DECENTRALIZED HIERARCHICALLY CLUSTERED PEER-TO-PEER LIVE STREAMING SYSTEM

• US 20110047215A1
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Liang, Chao, Guo, Yang
• Application Number:
  US12/919,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described including forwarding data in a transmission queue to a first peer in a same cluster, computing an average transmission queue size to a threshold, sending a signal to a cluster head based on a result of the comparison. A method and apparatus are also described including forwarding data in a transmission queue to a peer associated with an upper level peer, forwarding data in a playback buffer to a peer in a lower level cluster responsive to a first signal in a signal queue associated with the lower level cluster, determining if the playback buffer has exceeded a threshold for a period of time, sending a second signal to a source server based on a result of the determination.

Claims

1. A method of operating a peer in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, said method comprising:

forwarding data in a transmission queue to a first peer, wherein said peer, said first peer and a second peer are all members of a same cluster;

computing an average transmission queue size;

comparing said average transmission queue size to a threshold; and

sending a signal to a cluster head based on a result of said comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said data; and

storing said received data to be forwarded into said transmission queue;

wherein said received data is from one of said cluster head and said second peer in the same cluster.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

storing said received data into a buffer for storing said received data to be rendered; and

rendering said data stored in said buffer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said signal is an indication that additional data is needed by said transmission queue.

5. An apparatus operating as a peer in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, comprising:

means for forwarding data in a transmission queue to a first peer, wherein said peer, said first peer and a second peer are all members of a same cluster;

means for computing an average transmission queue size;

means for comparing said average transmission queue size to a predetermined threshold; and

means for sending a signal to a cluster head based on a result of said comparing means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for receiving said data; and

means for storing said received data to be forwarded into said transmission queue, wherein said received data is from one of said cluster head and said second peer in the same cluster.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for storing said received data into a buffer for storing said received data to be rendered; and

means for rendering said data stored in said buffer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said signal is an indication that additional data is needed by said transmission queue.

9. A method of operating a cluster head in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, said method comprising:

forwarding data in a transmission queue to a peer associated with a an upper level cluster;

forwarding data in a buffer, said buffer for storing data to be rendered, to a peer in a lower level cluster responsive to a first signal in a signal queue associated with said lower level cluster;

determining if said buffer has exceeded a threshold for a period of time; and

sending a second signal to a server based on a result of said determining step, wherein said server serves as a source for source data stored therein.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving data;

storing said received data into said buffer; and

rendering said received data stored in said buffer.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said received data is from one of said server and a second cluster head, wherein said second cluster head and said source server are members of a same upper level cluster.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said first signal is an indication that additional data is needed.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein said second signal is an indication that a first rate at which data is being forwarded exceeds a second rate at which data can be used.

14. An apparatus operating as a cluster head in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, comprising:

means for forwarding data in a transmission queue to a peer associated with an upper level cluster;

means for forwarding data in a buffer, said buffer for storing data to be rendered, to a peer in a lower level cluster responsive to a first signal in a signal queue associated with said lower level cluster;

means for determining if said buffer has exceeded a threshold for a period of time; and

means for sending a second signal to a server based on a result of said means for determining, wherein said server serves as a source for data stored therein.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving data;

means for storing said received data into said buffer; and

means for rendering said received data stored in said buffer.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said received data is from one of said server and a second cluster head, wherein said second cluster head and said source server are members of said same upper level cluster.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said first signal is an indication that additional data is needed.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said second signal is an indication that a first rate at which data is being forwarded exceeds a second rate at which data can be used.

19. A method of operating a sub-server in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, said method comprising:

forwarding data responsive to a signal in a signal queue to an issuer of said signal; and

forwarding data stored in a buffer to all peers, wherein all peers are members of a same cluster.

20. An apparatus operating as a sub-server in a hierarchically clustered peer-to-peer live streaming network, comprising:

means for forwarding data responsive to a signal in a signal queue to an issuer of said signal; and

means for forwarding data stored in a buffer to all peers, wherein all peers are members of a same cluster.

21-22. -22. (canceled)