Prior art

Based on a technical analysis of the patent file for U.S. Patent 9,112,934, the following prior art references cited by the applicant and the examiner are considered the most relevant. The analysis below focuses on the potential for these references to anticipate the independent claims (1 and 7) under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

For a reference to anticipate a claim, it must disclose every element of that claim. The core elements of the independent claims of the '934 patent are:

1. Receiving a network configuration request and detailed configuration information from a service provider.
2. Managing resource information about available network nodes.
3. Configuring a specific transfer path for content delivery by setting a plurality of network nodes to create a content delivery overlay network, based on the provider's request and the available resources.

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Analysis of Key Prior Art References

Here are the most relevant prior art citations and an analysis of their potential impact on the claims of US 9,112,934.

1. U.S. Patent 7,926,079 B2

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent 7,926,079 B2, "Hybrid central/distributed VOD system with tiered content structure," assigned to Time Warner Cable.
• Dates: Filed June 30, 2000; Published April 12, 2011.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a Video-on-Demand (VOD) system that uses a tiered content storage and delivery architecture. Content is stored centrally and also distributed to local or regional servers based on popularity. The system is designed to efficiently manage network bandwidth and server load by serving content from the closest available server to the user.
• Potential Anticipation Analysis:
  • Claims 1 & 7: This reference is highly relevant as it describes a content delivery network with a hierarchical structure of nodes. It discloses the concept of distributing content across network nodes to serve users efficiently. However, it does not appear to describe the on-demand, dynamic configuration of the overlay network itself based on a specific request from a service provider. The network topology in the '079 patent seems relatively static or managed by the network operator based on content popularity, rather than being spun up and torn down for a predetermined time based on a third-party provider's specific configuration request (including parameters like service start/end times, bit rate, etc.). Therefore, it likely fails to teach the element of a controller configuring the overlay network in response to a service provider's dynamic request, a key limitation in the '934 patent's claims.

2. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0154892 A1

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0154892 A1, "System for distributing video and content on demand," by inventor Hoshen-Eliav.
• Dates: Filed February 13, 2001; Published October 24, 2002.
• Brief Description: This publication describes a system for distributing on-demand content (like video) over a network. It focuses on a decentralized architecture where content is stored on multiple servers. A central management system tracks content location and server availability, directing user requests to an appropriate server to ensure quality of service and efficient delivery.
• Potential Anticipation Analysis:
  • Claims 1 & 7: The '892 publication discloses managing resource information (server availability) and establishing a path for content delivery. However, like the '079 patent, the focus is on fulfilling an end-user's content request by finding the best server, not on a service provider's request to configure an entire overlay network for a specific duration or service. It does not appear to disclose the concept of a request receiver that takes in network configuration information from a provider to build a bespoke, temporary overlay network with a specific transfer path for that provider's service. The configuration is reactive to user demand rather than proactively built to a provider's specification.

3. U.S. Patent 5,673,253 A

• Full Citation: U.S. Patent 5,673,253 A, "Dynamic allocation of telecommunications resources," assigned to Siemens Business Communication Systems.
• Dates: Filed February 29, 1996; Published September 30, 1997.
• Brief Description: This patent addresses the dynamic allocation of network resources, such as bandwidth, in a telecommunications network. It describes a system that monitors resource usage and allocates or de-allocates resources based on changing demands to maintain a desired quality of service.
• Potential Anticipation Analysis:
  • Claims 1 & 7: The '253 patent teaches the dynamic management and allocation of network resources based on demand, which corresponds to the resource manager element of the '934 patent. However, its teachings are at a general telecommunications level (allocating bandwidth) and do not specifically describe the configuration of a content delivery overlay network by setting a plurality of network nodes to form a transfer path. Furthermore, the allocation is typically in response to network conditions or user sessions, not a comprehensive configuration request from a third-party content provider to build a dedicated overlay service for a set period. Thus, it likely does not anticipate the claims.

4. Korean Patent Application Publication KR20100059638A

• Full Citation: KR 20100059638 A, "Iptv service overlay network system and," assigned to Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
• Dates: Filed November 25, 2008; Published June 4, 2010.
• Brief Description: This reference describes a system for an IPTV service that utilizes an overlay network. It likely details methods for constructing and managing such a network to deliver television services over IP infrastructure, addressing challenges like stream management and quality of service for many users.
• Potential Anticipation Analysis:
  • Claims 1 & 7: As a reference explicitly dealing with an "IPTV service overlay network," it is highly relevant. It discusses the components of an overlay network for content delivery. However, the key distinction for anticipation lies in whether it discloses the management apparatus that receives a specific configuration request from a service provider to dynamically build the network. The '934 patent's invention centers on providing this configuration as a service, allowing providers without their own CDN to temporarily lease a custom-built overlay network. The Korean reference may describe the technical underpinnings of such a network but may not disclose the specific claimed method of on-demand configuration based on a provider's business and technical requirements (e.g., "unique name of the content delivery overlay network," "times at which the content delivery overlay network service starts and ends"). Without this specific provider-driven configuration element, it would not anticipate the claims.