Broadcast Content Encapsulation

• US 20100002696A1
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nimitz Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vare, Jani Petteri, Pekonen, Harri J., Alamaunu, Jyrki Tapio
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• 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 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Components of a transmitted service delivering multiple versions of content are mapped to streams carrying data for those multiple versions. The data streams are encapsulated into User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets; the UDP destination port fields of the packets are given component-identifying values. A user equipment (UE) receiving the transmitted service identifies desired components based on the UDP destination port field values. The UE further encapsulates desired component UDP packets into Internet Protocol (IP) packets, and may assign component-identifying values to fields of the IP packets (e.g., the IP source address and/or IP destination address).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

mapping each of a plurality of data streams related to a specific content to a different component of a service delivering multiple versions of the specific content;

encapsulating each data stream of the plurality into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol, wherein,

as to each of the packet streams, the packets have a value in a common field identifying the component mapped to the data stream encapsulated by the packet stream; and

forwarding the packet streams for transmission in a transmission channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the UDP source port field of the packets in each of the packet streams has a value identifying a provider of the service, and wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

said mapping further includes assigning a specific value to each component for a predefined field of a packet according to a second communication protocol, the specific value distinguishing the component from other components, and

said encapsulating includes encapsulating the packet streams according to one or more lower layer protocols without encapsulating the packet streams according to the second communication protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.

6. A machine-readable medium storing machine-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

mapping each of a plurality of data streams related to a specific content to a different component of a service delivering multiple versions of the specific content;

encapsulating each data stream of the plurality into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol, wherein,

as to each of the packet streams, the packets have a value in a common field identifying the component mapped to the data stream encapsulated by the packet stream; and

forwarding the packet streams for transmission in a transmission channel.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the UDP source port field of the packets in each of the packet streams has a value identifying a provider of the service, and wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein

said mapping further includes assigning a specific value to each component for a predefined field of a packet according to a second communication protocol, the specific value distinguishing the component from other components, and

said encapsulating includes encapsulating the packet streams according to one or more lower layer protocols without encapsulating the packet streams according to the second communication protocol.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to

map each of a plurality of data streams related to a specific content to a different component of a service delivering multiple versions of the specific content;

encapsulate each data stream of the plurality into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol, wherein,

as to each of the packet streams, the packets have a value in a common field identifying the component mapped to the data stream encapsulated by the packet stream; and

forward the packet streams for transmission in a transmission channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the UDP source port field of the packets in each of the packet streams has a value identifying a provider of the service, and wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein

said mapping further includes assigning a specific value to each component for a predefined field of a packet according to a second communication protocol, the specific value distinguishing the component from other components, and

said encapsulating includes encapsulating the packet streams according to one or more lower layer protocols without encapsulating the packet streams according to the second communication protocol.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a transmission of a service delivering multiple versions of a specific content, the service including a plurality of components, each component corresponding to a distinct data stream related to the specific content, each of the data streams encapsulated into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol; and

identifying desired components of the service based on values in a common field in packets of the packet streams.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field, further comprising

determining a provider of the service based on a provider-identifying value contained in the UDP source port field of UDP packets in the packet streams.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying desired components comprises decapsulating the first communication protocol packets of the packet streams from additional layers of encapsulation according to other communication protocols, and further comprising

encapsulating first communication protocol packets from desired component packet streams according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol is not one of the other communication protocols.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field, and

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP).

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising

receiving a plurality of distinct specific values, each of the specific values corresponding to a different one of the desired components, and wherein

said encapsulating first communication protocol packets includes, as to each desired component, inserting the corresponding specific value into a predefined field of a second communication protocol packet.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.

23. A machine-readable medium storing machine-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving a transmission of a service delivering multiple versions of a specific content, the service including a plurality of components, each component corresponding to a distinct data stream related to the specific content, each of the data streams encapsulated into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol; and

identifying desired components of the service based on values in a common field in packets of the packet streams.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field, and storing further machine-executable instructions for performing

determining a provider of the service based on a provider-identifying value contained in the UDP source port field of UDP packets in the packet streams.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein identifying desired components comprises decapsulating the first communication protocol packets of the packet streams from additional layers of encapsulation according to other communication protocols, and storing further machine-executable instructions for performing

encapsulating first communication protocol packets from desired component packet streams according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol is not one of the other communication protocols.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field, and

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP).

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, storing further machine-executable instructions for performing

receiving a plurality of distinct specific values, each of the specific values corresponding to a different one of the desired components, and wherein

said encapsulating first communication protocol packets includes, as to each desired component, inserting the corresponding specific value into a predefined field of a second communication protocol packet.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.

30. An apparatus comprising:

at least one controller configured, upon receiving a transmission of a service delivering multiple versions of a specific content, the service including a plurality of components, each component corresponding to a distinct data stream related to the specific content, each of the data streams encapsulated into a stream of packets according to a first communication protocol, to perform operations that include

identifying desired components of the service based on values in a common field in packets of the packet streams.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the common field is the UDP destination port field, and wherein the at least one controller is further configured to perform operations that include

determining a provider of the service based on a provider-identifying value contained in the UDP source port field of UDP packets in the packet streams.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein identifying desired components comprises decapsulating the first communication protocol packets of the packet streams from additional layers of encapsulation according to other communication protocols, and wherein the at least one controller is further configured to perform operations that include

encapsulating first communication protocol packets from desired component packet streams according to a second communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol is not one of the other communication protocols.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field, and

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP).

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to perform operations that include receiving a plurality of distinct specific values, each of the specific values corresponding to a different one of the desired components, and wherein said encapsulating first communication protocol packets includes, as to each desired component, inserting the corresponding specific value into a predefined field of a second communication protocol packet.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein

the first communication protocol is User Datagram Protocol (UDP),

the common field is one of a UDP destination port field and a UDP source port field,

the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol (IP), and

the predefined field is one of an IP source address field and an IP destination address field.