Method for Providing Incentive Mechanisms for out-of-order Download in Communication Networks Dedicated to the Distribution of Video-on-Demand Content

• US 20120167150A1
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Champel, Mary-Luc, Le Scouarnec, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• 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 67/1082 involving incentive schemes

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method of transferring content from a first communication device to a second communication device in a communication network, comprising the following steps:

• • defining a first probability, according to which a content can be encoded;
  • defining a second probability, according to which a content can be chosen;
  • upon request of content from said second communication device to said first communication device:
    • encoding content with another content according to said first probability, said content being chosen with said second probability, and transferring content z=x XOR y from said first communication device to said second communication device, or
      • according to probability 1-p_e transferring unencoded content x from said first communication device to said second communication device.

Claims

1. Method of transferring content from a first communication device to a second communication device in a communication network, comprising the following steps:

defining a first probability, according to which a content can be encoded;

defining a second probability, according to which a content can be chosen;

upon request of content from said second communication device to said first communication device;

encoding content with another content according to said first probability, said content being chosen with said second probability (p_c), and transferring content z=x XOR y from said first communication device to said second communication device, or

according to probability 1-pe transferring unencoded content x from said first communication device to said second communication device.

2. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein the encoding is based on parity erasure-correcting codes.

3. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability is a constant.

4. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability has the following form:

p_e=c−

ax, where x is the requested content and where a and c are constants.

5. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability has the following form:

p_e=c+ax, where x is the requested content and where a and c are constants.

6. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability has the form of a Gaussian function.

7. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability has the following form:

p_e=p_e(x,p)=c−

a/(x−

p), where x is the requested content, p is the content being played, and where a and c are constants.

8. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said first probability depends on the variation of quantity of buffered data.

9. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said second probability is used to implement a rarest first policy.

10. Method of transferring content according to claim 1, wherein said second probability is uniform.