How Amazon Delivers Content Faster Using Local Servers
Amazon's 2016 patent describes a system for breaking down digital content into smaller pieces and storing them on servers located near users to speed up downloads and reduce network traffic.
Original patent title: “Locality based content distribution”
Amazon's 2016 patent describes a system for breaking down digital content into smaller pieces and storing them on servers located near users to speed up downloads and reduce network traffic. Granted to Amazon Technologies Inc in 2016 with 24 claims and 75 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent explains how Amazon organizes its content distribution. First, they chop up digital content, like apps or videos, into smaller pieces called segments. They also set up a network of servers, dividing it into groups called subnetworks. Each subnetwork has its own servers, called content sources. Importantly, they register third-party devices as content providers and figure out which subnetwork they belong to. Then, they make sure all the content segments are available on servers within each subnetwork. When a user requests content, the system finds the closest subnetwork and tells the user where to get the specific content segments from servers in that local area, aiming to avoid sending data through too many network hops.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Content distribution that does not break content into segments.
- Systems that do not organize servers into subnetworks.
- Content delivery where all content is stored on a single server or in a single location.
- Methods that do not register third-party devices as content providers.
- Distribution networks that do not consider the network locality of the client device when selecting a content source.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The innovation lies in intelligently segmenting content and strategically placing those segments across a distributed network of servers, organized into local subnetworks. This ensures that content is always available from a 'nearby' source, minimizing delays and network congestion by avoiding unnecessary data routing.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Amazon Web Services (AWS) content delivery
Amazon Prime Video streaming
Amazon Appstore downloads
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) in general
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent is a core piece of the infrastructure that allows large online services like Amazon to deliver content quickly and efficiently to millions of users worldwide. It's fundamental to how cloud computing and content delivery networks (CDNs) operate, ensuring that when you download an app or stream a video, the data comes from a server nearby, not from across the globe.
Filed
March 5, 2015
Granted
May 3, 2016
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Amazon Technologies Inc. remains the primary beneficiary and implementer of this technology within its vast cloud and e-commerce infrastructure. Other major cloud providers like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure have developed similar, proprietary content distribution systems.
Market impact
This patent underpins the efficiency of large-scale content delivery, a critical component of the modern internet. It enabled Amazon to build a robust and scalable infrastructure for distributing digital goods, directly impacting the speed and reliability of online services and setting a precedent for how content is managed and delivered globally.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent explains how Amazon organizes its content distribution. First, they chop up digital content, like apps or videos, into smaller pieces called segments. They also set up a network of servers, dividing it into groups called subnetworks. Each subnetwork has its own servers, called content sources. Importantly, they register third-party devices as content providers and figure out which subnetwork they belong to. Then, they make sure all the content segments are available on servers within each subnetwork. When a user requests content, the system finds the closest subnetwork and tells the user where to get the specific content segments from servers in that local area, aiming to avoid sending data through too many network hops.
The clever bit
The innovation lies in intelligently segmenting content and strategically placing those segments across a distributed network of servers, organized into local subnetworks. This ensures that content is always available from a 'nearby' source, minimizing delays and network congestion by avoiding unnecessary data routing.
What it does not cover
- Content distribution that does not break content into segments.
- Systems that do not organize servers into subnetworks.
- Content delivery where all content is stored on a single server or in a single location.
- Methods that do not register third-party devices as content providers.
- Distribution networks that do not consider the network locality of the client device when selecting a content source.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
38/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
16/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$410K – $1.3M
Midpoint $819K · 8.7 yr remaining · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
24 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Sivasubramanian, S., Richardson, D. R., & Marshall, B. E. (2016). How Amazon Delivers Content Faster Using Local Servers (U.S. Patent No. 9,332,078). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9332078/facebook-memories
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Amazon Delivers Content Faster Using Local Servers cover?
Amazon's 2016 patent describes a system for breaking down digital content into smaller pieces and storing them on servers located near users to speed up downloads and reduce network traffic.
Who owns patent US 9332078?
Amazon Technologies Inc owns this patent, granted in 2016.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on May 3, 2036, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9332078 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 75 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent is a core piece of the infrastructure that allows large online services like Amazon to deliver content quickly and efficiently to millions of users worldwide. It's fundamental to how cloud computing and content delivery networks (CDNs) operate, ensuring that when you download an app or stream a video, the data comes from a server nearby, not from across the globe.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Content distribution that does not break content into segments.
Same assignee
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