Methods and Apparatus for Providing Broadcast Content Over a Unicast Channel

• US 20100322196A1
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Guo, Jiming, Fan, Mingxi, Patwardhan, Ravindra M., Song, Bongyong, Cherian, George, Tinnakornsrisuphap, Peerapol, Attar, Rashid A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A method and apparatus providing broadcast content over a unicast channel. The method and apparatus may be configured to determine whether content received using a broadcast type format is to be transmitted using a unicast type format, and to map the content to a unicast reservation upon a determination that the content is to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

Claims

1. A method for providing broadcast content over a unicast channel, the method comprising:

determining whether content received using a broadcast type format is to be transmitted using a unicast type format; and

upon a determination that the content is to be transmitted using the unicast type format, mapping the content to a unicast reservation, wherein the content received using the broadcast type format is identified in the unicast type format using at least one broadcast protocol identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from a broadcast service network, the content using the broadcast type format; and

transmitting, to an access terminal, the content using the unicast type format.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting, to the access terminal, a second instance of the content using the broadcast type format concurrently with the content being transmitted using the unicast type format for a predefined transition period.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

initiating a pre-setup procedure, before transmitting the content using the unicast type format, to configure the access terminal to receive broadcast type format content using the unicast type format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

obtaining identification of a number of access terminals to receive the content; and

if the number of access terminals to receive the content is less than a predetermined broadcast threshold, generating instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining that an access terminal receiving content using the broadcast type format is within a coverage threshold region, wherein the coverage threshold region is defined as predefined boundary region beyond which content may not be received using a broadcast type format; and

upon a determination that the access terminal in within the coverage threshold region, generating instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

receiving a broadcast to unicast transition request from an access terminal; and

in response to the received request, generating instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether an inter base station controller (BSC) handover of service is to be performed; and

upon a determination that the inter BSC handover of service is to be performed, transmitting instructions to a target BSC to perform a registration process with the broadcast service network on behalf of the access terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one broadcast protocol identifier identifies a framing format used in the broadcast type format including either packet based framing or High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) framing.

10. A computer program product for providing broadcast content over a unicast channel, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to determine whether content received using a broadcast type format is to be transmitted using a unicast type format; and

a second set of codes for causing the computer to map the content to a unicast reservation and map the unicast reservation to a unicast flow upon a determination that the content is to be transmitted using the unicast type format, mapping the content to a unicast reservation, wherein the content received using the broadcast type format is identified in the unicast type format using at least one broadcast protocol identifier.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining whether content received using a broadcast type format is to be transmitted using a unicast type format;

means for mapping the content to a unicast reservation and means for mapping the unicast reservation to a unicast flow upon a determination that the content is to be transmitted using the unicast type format, mapping the content to a unicast reservation, wherein the content received using the broadcast type format is identified in the unicast type format using at least one broadcast protocol identifier.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a content transmission selection module configured to;

determine whether content received using a broadcast type format is to be transmitted using a unicast type format; and

upon a determination that the content is to be transmitted using the unicast type format, map the content to a unicast reservation, wherein the content received using the broadcast type format is identified in the unicast type format using at least one broadcast protocol identifier.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a communication module configured to;

receive, from a broadcast service network, the content using the broadcast type format; and

transmit, to an access terminal, the content using the unicast type format.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication module is further configured to:

transmit, to the access terminal, a second instance of the content using the broadcast type format concurrently with the content being transmitted using the unicast type format for a predefined transition period.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the content transmission selection module is further configured to:

initiate a pre-setup procedure, before transmitting the content using the unicast type format, to configure the access terminal to receive broadcast type format content using the unicast type format.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the content transmission selection module is further configured to:

obtain a number of access terminals to receive the content; and

if the number of access terminals to receive the content is less than a predetermined broadcast threshold, generate instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the content transmission selection module is further configured to:

determine that an access terminal receiving content using the broadcast type format is within a coverage threshold region, wherein the coverage threshold region is defined as predefined boundary region beyond which content may not be received using a broadcast type format; and

upon a determination that the access terminal in within the coverage threshold region, generate instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a broadcast and unicast conversion module configured to receive a broadcast to unicast transition request from an access terminal; and

wherein the broadcast to unicast module is further operable for generating instructions for the content to be transmitted using the unicast type format in response to the received request.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the content transmission selection module is further configured to determine whether an inter base station controller (BSC) handover of service is to be performed;

and

wherein the communication module is further configured to transmit instructions to a target BSC to perform a registration process with the broadcast service network on behalf of the access terminal upon a determination that the inter BSC handover is to be performed.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one broadcast protocol identifier identifies a framing format used in the broadcast type format including either packet based framing or High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) framing.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus includes at least one of:

a base station or a base station controller.

22. A method for receiving content by a wireless communications device (WCD), the method comprising:

monitoring, by the WCD, content from a serving base station using a broadcast type format;

detecting a target base station with a signal strength greater than a handover threshold value;

determining if the target base station is operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

upon a determination that the target base station is not operable to communicate using the broadcast type format, transmitting a request to the serving base station to transition content communication from using the broadcast type format to using a unicast type format;

transitioning content communication from the broadcast type format to the unicast type format in response to a command received from the serving base station transmitted by the serving base station in response to the transmitted request; and

processing a handover command from the serving base station to the target base station, wherein the handover includes maintaining content communication using the unicast type format.

23. A computer program product for providing broadcast content over a unicast channel, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to monitor content from a serving base station using a broadcast type format;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to detect a target base station with a signal strength greater than a handover threshold value;

a third set of codes for causing the computer to determine if the target base station is operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to transmit a request to the serving base station to transition content communication from using the broadcast type format to using a unicast type format upon a determination that the target base station is not operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

a fifth set of codes for causing the computer to transition content communication from the broadcast type format to the unicast type format in response to a command received from the serving base station transmitted by the serving base station in response to the transmitted request; and

a sixth set of codes for causing the computer to process a handover command from the serving base station to the target base station, wherein the handover includes maintaining content communication using the unicast type format.

24. An Apparatus, comprising:

means for monitoring, by the WCD, content from a serving base station using a broadcast type format;

means for detecting a target base station with a signal strength greater than a handover threshold value;

means for determining if the target base station is operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

means for transmitting a request to the serving base station to transition content communication from using the broadcast type format to using a unicast type format upon a determination that the target base station is not operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

means for transitioning content communication from the broadcast type format to the unicast type format in response to a command received from the serving base station transmitted by the serving base station in response to the transmitted request; and

means for processing a handover command from the serving base station to the target base station, wherein the handover includes maintaining content communication using the unicast type format.

25. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a transceiver operable to;

monitor content from a serving base station using a broadcast type format;

a handover module operable to;

detect a target base station with a signal strength greater than a handover threshold value; and

determine if the target base station is operable to communicate using the broadcast type format;

wherein the transceiver is further operable to transmit a request to the serving base station to transition content communication from using the broadcast type format to using a unicast type format upon a determination that the target base station is not operable to communicate using the broadcast type format; and

wherein the handover module is further operable to;

transition content communication from the broadcast type format to the unicast type format in response to a command received from the serving base station transmitted by the serving base station in response to the transmitted request; and

process a handover command from the serving base station to the target base station, wherein the handover includes maintaining content communication using the unicast type format.