Digital content catering system

摘要

Electronic content information is being catered via a data network. A consumer is enabled to request delivery via the network of a specific piece of content before a deadline selectable by the consumer. The catering service then completes the delivery before the deadline under control of a bandwidth profile of data traffic on at least a segment of the network. The scheduling of delivery deadlines enables the service to optimize usage of the network's bandwidth while maintaining a quality of service.