Method and system for managing service quality according to network status predictions

• US 10,397,123 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jana, Rittwik, Erman, Jeffrey, Gopalakrishnan, Vijay, Halepovic, Emir, Sinha, Rakesh, Zou, Xuan Kelvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamara, Mohamed A
• Application Number:
  US15/666,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20170331752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining predicted available bandwidths for an end user device, monitoring buffer occupancy of a buffer of the end user device, determining bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy, and adjusting bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy during streaming of the media content to the end user device over a wireless network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a system including a network server, first performance data of an end user device and second performance data associated with a cell of a wireless network, wherein the first performance data includes a mobility pattern of the end user device, and wherein the second performance data is obtained from an eNodeB associated with the cell;

determining, by the system, a predicted available bandwidth for the end user device according to the first performance data and the second performance data;

providing, by the system, access to the predicted available bandwidth to cause a video bit rate to be determined for a portion of media content according to the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device and according to a buffer occupancy of the end user device; and

facilitating, by the system over the wireless network, streaming of the portion of the media content to the end user device according to the video bit rate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the system, the buffer occupancy for the end user device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the system, a buffer occupancy threshold associated with the end user device; and

comparing, by the system, the buffer occupancy and the buffer occupancy threshold, wherein the video bit rate is further determined according to comparison of the buffer occupancy and the buffer occupancy threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first performance data further includes channel quality indicator data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first performance data further includes reference signal received quality data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second performance data further includes channel quality.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second performance data further includes cell congestion data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the system, a second predicted available bandwidth for the end user device;

determining, by the system, a second buffer occupancy for the end user device;

determining, by the system, a second video bit rate for a second portion of the media content according to the second predicted available bandwidth; and

applying, by the system, the second video bit rate during streaming of the second portion of the media content over the wireless network to the end user device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising comparing, by the system, the second buffer occupancy with a buffer occupancy threshold, wherein the second video bit rate is further determined according to comparison of the second buffer occupancy with the buffer occupancy threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the system, a request for the predicted available bandwidth; and

receiving the predicted available bandwidth from a network server of the wireless network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is received from the network server via an application programming interface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, by the system, a reference video bit rate according to comparison of the buffer occupancy with a buffer occupancy threshold,

determining, by the system, a current video bit rate applied during streaming of a previous portion of the media content over the wireless network; and

comparing, by the system, the reference video bit rate with the current video bit rate.

13. A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

obtaining predicted available bandwidths for an end user device, wherein the predicted available bandwidths are determined according to first performance data of the end user device and second performance data associated with a cell of a wireless network;

monitoring buffer occupancy of a buffer of the end user device;

determining video bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy; and

adjusting video bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and the buffer occupancy during streaming of the media content to the end user device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first performance data includes a mobility pattern of the end user device, and wherein the second performance data is obtained from an eNodeB associated with the cell.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first performance data includes channel quality indicator data, reference signal received quality data, or a combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second performance data includes cell congestion data, and wherein the second performance data is associated with the cell of the wireless network in which the end user device is operating.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a request for the predicted available bandwidth; and

receiving the predicted available bandwidth from a network server of the wireless network.

18. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

obtaining first performance data of an end user device and second performance data associated with a cell of a wireless network;

determining a predicted available bandwidth for the end user device according to the first performance data and the second performance data;

providing access to the predicted available bandwidth to cause a video bit rate to be determined for a portion of media content according to the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device and according to a buffer occupancy of the end user device; and

facilitating streaming of the portion of the media content to the end user device according to the video bit rate.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the first performance data includes a mobility pattern of the end user device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the second performance data is obtained from an eNodeB associated with the cell.