Method and Apparatus for Providing Content to Users Using Unicast and Broadcast Wireless Networks

• US 20080242290A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rangarajan, Sampath, Bhatia, Randeep S., Narlikar, Girija J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for providing content to user terminals. A method includes identifying a request for content from a user terminal, obtaining a network selection parameter for the content request, selecting, using the network selection parameter, a wireless network over which to propagate the requested content, and propagating the requested content toward the user terminal using the selected wireless network. The selected wireless network may be a unicast wireless network or a broadcast wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to user terminals, comprising:

identifying a request for content associated with a user terminal;

obtaining a network selection parameter for the content request;

selecting, using the network selection parameter, a wireless network over which to propagate the requested content, wherein the selected wireless network comprises one of a unicast wireless network and a broadcast wireless network; and

propagating the requested content toward the user terminal using the selected wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the content request comprises one of:

receiving the content request from the user terminal over the unicast wireless network; and

detecting that the content is available and determining that a user associated with the user terminal is registered to receive the available content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network selection parameter comprises at least one of a delivery time associated with the requested content, a number of other user terminals requesting the content, an available network bandwidth associated with the unicast wireless network, an available network bandwidth associated with the broadcast wireless network, and user subscription information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing scheduling information toward the user terminal over the unicast network, wherein the scheduling information comprises a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling information is adapted for use by the user terminal in switching from a dormant state to an active state prior to transmission of the requested content toward the user terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving the scheduling information at the user terminal;

in response to a determination that the user terminal is in a dormant state at a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin, switching the user terminal from the dormant state to an active state; and

receiving the content over the selected network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one other request for content associated with at least one other user terminal;

grouping the content request associated with the user terminal and the at least one other content request associated with the at least one other user terminal in response to a determination that the at least one other content request is for the same content as the content request associated with the user terminal;

selecting the broadcast wireless network for providing the content for the grouped content requests; and

propagating the requested content toward the user terminals over the broadcast wireless network.

8. An apparatus for providing content to user terminals, comprising:

means for identifying a request for content associated with a user terminal;

means for obtaining a network selection parameter for the content request;

means for selecting, using the network selection parameter, a wireless network over which to propagate the requested content, wherein the selected wireless network comprises one of a unicast wireless network and a broadcast wireless network; and

means for propagating the requested content toward the user terminal using the selected wireless network.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for identifying the content request comprises at least one of:

means for receiving the content request from the user terminal over the unicast wireless network; and

means for detecting that the content is available and determining that a user associated with the user terminal is registered to receive the available content.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the network selection parameter comprises at least one of a delivery time associated with the requested content, a number of other user terminals requesting the content, an available network bandwidth associated with the unicast wireless network, an available network bandwidth associated with the broadcast wireless network, and user subscription information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for providing scheduling information toward the user terminal over the unicast network, wherein the scheduling information comprises a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the scheduling information is adapted for use by the user terminal in switching from a dormant state to an active state prior to transmission of the requested content toward the user terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving the scheduling information at the user terminal;

means for switching the user terminal from the dormant state to an active state in response to a determination that the user terminal is in a dormant state at a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin; and

means for receiving the content over the selected network.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for identifying at least one other request for content associated with at least one other user terminal;

means for grouping the content request associated with the user terminal and the at least one other content request associated with the at least one other user terminal in response to a determination that the at least one other content request is for the same content as the content request associated with the user terminal;

means for selecting the broadcast wireless network for providing the content for the grouped content requests; and

means for propagating the requested content toward the user terminals over the broadcast wireless network.

15. A computer readable medium storing a software program, that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

identifying a request for content associated with a user terminal;

obtaining a network selection parameter for the content request;

selecting, using the network selection parameter, a wireless network over which to propagate the requested content, wherein the selected wireless network comprises one of a unicast wireless network and a broadcast wireless network; and

propagating the requested content toward the user terminal using the selected wireless network.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein identifying the content request comprises one of:

receiving the content request from the user terminal over the unicast wireless network;

or

detecting that the content is available and determining that a user associated with the user terminal is registered to receive the available content.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network selection parameter comprises at least one of a delivery time associated with the requested content, a number of other user terminals requesting the content, an available network bandwidth associated with the unicast wireless network, an available network bandwidth associated with the broadcast wireless network, and user subscription information.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

providing scheduling information toward the user terminal over the unicast network, wherein the scheduling information comprises a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the scheduling information is adapted for use by the user terminal in switching from a dormant state to an active state prior to transmission of the requested content toward the user terminal.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving the scheduling information at the user terminal;

in response to a determination that the user terminal is in a dormant state at a time at which transmission of the requested content over the selected network is schedule to begin, switching the user terminal from the dormant state to an active state; and

receiving the content over the selected network.