POLICY CONTROL OVER SWITCHED DELIVERY NETWORKS

• US 20090150943A1
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Triton US VP Acquisition, Co.
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: VASUDEVAN, Swaminatha, LIU, Xiaomei
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting

Abstract

A method is described that includes receiving a program request from a transceiver that includes a program request to receive a video program at the transceiver. The method also includes determining an amount of bandwidth on a channel available to the transceiver. The method further includes determining whether to provide a unicast stream or a multicast stream to deliver the requested video program to the transceiver in response to the program request based on a result obtained after implementing a policy control function that considers an amount of bandwidth on the channel to the transceiver. The method further includes formatting and selecting an incoming media stream in accordance with the result of the policy control function to provide a corresponding formatted unicast or multicast media stream that includes video data for the requested video program. The method further includes outputting the associated formatted unicast or multicast media stream on the channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a program request from a transceiver that includes a program request to receive a video program at the transceiver;

ascertaining an amount of bandwidth on a channel available to the transceiver;

determining whether to provide a unicast stream or a multicast stream to deliver the requested video program to the transceiver in response to the program request based on a result obtained after implementing a policy control function that considers the amount of bandwidth on the channel available to the transceiver;

formatting or selecting an incoming media stream in accordance with the result of the policy control function to provide a corresponding formatted unicast or multicast media stream that includes video data for the requested video program; and

outputting the associated formatted unicast or multicast media stream on the channel.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the policy control function is implemented by a network device at a distribution hub which provides program service to the transceiver and to a number of other transceivers and wherein the transceiver is linked with an associated subscriber.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the program request further includes information that describes the transceiver or associated subscriber.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a demographic profile of the associated subscriber, a level of income of the associated subscriber, programs generally requested by the transceiver, the current program requested by the transceiver, or popularity of the program requested by the transceiver.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

an average rate of program requests sent by transceivers in a specified period of time, a number of other transceivers currently accessing the requested program, or a number of total transceivers in the group of transceivers serviced by the distribution hub.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a resolution format of the program requested by the transceiver, available formats of the program requested by the transceiver, an available coding format of the program requested by the transceiver, or a decoder capability of the transceiver requesting the program.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising maximizing the number of unicast streams sent to transceivers while maintaining the amount of bandwidth on the channel at a threshold level.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a current bandwidth that is not used and that is available on the channel, a percentage of bandwidth used on the channel that is allocated to switched unicast and multicast streams, or a percentage of bandwidth used on the channel that is allocated solely to unicast streams.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising comparing the amount of bandwidth on the channel to a threshold and

providing a unicast stream to the transceiver if the amount of bandwidth is less than the threshold, and

providing a multicast stream to the transceiver if the amount of bandwidth is greater than the threshold.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining the decoding capabilities of the transceiver and selecting a coding format for a unicast or multicast stream based on compression ratio.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining the resolution formats that the transceiver is able to decode and selecting a coding format for a unicast or multicast stream based on resolution.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the decision whether to provide a unicast stream or a multicast stream is made upon receipt of a program request.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a first network interface configured to receive an incoming media stream that includes video data for a video program;

at least one processor configured to execute instructions encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to

examine a program request received from a transceiver that includes a program request to receive the video program at the transceiver;

determine an amount of bandwidth on a channel available to the transceiver;

determine whether to provide a unicast stream or a multicast stream to deliver the requested video program to the transceiver in response to the program request based on a result obtained after implementing a policy control function that considers the amount of bandwidth on the channel to the transceiver; and

format or select the incoming media stream in accordance with the result of the policy control function to provide a corresponding formatted unicast or multicast media stream that includes video data for the video program; and

one or more network interfaces configured to receive the program request from the transceiver over the channel, and output the associated formatted unicast or multicast media stream on the channel.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a network device at a distribution hub which provides program service to the transceiver and to a number of other transceivers and wherein the transceiver is linked with an associated subscriber and wherein the program request further includes information that describes the transceiver and associated subscriber.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a demographic profile of the associated subscriber, a level of income of the associated subscriber, programs generally requested by the transceiver, the current program requested by the transceiver, or a popularity of the program requested by the transceiver.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

an average rate of program requests sent by transceivers in a specified period of time, a number of other transceivers currently accessing the requested program, or a number of total transceivers in the group of transceivers serviced by the distribution hub.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a resolution format of the program requested by the transceiver, available formats of the program requested by the transceiver, an available coding format of the program requested by the transceiver, or a decoder capability of the transceiver requesting the program.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the policy control function utilizes information including one of:

a current bandwidth that is not used and that is available on the channel, a percentage of a bandwidth used on the channel that is allocated to switched unicast and multicast streams, or a percentage of a bandwidth used on the channel that is allocated solely to unicast streams.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions for implementing the policy control function are in a policy control server in communication with the processor.

20. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

receive a program request from a transceiver that includes a program request to receive a video program at the transceiver;

determine an amount of bandwidth on a channel available to the transceiver; and

determine whether to provide a unicast stream or a multicast stream to deliver the requested video program to the transceiver in response to the program request based on a result obtained after implementing a policy control function that considers the amount of bandwidth on the channel to the transceiver;

format or select an incoming media stream in accordance with the result of the policy control function to provide a corresponding formatted unicast or multicast media stream that includes video data for the requested video program; and

output the associated formatted unicast or multicast media stream on the channel.