STREAMING MEDIA NETWORK SYSTEM, STREAMING MEDIA SERVICE REALIZATION METHOD AND STREAMING MEDIA SERVICE ENABLER

• US 20080307108A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: YAN, Jun, LI, Jincheng, WU, Xiangyang
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones

Abstract

The present invention provides an IMS-based streaming media network system comprising: a streaming media service enabler configured to provide streaming media service description information to a user terminal; an application server configured to send a media resource request after the user terminal selects a streaming media service based on the service description information provided by the streaming media service enabler and after receiving a streaming media service request sent from the user terminal, and to provide the user terminal with information on a media resource delivery processing function entity storing streaming media contents after acquiring the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity; and, a media server configured to provide the application server with the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity storing the streaming media contents, based on the media resource request sent from the application server. The present invention addresses the problem of realizing streaming media services on the basis of IMS-based network architecture.

Claims

1. An IMS-based streaming media network system, comprising:

a streaming media service enabler configured to provide streaming media service description information to a user terminal;

an application server configured to send a media resource request after the user terminal selects a streaming media service based on the service description information provided by the streaming media service enabler and after receiving a streaming media service request sent from the user terminal, and to provide the user terminal with information on a media resource delivery processing function entity storing streaming media contents after acquiring the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity; and

a media server configured to provide the application server with the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity storing the streaming media contents, based on the media resource request sent from the application server.

2. The streaming media network system of claim 1, wherein the streaming media service enabler comprises at least one of the following entities:

a content management function entity CMF configured to acquire or generate streaming media content meta information describing the streaming media contents and provide the streaming media content meta information to the application server;

a service guide function entity SGF configured to generate a electronic program guide based on at least one of the acquired service description information, the streaming media content meta information, profile information of a user to which the user terminal belongs and a context information, and provide the electronic program guide to other function entities or user terminals;

a key management function entity KMF configured to generate keys required by a streaming media content protection or store the keys required by the streaming media content protection acquired from a content provider and providing the keys required by the streaming media content protection to other function entities or user terminals;

a right issue function entity RIF configured to generate a right object required to use the streaming media contents based on the keys required by the streaming media content protection acquired from the KMF or the profile information of the user to which the user terminal belongs acquired from a service profile service entity, and provide the right object to other function entities or user terminals.

3. The streaming media network system of claim 2, further comprising:

a service profile service entity configured to provide the SGF or the RIF with the profile information of the user to which the user terminal belongs.

4. The streaming media network system of claim 1, further comprising:

a media resource location function entity MRLF or a media resource broker entity MRBF that has an interface with media servers, configured to collect or inquire distribution information of the streaming media contents on the media servers and/or the status information of the media servers, and select, for the user terminal, one media server providing the streaming media contents.

5. The streaming media network system of claim 1, wherein the application server comprises an MRLF configured to collect or inquire distribution information of the streaming media contents on media servers and/or status information of the media servers, and select a media server providing the streaming media contents.

6. The streaming media network system of claim 1, wherein the media server selects, for the user terminal, one media server for providing streaming media contents by interacting with media servers in this IMS domain or other IMS domains, and the interacting is P2P.

7. The streaming media network system of claim 1, wherein the media server comprises a media resource control function entity and a media resource delivery processing function entity, wherein the media resource control function entity controls one media resource delivery processing function entity and the media resource delivery processing function entity stores the streaming media contents and provides the streaming media contents to the user terminal.

8. The streaming media network system of claim 7, wherein the media resource control function entity selects, for the user terminal or the application servers, a media resource delivery processing function entity providing the streaming media contents.

9. A streaming media service enabler, comprising at least one of the following entities:

a service provisioning function entity SPF configured to provide service description information related to streaming media services;

a device profile function entity DPF configured to store or provide capability information of user terminals;

a context manager CM configured to collect, store, organize and transmit context information; and

a streaming media content protection function entity CPF configured to generate or provide a streaming media content encryption key and/or a right object.

10. The streaming media service enabler of claim 9, wherein the SPF comprises at least one of the following:

a CMF configured to acquire or generate streaming media content meta information and provide the streaming media content meta information to the application server;

a service scheduler function unit SSF configured to provide deploying and organizing information of the streaming media services;

a program guide function unit PGF configured to acquire service description information required to generate an electronic program guide from the deploying and organizing information, and generate the electronic program guide based on the acquired service description information; and

a service discovery function unit SDF configured to provide the service description information and provide the electronic program guide to the user terminal.

11. The streaming media service enabler of claim 10, wherein the SSF provides at least one of the following functions for multicasting services:

allocation and management of multicasting addresses;

association of program identifications and the multicasting addresses;

establishment of the multicasting; and

control over multicasting sources.

12. The streaming media service enabler of claim 11, wherein the SSF provides at least one of the following functions for program requesting services:

association of metadata and content identifier;

triggering of content distribution; and

formulation of a content distribution policy.

13. An application server, comprising:

a streaming media service application function unit configured to implement logic control on streaming media services; and

a service control function unit SCF configured to control a unicast/multicast session and determine streaming media contents to be delivered.

14. A media resource control function entity, comprising at least one of the following:

a controlling unit for acquiring streaming media contents configured to control the media resource delivery processing function entity to acquire the streaming media contents;

a controlling unit for delivering streaming media contents configured to control controlling and conversion of a plurality of delivery manners of streaming media contents;

a controlling unit for processing media formats configured to control the media resource delivery processing function entity to process the media formats;

a controlling unit for encrypting streaming media contents configured to control the media resource delivery processing function entity to encrypt the streaming media contents; and

a distribution information and load status acquiring unit configured to acquire streaming media content distribution information and load status from the media resource delivery processing function entity.

17. The media resource control function entity of claim 14, wherein the media resource control function entity is an MRFC or a function entity independent of the MRFC, and the media resource delivery processing function entity is an MRFP or a function entity independent of the MRFP.

15. A media resource delivery processing function entity, comprising:

a streaming media content acquiring and storing unit configured to acquire and store the streaming media contents;

a distribution information and load status reporting unit configured to report the streaming media content distribution information and load status to the media resource control function entity;

a media format processing unit configured to process the media formats; and

a streaming media content encrypting unit configured to encrypt the streaming media contents based on a specified streaming media content encryption key.

16. A media resource broker entity (MRBF), configured to collect or inquire streaming media content distribution information and status information of the media resource delivery processing function entity, and/or, select, for the user terminal, one media resource delivery processing function entity providing the streaming media contents, and/or, distribute the streaming media contents managed by the streaming media service enabler to the media resource delivery processing function entity, and the MRBF comprises at least one of the following:

a distribution information and load status collecting unit configured to collect the streaming media content distribution information and the load status information of the media resource delivery processing function entity;

a media resource delivery processing function entity selecting unit configured to select, for the user terminal, one media resource delivery processing function entity providing the streaming media contents based on requests message from AS or S-CSCF and the acquired streaming media content distribution information and the acquired load status information of MRDP; and

a request message routing unit configured to route the request messages from the AS or the S-CSCF to the media resource control function entity.

18. An IMS-based streaming media service enabler, comprising:

a service description information storing or acquiring unit configured to store preconfigured service description information or acquire service description information; and

a service description information providing unit configured to provide the service description information to a user terminal.

19. The streaming media service enabler of claim 18, further comprising at least one of the following:

a CMF configured to acquire or generate streaming media content meta information describing streaming media contents and provide the streaming media content meta information to an application server;

an SGF configured to generate a electronic program guide based on at least one of the acquired service description information, the acquired streaming media content meta information, profile information of a user to which the user terminal belongs and context information, and provide the electronic program guide to the user terminal or the application server;

a KMF configured to generate keys required by a streaming media content protection or store streaming media content encryption keys acquired from a content provider, and provide the keys required by the streaming media content protection to other function entities or user terminals; and

an RIF configured to generate a right object required to use the streaming media contents according to the streaming media content encryption keys acquired from the KMF and/or the acquired profile information of the user to which the user terminal belongs, and provide the right object to other function entities or user terminals.

20. An IMS-based streaming media service realization method, comprising:

providing, by an streaming media service enabler, streaming media service description information to a user terminal;

selecting, by the user terminal, one streaming media service based on the service description information;

transmitting, by an application server, media resource request after the application server receives the streaming media service request from the user terminal;

providing, by a media server, information on a media resource delivery processing function entity storing streaming media contents to the application server based on the media resource request; and

providing, by the application server, the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity to the user terminal.

21. The streaming media service realization method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring, by the user terminal, program information from the streaming media service enabler, before the user terminal initiates the streaming media service request.

22. The streaming media service realization method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring, by the application server, the streaming media content meta information from the streaming media service enabler, when the application server processes the streaming media service request.

23. The streaming media service realization method of claim 20, wherein sending, by the application server, the media resource request comprises the following steps:

inquiring, by the application server, an MRLF for information on media servers;

selecting, by the MRLF, one media server from at least one media servers and returning, by the MRLF, information on the selected media server to the application server; and

sending, by the application server, the media resource request to the selected media server.

24. The streaming media service realization method of claim 20, wherein sending, by the application server, the media resource request comprises the following steps:

sending, by the application server, the media resource request to an MRBF;

selecting, by the MRBF, one media server from at least one media servers and forwarding, by the MRBF, the media resource request to the selected media server.

25. The streaming media service realization method of claim 20, wherein sending, by the application server, the media resource request comprises the following steps:

sending, by the application server, the media resource request to a media resource control function entity in the media server;

selecting, by the media resource control function entity, one media server from at least one media servers and forwarding, by the media resource control function entity, the media resource request to the selected media server.