Data rate control

• US 20060026004A1
• Filed: 07/09/2003
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Van Nieuwenhuizen, Peterjan
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1489 dependent on congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of controlling the rate of data transmission to a user via a communications link of a network wherein resource requests are communicated to a service provider. The resource requests are determined in accordance with an indication of the congestion level on the network and the user'"'"'s defined parameters, such as their willingness to pay for the resource, wherein the resource request is weighted by a variable parameter, whose value is set in accordance with the congestion level on the network. This allows the rate controller to react efficiently and swiftly to network conditions as well as user defined parameters. By providing a computer programmed to act as a purchasing agent an automatic resource request to a service provider is enabled. An embodiment is described in which audio or video data is streamed to a user on the basis of the resource requests made on the user'"'"'s behalf and is adjusted on the basis of user and network defined parameters. The invention could equally be used to provide appropriate data streaming for many different types of network traffic.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the rate of data transmission from a source of data to a user via a communications link, wherein processing means are provided to generate a signal representing a rate request which will be used in determining the rate at which data will be transmitted from the source to the user, said processing means generating the signal by carrying out the steps of:

obtaining an indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link,

selecting a value indicative of the user'"'"'s willingness to pay for a given transmission data rate, and

determining the rate to be requested as a function of the indication of the amount of congestion and the user'"'"'s willingness to pay weighted by a variable parameter, the processing means thereafter communicating the signal to the source of data and the rate of the data transmission from the data source to the user then being controlled on the basis of the signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said variable parameter assumes discrete values.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the value of said variable parameter varies continuously.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the indication of congestion is the product of a congestion charge and a previously determined data transmission rate.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the value of said variable parameter varies in accordance with the difference between the user'"'"'s willingness to pay and the indication of the amount of congestion.

6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said rate to be requested is determined using the following iterative equation:

x_n+1=x_n+delta*kappa*x_n^ξ

(w−

x_n*μ

)

where x_n is the data transmission rate (bits per second) as calculated at an nth iteration; and

x_n+1 is the rate to be determined;

x_n*μ

is the charge to the user indicative of amount of congestion and is the product of x_n and congestion charge μ

;

w is the willingness to pay;

delta is the time elapsed between two iterations;

kappa is a constant gain parameter; and

ξ

(xi) is a parameter whose value is set depending on the indication of congestion or the user'"'"'s willingness to pay.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein if the difference between the indication of the amount of congestion and the user'"'"'s willingness to pay falls within a predetermined range a first data rate is requested, and if the difference between the indication of the amount of congestion and the user'"'"'s willingness to pay falls outside the predetermined range a second different data rate is requested.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said parameter ξ

is a step function assuming the value 0 for values of said difference larger than a threshold value, and assuming the value 1 for values of said difference smaller than said threshold value.

9. A method according to claim 7 said step of providing an indication of amount of congestion includes determining a marking rate m of incoming data transmitted on said communications link and wherein said congestion charge is determined from said marking rate.

20. A program storage device readable by a processing apparatus, said device embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the steps of claim 1.

10. A rate controller for controlling the rate of data transmission from a source to a user via a communications link, said rate controller including processing means for generating a signal representing a rate request which will be used in determining the rate at which data will be transmitted from the source to the user, said processing means including

means for obtaining an indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link,

selecting means for selecting a value indicative of the user'"'"'s willingness to pay for a given transmission data rate,

determining means for determining the rate to be requested as a function of the indication of the amount of congestion and the USER&

#x0;

S willingness to pay weighted by a variable parameter, the processing means further including means for communicating the signal to the source, wherein the rate of the data transmission from the source to the user is controlled on the basis of the signal.

11. A rate controller according to claim 10, wherein said determining means is adapted to, determine the difference between the user'"'"'s willingness to pay and the indication of the amount of congestion, and vary the value of the variable parameter in accordance with the difference.

12. A rate controller according to claim 11, wherein said determining means determines a first rate to be requested if said difference between the indication of the amount of congestion and said selected value falls within a predetermined range, and a second different data rate to be requested if the difference between the indication of the amount of congestion and the value falls outside the predetermined range.

13. A rate controller according to claim 10, wherein said determining means is adapted to determine said rate to be requested using the following iterative equation:

x_n+1=x_n+delta*kappa*x_n^ξ

(w−

x_n*μ

)

where x_n is the data transmission rate (bits per second) as calculated at an nth iteration; and

x_n+1 is the rate to be determined;

x_n*μ

is the charge to the user indicative of amount of congestion and is the product of x_n and congestion charge μ

;

w is the willingness to pay selected by selecting means in response to a determined transmission rate;

delta is the time elapsed between two iterations;

kappa is a constant gain parameter; and

ξ

(xi) is a parameter whose value is set depending on the indication of congestion or the user'"'"'s willingness to pay.

14. A rate controller according to claim 10, wherein said means for obtaining an indication of the amount of congestion comprises metering means for determining a marking rate of incoming data transmitted on said communications link.

15. A rate controller according to claim 11, wherein said variable parameter is a step function assuming the value 0 for values of said difference larger than a threshold value, and assuming the value 1 for values of said difference smaller than said threshold value.

16. A method of controlling the rate of data transmission from a source of data to a user via a communications link, wherein processing means are provided to generate a signal representing a rate request which will be used in determining the rate at which data will be transmitted from the source to the user, said processing means generating the signal by carrying out the steps of:

obtaining an indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link,

selecting a value indicative of the user'"'"'s willingness to pay for a given transmission data rate,

determining the rate to be requested on the basis of the ratio of said value to said indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link.

17. A method of controlling the rate of data transmission according to claim 16 wherein said rate to be requested is determined using the following equation:

18. A rate controller for controlling the rate of data transmission from a source to a user via a communications link, said rate controller including processing means for generating a signal representing a rate request which will be used in determining the rate at which data will be transmitted from the source to the user, said processing means including

means for obtaining an indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link,

selecting means for selecting a value indicative of the USER&

#x0;

S willingness to pay for a given transmission data rate,

determining means for determining the rate to be requested as on the basis of the ratio of the user'"'"'s willingness to pay to said indication of the amount of congestion on said communications link, the processing means further including means for communicating the signal to the source, wherein the rate of the data transmission from the source to the user is controlled on the basis of the signal.

19. A rate controller according to claim 18 wherein said determining means is adapted to determine said transmission data rate using the following equation: