Method for distributing multiple description streams on servers in fixed and mobile streaming media systems

• US 20030009535A1
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Apostolopulos, John G., Shen, Bo, Roy, Sumit, Basu, Sujoy, Kumar, Raj, Cheung, Gene, Wee, Susie J., Wong, Tina, Tan, Wai-Tan
• Granted Patent: US 6,757,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 3/332 Supports for spacer grids
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 3/34 Spacer grids
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A method and system for streaming media data to a fixed client and/or a mobile client. In one method embodiment, the present invention recites encoding media data to be streamed to a client into a first multiple description bitstream and into a second multiple description bitstream. The present method then determines the appropriate plurality of servers from a network of servers onto which the first and second multiple description bitstreams should be distributed. The present embodiment then recites distributing the first and second multiple description bitstreams to the appropriate plurality of servers positioned at intermediate nodes throughout a network such that a client is provided with access to the media data via a plurality of transmission paths. The present method is also well suited to redistribution of multiple description bitstreams to servers based upon time-varying demand, client movement, and the like.

Claims

1. A method for streaming media data to a client, said method comprising the steps of:

a) encoding said media data to be streamed to said client into a first multiple description bitstream and into a second multiple description bitstream;

b) determining the appropriate plurality of servers from a network of servers onto which said first and second multiple description bitstreams should be distributed; and

c) distributing said first and second multiple description bitstreams to said appropriate plurality of servers disposed at intermediate nodes throughout a network, such that said client is provided with access to said media data via a plurality of servers and transmission paths.

2. The method for streaming media data to a client as recited in claim 1 wherein said step b) comprises:

determining which of said servers in said network of server are located closest to an anticipated region of high demand from said client.

3. The method for streaming media data to a client as recited in claim 1 wherein said step b) comprises:

using at least one parameter to determine said appropriate plurality servers from said network of servers which should have said first and second multiple description bitstreams distributed thereto.

4. The method for streaming media data to a client as recited in claim 3 wherein said at least one parameter is selected from the group comprising usage patterns, mobility trends, network conditions, disjointness of paths to clients, computation sizes, network connectivity, network topology, server load, server storage space, server I/O bandwidth, server availability, and size of said first and second multiple description bitstreams.

5. The method for streaming media data to a client as recited in claim 1 wherein said appropriate plurality of servers has a quantity approximately the same as the number of multiple description bitstreams encoding from said media data.

6. The method for streaming media data to a client as recited in claim 1 wherein said client is a mobile client.

7. A method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers, said network for providing streaming media to a client, said method comprising the steps of:

a) determining which of said plurality of servers are the appropriate plurality of servers for accommodating said client; and

b) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not presently cumulatively stored thereon, distributing said plurality of multiple description bitstreams to said appropriate plurality of servers, said plurality of multiple description bitstreams encoded from data to be streamed to a client.

8. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said step a) comprises:

using at least one parameter to determine said appropriate plurality of servers for accommodating said client.

9. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7 wherein said at least one parameter is selected from the group comprising:

usage patterns, mobility trends, network conditions, disjointness of paths to clients, computation sizes, network connectivity, network topology, server load, server storage space, server I/O bandwidth, server availability, and size of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams.

10. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said step a) comprises the steps of:

i) identifying a cell proximate to said network from which high demand for said plurality of multiple description bitstreams is anticipated;

ii) determining a subset of said plurality of servers which are disposed close to said cell;

iii) determining if said subset of said plurality of servers have said plurality of multiple description bitstreams cumulatively stored thereon;

iv) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not already cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers, determining if said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers;

v) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers proceeding to said step b); and

vi) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can not be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers, increasing the size of said subset of said plurality of servers and repeating steps iii) through vi until proceeding to said step b).

11. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 10, wherein said step ii) comprises:

determining said subset of said plurality of servers which are disposed close to said cell to be comprised of a quantity of said servers which is the same as the quantity of multiple description bitstreams comprising said plurality of multiple description bitstreams.

12. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said step b) comprises:

b) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not presently cumulatively stored thereon, individually distributing said plurality of multiple description bitstreams to said appropriate plurality of servers such that not all of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are stored on every one of said appropriate plurality of servers.

13. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said step b) comprises:

b) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not presently cumulatively stored thereon, individually distributing said plurality of multiple description bitstreams to said appropriate plurality of servers such that only one of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams is stored on every one of said appropriate plurality of servers.

14. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 11, wherein said step b) comprises:

b) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not presently cumulatively stored thereon, individually distributing said plurality of multiple description bitstreams to said subset of said plurality of servers such that each one of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams is stored on a respective one of said subset of said plurality of servers.

15. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 10, wherein said step ii) comprises:

determining said subset of said plurality of servers which are disposed close to said cell by weighting current conditions of said network.

16. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said distributing of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams comprises an initial population of said network with said plurality of multiple description bitstreams.

17. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, wherein said distributing of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams comprises a redistribution of said network with said plurality of multiple description bitstreams.

18. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of:

c) repeating said step a) and said step b) based upon a parameter.

19. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 18, wherein said step c) comprises:

repeating said step a) and said step b) based upon said parameter selected from the group comprising;

a time interval, a server hit rate, a traffic pattern, server load, and a network congestion condition.

20. A method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers, said network for providing streaming media to a mobile client, said method comprising the steps of:

a) determining which of said plurality of servers are the appropriate plurality of servers for accommodating said mobile client by performing the steps of;

i) identifying a cell proximate to said network from which high demand for said plurality of multiple description bitstreams is anticipated;

ii) determining a subset of said plurality of servers which are disposed close to said cell;

iii) determining if said subset of said plurality of traffic servers have said plurality of multiple description bitstreams cumulatively stored thereon;

iv) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not already cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers, determining if said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers;

v) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of traffic servers proceeding to said step b); and

vi) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams can not be cumulatively stored on said subset of said plurality of servers, increasing the size of said subset of said plurality of servers and repeating steps iii) through vi until proceeding to said step b); and

b) provided said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are not presently cumulatively stored thereon, individually distributing said plurality of multiple description bitstreams to said appropriate plurality of servers such that not all of said plurality of multiple description bitstreams are stored on every one of said appropriate plurality of servers.

21. The method for distributing a plurality of multiple description bitstreams in a network comprised of a plurality of servers as recited in claim 20, further comprising the step of:

repeating said step a) and said step b) based upon said parameter selected from the group comprising;

a time interval, a server hit rate, a traffic pattern, server load, and a network congestion condition.