TRANSMISSION OF IP PACKETS OF CONTENTS BY ADDITION TO THOSE IP PACKETS OF INFORMATION DATA RELATING TO THE CONTENTS

• US 20070250639A1
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chuberre, Nicolas, Roullet, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation

Abstract

IP encapsulation equipment comprises encapsulation means responsible for encapsulating into bursts IP packets representing sets of multimedia data delivered by at least one multimedia content server and accompanied beforehand by information data at least partly defining the set of data that is integrated into those IP packets and/or the content of which that set of data forms part, with a view to the broadcasting thereof to receiver equipments via a communication network. It further comprises analysis means responsible for analyzing the information data added to the received IP packets in order to instruct the encapsulation means to encapsulate at least some of those IP packets in selected positions in the bursts as a function of the corresponding information data and so that all the IP packets including the data of a set are encapsulated in a single burst.

Claims

1. A device for processing IP packets generated by a multimedia content server and representing sets of multimedia data to be broadcast via a communication network, each comprising start and end data and each being associated with at least one type, said device comprising processor means adapted to add to said IP packets generated by said server information data at least partly defining the set of data that is integrated into said IP packets and/or the content of which said set of data forms part and/or information relating to the transmission of said content and usable by the network, so that said server can deliver at an output said IP packets and the corresponding information data.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said processor means are adapted to add to said IP packets generated by said server information data indicating start data or end data and/or the type of the set of data that is integrated into the IP packets and/or the type of content of which said set of data forms part.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said processor means are adapted to add said information data to said IP packets by integrating them into a header attached thereto and defined by a selected transport protocol.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said transport protocol is the Real Time Protocol (RTP).

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said processor means are adapted to generate signaling comprising said information data and adapted to be delivered by said server in parallel with the corresponding IP packets.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein, in the presence of sets of data defining video frames, said type of a set of data is defined by the type of the video frame that it represents, which is selected in a group comprising at least frames of types I, B and P.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein, in the presence of sets of data defining segments of files, said type of a set of data is defined by the type of data of the file segment that it defines, which is selected in a group comprising at least the type “

DATA” and

the type “

FEC”

.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein, in the presence of sets of data defining scenes of BIFS type, said type of a set of data defines an overall or partial scene renewal.

9. A multimedia content server adapted to generate continuous streams of sets of data in the form of IP packets, comprising a processor device according to claim 1.

10. IP encapsulation equipment comprising encapsulation means adapted to encapsulate in bursts IP packets representing sets of multimedia data and delivered by at least one multimedia content server according to claim 9, with a view to broadcasting thereof to receiver equipments via a communication network, which equipment comprises analysis means adapted to analyze information data added to received IP packets in order to instruct said encapsulation means to encapsulate at least some of said IP packets in selected positions in the bursts as a function of the corresponding information data and so that all the IP packets including the data of a set are encapsulated in a single burst.

11. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted to establish relative transmission priorities of IP packets as a function of the corresponding information data and to instruct said encapsulation means to encapsulate said IP packets as a function of said priorities established.

12. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted, in the event of unavailability of the entirety of the IP packets corresponding to a set of data associated with a given priority, to instruct said encapsulation means to encapsulate IP packets corresponding to a set of data associated with a lower priority.

13. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted, in the event of availability of the entirety of the IP packets corresponding to a set of data but a lack of space in a burst currently being constituted by said encapsulation means and partially filled with IP packets, to instruct said encapsulation means to extract from said burst currently being constituted at least some of the IP packets already integrated in order to integrate into said burst currently being constituted said entirety of the IP packets corresponding to said set of data and to defer the transmission of the IP packets extracted.

14. Equipment according to claim 13, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to extract and to defer the transmission of IP packets containing redundant error correction data.

15. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to reduce the size of said bursts temporarily.

16. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to increase the size of said bursts temporarily.

17. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted, in the event of availability of the entirety of the IP packets corresponding to a set of data but of a lack of space in a burst currently being constituted by said encapsulation means and partially filled with IP packets, to instruct said encapsulation means to eliminate from said burst currently being constituted at least some of the IP packets already integrated and/or to reduce a level of error correction applied to said encapsulated IP packets and/or to increase the size of said bursts temporarily so as to integrate into said burst currently being constituted said entirety of the IP packets corresponding to said set of data.

18. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to increase the level of error correction applied to said encapsulated IP packets.

19. Equipment according to claim 18, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to increase dynamically the level of error correction applied to said encapsulated IP packets up to a selected threshold.

20. Equipment according to claim 11, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to apply to the IP packets encapsulated in a burst an error correction level that varies as a function of the priorities associated therewith.

21. Equipment according to claim 11, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to apply the highest level of error correction to the IP packets that are associated with the highest priority.

22. Equipment according to claim 10, wherein said analysis means are adapted to instruct said encapsulation means to duplicate data belonging to certain bursts defining the same content and corresponding to the same category in order to group it in a single burst defining said content and associated with said category.