data clips; to prevent said interconnecting resources from becoming overloaded during display of one of said video multimedia data clips each of the plurality of computers capable of retrieving and providing video multimedia data clips over the computer network and for retrieving video multimedia data clips from the local storage device coupled thereto.

2. The computer network system of claim 1 wherein said display means comprises at least one viewing station, coupled to each computer, for displaying said retrieved video multimedia data clips.

3. The computer network system of claim 2 wherein said interconnecting means comprise:

a processor;

a network adapter controlled by said processor; and

means controlled by said processor for transferring said video multimedia data clips between said computer network and said data buffers.

4. The network system of claim 3 wherein said local management means comprises means for monitoring usage of said interconnecting means and means for causing said server means to refuse said request when an amount of said digital information stored in said data buffers reaches a predetermined threshold.

5. A multimedia storage and presentation system for storing video clips, each clip comprising a plurality of segments, and for displaying said video clips in response to requests by viewers, said system comprising:

a computer area network;

a plurality of computers connected to said computer network, each computer having attached thereto at least one storage device at least one viewing station, input means for allowing said viewers to request display of a specific video clip on said at least one viewing station and buffer means for temporarily storing segments of said specific video clip prior to display;

client means in each of the plurality of computers for retrieving one of the video clips from the local storage device coupled thereto and for sending a request for one of said video clips over the computer network to other of said plurality of computers;

server means in each of said plurality of computers responsive to said request for retrieving said specific video clip from selected storage device coupled to said computer, said server means having a predetermined maximum retrieval capacity;

means cooperating with said server means in one of said