SERVICE RATE CHANGE METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20030061619A1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sedna Patent Services LLC
• Inventors: GIAMMARESSI, TOM
• Granted Patent: US 7,086,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for allocating bandwidth within a bandwidth constrained interactive information distribution system. The system determined if a requested information stream may be provided to a requesting subscriber at an appropriate bandwidth level (i.e., appropriate bitrate providing full quality), a minimal bandwidth level (i.e., a reduced bitrate providing minimally acceptable quality) or not at all. Each information stream and any ancillary streams may be stored twice by the system, once at an appropriate encoded bitrate and once at a minimal encoded bitrate.

Claims

1. In an information distribution system comprising provider equipment and subscriber equipment, said provider equipment providing information to said subscriber equipment via a forward channel, said subscriber equipment requesting said information via a back channel, a method comprising the steps of:

determining whether said information distribution system has sufficient bandwidth available to provide information requested by a subscriber;

providing, in the event of appropriate bandwidth availability, said requested information to said subscriber using said appropriate bandwidth; and

providing, in the event of minimum bandwidth availability, said requested information to said subscriber using said minimum bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

waiting, in the event of less than minimum bandwidth availability, for a predetermined period of time; and

repeating said first and second steps of providing said requested information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

repeating, for a predetermined number of iterations, said step of waiting and said first and second steps of providing said requested information.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of denying access to said information to said requesting subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said bandwidth determination is made with respect to at least one of a video server bandwidth, a video switch bandwidth a transport processor bandwidth and a digital video modulator bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a first level of bandwidth is allocated to each subscriber upon establishing a session, said first level of bandwidth being sufficient to support a navigation function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said requested information is stored in said provider equipment at an appropriate bandwidth level and at a minimum bandwidth level.

8. In an information distribution system comprising provider equipment and subscriber equipment, said provider equipment providing information to said subscriber equipment via a forward channel, said subscriber equipment requesting said information via a back channel, provider equipment apparatus comprising:

a session manager, for receiving information requests from said subscriber equipment and determining, for each received information request, whether said information distribution system has sufficient bandwidth available to provide the requested information; and

an information server, coupled to said session manager, for providing said requested information at an appropriate bandwidth in the case of appropriate bandwidth availability, and for providing said requested information at a minimal bandwidth in the case of at least minimal bandwidth availability.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

said session manager, in response to a determination that less than a minimum bandwidth is available, waiting for a predetermined period of time and determining, for each received information request not being fulfilled, whether said information distribution system has sufficient bandwidth available to provide the requested information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

said session manager, in response to a final determination that less than a minimum bandwidth is available, denying access to said information to said requesting subscriber.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a transport processor, for packetizing information provided by said information server;

said session manager determining said information distribution system bandwidth with respect to at least a bandwidth utilization level of said transport processor.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of data storage devices, coupled to said information server via a video switch;

said session manager determining said information distribution system bandwidth with respect to at least one a bandwidth utilization level of said video switch and a bandwidth utilization level of a storage devices including said requested information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a digital video modulator, for modulating packetized information streams onto a carrier;

said session manager determining said information distribution system bandwidth with respect to a bandwidth utilization level of said digital video modulator.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a first level of bandwidth is allocated to each subscriber upon establishing a session, said first level of bandwidth being sufficient to support a navigation function.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said requested information is stored in said provider equipment at an appropriate bandwidth level and at a minimum bandwidth level.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each program to be provided to requesting subscribers is stored at each of an appropriate encoded bitrate and a minimal encoded bitrate.