Controlling delivery of requested content based on delivery bandwidth limitations

• US 10,516,904 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Garg, Amit, Brown, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US13/618,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,657 Days
• Field of Search: 725 95, 725100, 725 32, 725109, 725 47, 725114, 725 38, 370466, 370390, 370468, 370252, 709233, 709217, 709231, 709203, 37524001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols

Abstract

A device, computer readable medium, system and method for overcoming bandwidth limitations is disclosed for determining that a bandwidth limitation is related to preventing delivery of content, identifying a version of the content capable of being transmitted over a lower bandwidth, querying a device requesting delivery of the content for an indication of acceptability of a lower bandwidth version of the content instead of a higher bandwidth version, and based on an affirmative response to the querying, causing delivery of the lower bandwidth version.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, based on determining that there is insufficient bandwidth for transmitting a first version of content via a first network path to a computing device and a second network path to the computing device, a second version of the content capable of being transmitted using a bandwidth lower than an amount of bandwidth associated with the first version of the content;

determining a predicted time at which there will be sufficient bandwidth for transmitting the first version of the content via the first network path or the second network path;

transmitting, by a server and to the computing device, a query for an indication of whether to receive the second version of the content at a first time prior to the predicted time or to receive the first version of the content at the predicted time; and

based on whether a response to the query indicates to receive the second version of the content at the first time or receive the first version of the content at the predicted time, causing transmission of the second version of the content at the first time or causing transmission of the first version of the content at the predicted time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that there is insufficient bandwidth is based on comparing the amount of bandwidth associated with the first version of the content to a monitored amount of available bandwidth for the first network path and a monitored amount of available bandwidth for the second network path;

wherein the determining that there is insufficient bandwidth is performed after a request for the content is received from the computing device; and

wherein the determining of the predicted time is based on a history of available bandwidth over time for the first network path and the second network path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second version of the content comprises a standard definition version of the content or a compressed version of the content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing transmission of the second version of the content at the first time comprises causing transmission of the second version of the content from a local cache in communication with the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing transmission of the second version of the content at the first time comprises causing transmission of the second version of the content from a vault server in communication with the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is further for an indication of whether to receive the first version of the content at an alternative device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the predicted time is based on an average amount of available bandwidth over time for the first network path and an average amount of available bandwidth over time for the second network path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first version of the content comprises data in an MPEG-2 format or MPEG-4 format having a first compression ratio and wherein the second version of the content comprises data in an MPEG-2 format or MPEG-4 format having a second compression ratio higher than the first compression ratio.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first version of the content comprises a high definition version of the content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in bandwidth usage of the first network path or the second network path; and

after detecting the change in bandwidth usage of the first network path or the second network path, causing transmission of the second version of the content to be stopped and causing transmission of the first version of the content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the second version of the content is being transmitted to the computing device and that the computing device is capable of receiving the first version of the content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network path comprises a wired network path to the computing device, and wherein the second network path comprises a wireless network path to the computing device.

13. A method, comprising:

after determining that there is insufficient bandwidth for transmitting a first version of content via a network path to a computing device;

determining a predicted time in the future at which there will be sufficient bandwidth for transmitting the first version of the content via the network path;

determining a second version of the content capable of being transmitted, via the network path to the computing device, using a bandwidth lower than an amount of bandwidth associated with the first version of the content; and

transmitting, by a server and to the computing device, a query for an indication of whether to receive the second version of the content at the computing device or to receive the first version of the content at an alternative device, wherein the query comprises an indication of the predicted time; and

causing transmission of the first version of the content to the alternative device after receiving a response to the query that indicates the alternative device is to receive the first version of the content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second version of the content comprises a standard definition version of the content or a compressed version of the content.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first version of the content comprises a high definition version of the content.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first version of the content comprises data in an MPEG-2 format or MPEG-4 format having a first compression ratio and wherein the second version of the content comprises data in an MPEG-2 format or MPEG-4 format having a second compression ratio higher than the first compression ratio.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a change in bandwidth usage of the network path; and

after detecting the change in bandwidth usage of the network path, causing transmission of the first version of the content to the alternative device to be stopped and causing transmission of the first version of the content to the computing device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the alternative device comprises a mobile phone.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a change in bandwidth usage of the network path; and

after detecting the change in bandwidth usage of the network path, causing transmission of the first version of the content to the alternative device to be stopped.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising causing transmission of the first version of the content to the computing device.

21. A method, comprising:

based on a determination that there is insufficient bandwidth for transmitting a first version of content via a wired network path to a requesting device associated with a user, transmitting, to the requesting device, a query for an indication of whether to receive a second version of the content via the wired network path to the requesting device or to receive the first version of the content via a wireless network path to an alternative device, wherein the second version of the content comprises a standard definition version of the content or a compressed version of the content, and wherein the first version of the content comprises a high definition version of the content; and

based on whether a response to the query indicates to receive the second version of the content via the wired network path to the requesting device or to receive the first version of the content via the wireless network path to the alternative device, causing transmission of the second version of the content to the requesting device or causing transmission of the first version of the content to the alternative device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

transmitting, to the requesting device, a message comprising an indication of a predicted time at which there will be sufficient bandwidth for transmitting the first version of content via the wired network path.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving, from the requesting device and after transmitting the message, an indication that the alternative device is to receive the first version of the content.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the alternative device comprises a mobile phone.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, from the requesting device, a request that indicates the requesting device is requesting the first version of the content; and

wherein the determination that there is insufficient bandwidth for transmitting the first version of content via the wired network path to the requesting device and the determination that there is sufficient bandwidth for transmitting the first version of content via the wireless network path to the alternative device are performed after receiving the request.