Patents in suit

US 8,699,395 Method and device for inverse multiplexing of multicast transmission

3 defendants · 3 suits · updated October 6, 2026

Also cited as U.S. Patent No. 8,699,395 · US8699395B2 · US 8,699,395 B2 · 8699395 · the '395 patent

AuthPoint LLC has filed 3 patent-infringement suits on US 8,699,395, "Method and device for inverse multiplexing of multicast transmission" since July 27, 2026, all in the E.D. Tex., against 3 distinct defendants including Humax Co., Ltd., KAON Group Co., Ltd. and Zhone Technologies, Inc.. The patent was granted April 15, 2014 on a priority date of September 10, 2004. Its abstract opens: "A stream of multicast messages is forwarded through a network to a plurality of subscriber devices ( 18 )." The examiner cited 10 references during prosecution.

Assignee
Authpoint LLC
Priority date
September 10, 2004
Granted
April 15, 2014
Expires
September 10, 2024
Status
Active
Claims
17 (3 independent)
Inventors
Jan Herman Laarhuis
Full text
Google Patents

The suits

3 cases · E.D. Tex. (3)

Filed Defendant Plaintiff Court Docket
2026-07-27 Humax Co., Ltd. AuthPoint LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00618
2026-07-27 KAON Group Co., Ltd. AuthPoint LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00619
2026-07-27 Zhone Technologies, Inc. AuthPoint LLC E.D. Tex. 2:26-cv-00621

Docket links open the public record on CourtListener. Filing dates are the complaint's.

Independent claims

What is actually asserted, verbatim.

Claim 1

1. A method of forwarding a stream of multicast messages through a network by transmitting a stream of multicast messages from a multicast router to a multicast subscriber device and a further multicast subscriber device, the method comprising: inverse multiplexing the stream of multicast messages, thereby converting the stream of multicast messages into multiple parts, each part being transmitted via one of a plurality of communication channels: inverse demultiplexing the multiple parts of the multicast messages of the inversely multiplexed stream with an inverse demultiplexer for the multicast subscriber device; and forwarding, by a plurality of forwarding devices coupled to respective ones of the plurality of communication channels, respective ones of the multiple parts of the inversely multiplexed stream from the plurality of communication channels to a further inverse demultiplexer of the further multicast subscriber device.

Claim 9

9. A communication system, comprising: a multicast router, arranged to transmit a stream of multicast messages; a plurality of functionally parallel communication channels; an inverse multiplexing device, coupled between the multicast router and the plurality of communication channels, arranged to inversely multiplex the stream of multicast messages, thereby converting the stream of multicast messages into multiple parts, each part being transmitted over a respective one of the plurality of communication channels; a plurality of inverse demultiplexing devices; multicast subscriber devices coupled to respective ones of the inverse demultiplexing devices; and a plurality of forwarding devices each coupled to the inverse multiplexing device via a respective one of the plurality of communication channels, and arranged to distribute the inversely multiplexed stream of multicast messages to the plurality of inverse demultiplexing devices, wherein each of the inverse demultiplexing devices is adapted to: receive the multiple parts of the multicast messages of the inversely multiplexed stream distributed by the plurality of forwarding devices, and inverse demultiplex the multiple parts of the multicast messages to render the stream of multicast messages.

Claim 17

17. A forwarding device arranged for use as one of a set forwarding devices of a system, the system comprising: a multicast router, arranged to transmit a stream of multicast messages; a plurality of functionally parallel communication channels; an inverse multiplexing device, coupled between the multicast router and the plurality of communication channels, arranged to inversely multiplex the stream of multicast messages, thereby converting the Stream of multicast messages into multiple parts, each part being transmitted over a respective one of the plurality of communication channels; a plurality of inverse demultiplexing devices; multicast subscriber devices coupled to respective ones of the inverse demultiplexing devices; and a plurality of forwarding devices each coupled to the inverse multiplexing device via a respective one of the plurality of communication channels, and arranged to distribute the inversely multiplexed stream of multicast messages to the plurality of inverse demultiplexing devices, and wherein each of said forwarding devices are arranged to receive and store subscription information that indicates which of the multicast subscriber devices have subscribed to the stream of multicast messages, and the plurality of forwarding devices are arranged to use the subscription information to control to which of the plurality of inverse demultiplexing devices respective parts of the inversely multiplexed stream are forwarded that are received via respective ones of the communication channels, and wherein each of the inverse demultiplexing devices is adapted to: receive the multiple parts of the multicast messages of the inversely multiplexed stream distributed by the plurality of forwarding devices, and inverse demultiplex the multiple parts of the multicast messages to render the stream of multicast messages.

Art before the examiner

16 references of record, 10 cited by the examiner.

Everything listed here was before the Office and is what a challenge must go beyond. Art the examiner never saw is where an invalidity search starts.

Examiner-cited

  • US20020009073A1 — Terminal -to-terminal communication connection control method using IP transfer network (The Distributio Systems Research Research Instit)
  • US20040172658A1 — Home network for ordering and delivery of video on demand, telephone and other digital services (Selim Shlomo Rakib)
  • US20040210927A1 — Multicasting systems using distributed user authentication (Bahr Charles C.)
  • US20050055280A1 — Method, system and apparatus for internet-based sales generation (Gabrielle Jeans)
  • US7096193B1 — Facilitating commerce among consumers and service providers by matching ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers (Servicemagic, Inc.)
  • US7126970B2 — Communication system with balanced transmission bandwidth (Tropic Networks Inc.)
  • US7212548B2 — Multiple T1 channel inverse multiplexing method and apparatus (Adtran, Inc.)
  • US7269185B2 — Management and control of multi-layer networks (Nortel Networks Limited)
  • US7433876B2 — Semantic web portal and platform (Radar Networks, Inc.)
  • US7606782B2 — System for automation of business knowledge in natural language using rete algorithm (Oracle International Corporation)
Applicant-cited and other (6)
  • JP2000244488A — Multicast session management device
  • WO2001091383A1 — Inverse multiplexer device
  • WO2002047428A1 — Method for multicasting information via at least one communications network
  • WO2003105421A1 — Digital content delivery system, digital content delivery method, program for executing the method, computer-readable recording medium storing thereon the program, and server and client for it
  • EP1398938A2 — System and method for transmission of data through multiple streams
  • WO2004043019A1 — Network relay method and apparatus

Classification

  • H04L12/18primary — Arrangements for providing special services to substations for broadcast or conference, e.g. multicast
  • H04L1/1685 — Details of the supervisory signal the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
  • H04L12/185 — Arrangements for providing special services to substations for broadcast or conference, e.g. multicast with management of multicast group membership
  • H04L12/2861 — Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers

Family

  • US8699395B2 — B2 (2014)
  • US20080259838A1 — A1 (2008)
  • 10 foreign family members: EP1790118A1, JP2008512931A, CN101057450A, ATE466432T1, CN101057450B, WO2006028371A8, EP1635504A1, DE602005020947D1, WO2006028371A1, EP1790118B1

Abstract

A stream of multicast messages is forwarded through a network to a plurality of subscriber devices ( 18 ). The stream is inverse multiplexed and transmitted distributed over a plurality of communication channels ( 14 ). A plurality of inverse demultiplexers ( 16 ) is provided, to reassemble a plurality of copies of the stream from the multiplexed streams from the communication channels at different locations. Preferably, the final communication channels to a plurality of subscribers (e.g. telephone lines to different homes) are used as communication channels for said inverse multiplexing and the inversely multiplexed data is communicated locally ( 17 ) between the subscribers to enable reassembly of copies of the stream.

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This page is assembled from public records — federal court dockets and the patent's own file — and is updated as the case list changes. It states what the record shows and is not an opinion on the validity or infringement of any claim. Patent data via Google Patents; docket data via CourtListener.