Access/edge node supporting multiple video streaming services using a single request protocol

• US 20070101377A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW (IMEC International), Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation), Universiteit Gent Vzw
• Original Assignee: Alcatel IMEC Universiteit GENT
• Inventors: Van Caenegem, Tom, Six, Erwin, Dhoedt, Bart, Van De Meerssche, Wim, De Turck, Filip, Wauters, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• 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 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An access/edge network node (300) according to the invention includes a single proxy function (301) to terminate on the subscriber side a single requesting protocol for a plurality of streaming video services.

Claims

1. An access/edge network node (300) including subscriber line terminating equipment, subscriber line aggregating equipment and network terminating equipment, for terminating and aggregating bi-directional data packet traffic from and to a number of subscribers onto a network link, and including proxy functionality for a plurality of streaming video services,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said proxy functionality (301) is adapted to terminate on the subscriber side a single requesting protocol for at least two of said streaming video services.

2. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said at least two of said streaming video services comprise at least one streaming video service of on-demand nature and at least one video service of broadcast nature.

3. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said single requesting protocol is the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

4. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said access/edge network node (300) further includes protocol translation functionality (302) adapted to translate said single requesting protocol on subscriber side into at least two requesting protocols on network side.

5. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 4,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said at least two requesting protocols on network side include the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).

6. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said access/edge network node (300) further includes a cache memory (304) for steaming video with intelligent caching algorithm, operationally coupled with said proxy functionality (301) and able to analyze information retrieved from said single requesting protocol and to thereupon decide intelligently which video channel or which video program to temporarily cache.

7. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 6,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said intelligent caching algorithm is further able to decide which fragments of a video program to cache.

8. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 7,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said intelligent caching algorithm is further able to decide how long to cache said fragments.

9. An access/edge network node (300) according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said streaming video services include two or more of a broadcast TV service, a time-shifted TV service, a video-on-demand service, a near video-on-demand service, a multicast TV service, user-centric broadcast TV service, a pay-per-view TV service.

10. A method for providing a plurality of streaming video services to a number of subscribers via an access/edge network node (300) that terminates and aggregates bi-directional data packet traffic for said number of subscribers,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said method includes using between the subscriber terminal and said access/edge network node (300) a single requesting protocol for at least two of said streaming video services, and proxying said single requesting protocol at said access/edge network node (300).

11. A subscriber terminal able to terminate at the subscriber premises a plurality of streaming video services received over a subscriber line,

CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said subscriber terminal includes a single requesting protocol client for generating request signals for at least two of said streaming video services.