System and method of minimizing network bandwidth retrieved from an external network

• US 20080222235A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Digital LLC
• Inventors: Hurst, Mark B., Anderson, David S., Wang, Lei, Larsen, Loren
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440227 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 : Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system and method are provided of minimizing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network. The method can include the operation of organizing a plurality of clients each having media streamlets and a client parent in a structure within the local network. Mapping information propagates through the structure. The mapping information represents local streamlet locations as stored by the plurality of clients. Another operation is retrieving a local streamlet from a client identified in the mapping information as having the local streamlet for the requesting client.

Claims

1. A method of reducing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network, comprising:

organizing a plurality of clients in a linked structure, the clients having media streamlets, wherein each client is linked to at least one other client and the plurality of clients are located within the local network;

distributing streamlet mapping information from each client to linked receiving clients, the streamlet mapping information representing location of local media streamlets stored by the plurality of clients;

enabling the plurality of clients to apply a priority policy rule defining streamlet quality priorities and network priorities that are used when obtaining media streamlets for media playback; and

retrieving media streamlets based on the priority policy rule from the plurality of clients within the local network using the streamlet mapping information, and from an external network repository.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the priority policy rule is defined to have clients obtain the highest quality streamlets possible with a lowest amount of external network access.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the priority policy rule is defined to have clients obtain as many local streamlets as possible regardless of streamlet quality in order to minimize external network access.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the priority policy rule is defined to have clients obtain the highest quality streamlets by checking the local network first using the streamlet mapping information and then the external network second.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the priority policy rule is defined to retrieve the highest quality streamlets possible based on a client machine'"'"'s ability to sustainably decode the streamlets and based on a minimum latency threshold of retrieving the packets from local and external networks.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the priority policy rule is defined to retrieve the highest quality streamlets possible based on a comparison of minimum streamlet quality available on the local network and a minimum latency threshold for retrieving the packets from a network.

7. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of linking the media clients in a hierarchical structure.

8. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of linking the media clients in a ring structure.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of distributing streamlet mapping information further comprises the step of distributing streamlet mapping information that includes the streamlet mapping for the replying client and additional streamlet mapping information received from other linked clients.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein network priorities define the ordering in which streamlets at defined qualities should be retrieved from clients on the local network and servers on external networks.

11. A method of reducing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network, comprising:

organizing a plurality of clients having media streamlets in a hierarchical structure, the plurality of clients being located within the local network;

assigning a defined number of tokens to the plurality of clients, wherein a number of tokens is less than the plurality of clients;

enabling a requesting client desiring local streamlets for media playback to join the hierarchical structure by attaching to a client with a token; and

obtaining mapping information from the client from at least one parent client, the mapping information representing local streamlet locations stored by the plurality of clients.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising the step of retrieving a local streamlet from a client identified in the mapping information as having the local streamlet for the requesting client using a direct connection to the client.

13. A method of reducing network bandwidth retrieved from an external network by client peers in a local network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a plurality of clients having media streamlets, the plurality of clients being located within the local network;

assigning a limited number of tokens to the plurality of clients arranged in a hierarchical structure, wherein a number of tokens is less than the plurality of clients;

requesting to join the hierarchical structure by a requesting client desiring a local streamlet for media playback;

sending a response message from a client with a token, the response message containing the depth of the client in the tree and a nonce identifying the tree;

sending mapping information from the client with the token to the requesting client representing local streamlet locations for the plurality of clients;

enabling the client to connect to the hierarchical structure; and

obtaining the local streamlet from a location identified in the mapping information by making a direct request from the requesting client to a client having the local streamlet.

14. The method as in claim 13, further comprising the step of creating a defined number of tokens for a first client that joins a hierarchal tree.

15. The method as in claim 13, wherein the step of creating a defined number of tokens for a first client to join a hierarchical content tree, further comprises the step of creating a number of tokens based on a maximum number of mapping information exchange connections that are supportable.

16. The method of claim 13, retrieving the local streamlet from a client in the local network that is listed in the mapping information as storing the local streamlet.

17. The method of claim 13, requesting the local streamlet from a video server via the internet when the local streamlet is not available in the mapping information.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of assigning a limited number of tokens further comprises the step of using two to ten tokens in the hierarchical structure.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of passing a token from a parent client to child clients by randomly assigning tokens to child clients.

20. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of obtaining media streamlets that are a video stream.

21. A method of reducing network bandwidth retrieved over an external network connection using a hierarchical arrangement of clients in a local network, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting a request from a requesting client to join the hierarchical network of clients using a specific content stream;

receiving a response at the requesting client from clients in the hierarchical network;

determining which client is closest to a root client; and

attaching the requesting client to the client closest to the root client.

22. The method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of designating the requesting client as the root of the hierarchical structure of clients when no other clients respond to the request to join the hierarchical network.

23. The method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of creating a defined number of tokens for a first client that obtains a specific content stream based on a maximum number of supportable mapping information exchange connections.

24. The method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of passing a token from a parent client to a child client who has an unbalanced sub-tree.

25. A method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of enabling the unconnected client to connect to a highest possible level in the tree by configuring an unconnected client to pick a client with a least distance from the root client.

26. A method as in claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

enabling an unconnected client to connect to a highest possible level in the tree by checking a hierarchy level of clients with tokens that respond; and

connecting to a different branch than the unconnected client was previously connected to.

27. A system for reducing network bandwidth retrieved over an external network connection, comprising:

a local area network containing a plurality of clients having local streamlets, the local area network being in communication with the external network connection;

a hierarchical structure into which the plurality of clients are organized;

a plurality of tokens assigned to clients in the hierarchical structure, wherein a number of tokens is less than the plurality of clients in the hierarchical structure;

a media player having local streamlets, wherein each of the plurality of clients includes an instance of the media player; and

a metadata map contained in each of the plurality of clients, the metadata map being configured to list which local streamlets are stored by clients in the hierarchical structure and are available for retrieval and playback by a requesting client for an end user.

28. The system as in claim 27, wherein a number of tokens for the hierarchical structure is based on a maximum number of mapping information exchange connections that are supportable.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the plurality of tokens defines which clients are able to be attached to by clients entering the hierarchy.

30. A method of reducing network bandwidth used from an external network by client peers in a local network, comprising the steps of:

organizing a plurality of clients having media streamlets and parent clients in a linked structure within the local network;

obtaining mapping information for a requesting client from at least one other client, the mapping information representing local streamlet locations as stored by the plurality of clients; and

retrieving a local streamlet from a client identified in the mapping information as having the local streamlet for the requesting client.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the parent client will request mapping information from a respective parent client when the parent client does not have mapping information desired by the requesting client.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of playing a media stream for display to an end user using local streamlets and a media player in the requesting client.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of enabling the client to check for streamlets listed in the mapping information that are playing at the highest quality level that the client can support, without regard for the available bandwidth from the external network.