Content-Based Handover Method and System

• US 20090109921A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bowen, Donald John
• Granted Patent: US 7,948,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters

Abstract

A handover of a wireless communication device is performed between a first wireless band and a second wireless band when a detected feature occurs within a content stream being communicated with the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

performing a handover of a wireless communication device between a first wireless band and a second wireless band when a detected feature occurs within a content stream being communicated with the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first wireless band is a licensed wireless band and wherein the second wireless band is an unlicensed wireless band.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the licensed wireless band comprises a cellular telephone network band.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the unlicensed wireless band comprises a Wi-Fi band.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the handover is from the licensed wireless band to the unlicensed wireless band.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the handover is from the unlicensed wireless band to the licensed wireless band.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected feature is detected while a portion of the content stream is being communicated with the wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the content stream comprises video content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a detected scene transition occurs in the video content.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a detected number of consecutive black frames in the video content is greater than or equal to a threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the content stream comprises audio content, and wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a period of silence in the audio content is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the content stream comprises gaming packets, and wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a quiescent period indicated by the gaming packets is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

13. A system comprising:

a handover component to perform a handover of a wireless communication device between a first wireless band and a second wireless band when a detected feature occurs within a content stream being communicated with the wireless communication device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first wireless band is a licensed wireless band and wherein the second wireless band is an unlicensed wireless band.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the licensed wireless band comprises a cellular telephone network band.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the unlicensed wireless band comprises a Wi-Fi band.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the handover is from the licensed wireless band to the unlicensed wireless band.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the handover is from the unlicensed wireless band to the licensed wireless band.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising a content feature detector to detect the detected feature while a portion of the content stream is being communicated with the wireless communication device.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the content stream comprises video content.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a detected scene transition occurs in the video content.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a detected number of consecutive black frames in the video content is greater than or equal to a threshold.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the content stream comprises audio content, and wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a period of silence in the audio content is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

24. The system of claim 13 wherein the content stream comprises gaming packets, and wherein the handover is performed between the first wireless band and the second wireless band when a quiescent period indicated by the gaming packets is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

25. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program to cause a computer system to perform a handover of a wireless communication device between a first wireless band and a second wireless band when a detected feature occurs within a content stream being communicated with the wireless communication device.